HIST 75H: A Masterclass on Houghton Library is the first of three major exhibitions celebrating the 75th anniversary of Houghton Library.

The exhibition sees Harvard faculty honoring Houghton’s support of their teaching and research with a masterclass on the library’s outstanding collections. Nearly 50 academics in fields ranging from astronomy to government reveal Houghton treasures of personal and professional significance. From a wanted poster for Lincoln’s assassins to Charlotte Brontë’s childhood handmade miniature books, the assembled objects represent formative encounters from their student days and careers at Harvard, and the inspiration behind countless publications, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller.

Houghton75 is a new podcast series that presents different voices and perspectives on Houghton Library in its seventy-fifth year.

The series kicks off with over a dozen Harvard faculty members sharing their thoughts on the collection item they chose for the exhibition HIST 75H: A Masterclass on Houghton Library. The chosen item acts as a springboard for a broader conversation about their research and teaching at Houghton-based research and teaching. The interviews cover topics as varied as Theodore Roosevelt as a symbol of masculinity and the history of race in American music, and will be released throughout 2017.