Benefactor John Downame (1571-1652) The Christian Warfare against the Devill World and Flesh, 4th ed. (London, 1634) For almost four centuries Harvard librarians have treasured this copy of The Christian Warfare, now the only surviving book from the library of John Harvard.  “A godly gentleman and a lover of learning,”

Founder Richard Brooks Architectural model of Houghton Library Cambridge, 1951 Houghton Library is named for Arthur A. Houghton, Jr, Harvard Class of 1929. As a junior and already an enthusiastic book-collector, Houghton enrolled in class Fine Arts 5e,The History of the Book, taught by librarian George Parker Winship, who inspired

Collections George Gordon Byron (1788-1824) The Corsair (Milan, 1826) Byron’s swashbuckling tale The Corsair sold an unprecedented 10,000 copies on its first day of publication in 1814 and firmly established the “Byronic hero” in the Romantic imagination. Printed on vellum and bound in dark blue velvet, this deluxe Milanese edition

Technical Services William and Henry James, ca. 1900 This photograph depicts one of my favorite novelists, Henry James, along with one of my favorite philosophers, his older brother, William James. Most touching, I find, is Henry’s easygoing openness – all the more remarkable since he is commonly regarded as a

Preservation Services John Bradford The Poetical Vagaries of a Knight of the Folding-Stick, of Paste Castle (Newark, NJ, 1815) The first day I began work at Houghton Library, Curator of Rare Books Roger Stoddard and conservator Alan Puglia showed me this book. It is full of bookbinding poetry and inside

Security Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707) Traité des sieges, ca. 1700 Considered the authoritative work on sieges until the latter half of the nineteenth century, this treatise was not printed until well after Vauban’s death. This manuscript copy is one of several produced by Vauban’s staff and presented to

Public Services Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Letter to Harvey Breit, 27 August 1951 Despite not being much of a Hemingway fan, I find this letter provides a fascinating glimpse into a writer’s creative process. The last paragraph of text and the physical evidence of his sweat on the paper – highlighted

Public Services Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) I, Robot (New York, 1956) This Golden Age science-fiction short story collection gathers nine tales that originally appeared in American Pulp magazines Super Science Stores and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The loosely connected stories revolve around questions concerning artificial intelligence, faster-than-light travel,

Technical Services Steps for Country Dances England, after 1660 Until his death in 2011, Professor of Music John Milton Ward remained one of the Harvard Theatre Collection’s most generous donors, his gifts documenting the performing arts from the 16th through the 20th centuries. An intense interest in the history of

Collections Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) Letter to Ethel Roosevelt, The White House, 22 June 1904 Well known for his larger-than-life public persona and exemplary progressive legacy, Roosevelt was also an attentive parent to his six children. When he was away, TR wrote frequent letters about his activities, illustrated with humorous sketches.