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An early advertising poster for The Barrier, an Alaskan adventure story written by one Rex Beach and published by “Harper & Brothers, Publishers.” The New York Times called it “a stirring yarn” but complained about its formulaic plot.
From the opening chapter:
Many men were in debt to the trader at Flambeau, and many counted him as a friend. The latter never reasoned why, except that he had done them favors, and in the North that counts for much.
The Library’s new app for iPad, Frankenstein: The Afterlife of Shelley’s Circle, asks users to engage in the central themes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in new ways. One feature allows readers to respond to questions that relate to the source material, engaging in a dialogue about everything from what books inspired them as children to ethics in science.
Here’s how Lance Bohy, an IT Architect from Seattle answered a question about technology:
Q: People today are perhaps more likely to read the novel Frankenstein as an e-book, which is somewhat ironic given that a major theme of the novel is technology run amok. As the monster comes to life, Victor Frankenstein says: “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. … But now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” Can we see e-books, now in their infancy, leading to the fulfillment of a dream — or starting down a path that leads to ultimate horror, the dream turned nightmare?
A: A dream turned nightmare? Nonsense. This work that I now hold in my hands bears evidence to just how good we have it. With this device half as thick as my finger I have book, history lesson, master class, art gallery and more all within just this one app alone. This is the stuff of dreams! This is not simply Gutenberg-redux, this is more. Much more. NYPL’s Biblion is a shining example of what is possible and coolest part: we’ve just begun! I can’t wait to see where we go from here.
Now it’s your turn: fire up your iPad, download Frankenstein, and tell us what you think.
This 1927 book jacket from the Library’s General Research Division shows cute cats crossing the road and marching in their own personal parade through the streets of New York City - much like today’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade (which you can watch live here). Happy St. Patrick’s Day and happy Caturday!! We’ll be posting some of our historic St. Patrick’s Day cards today, so stay tuned!
You never know what you are going to find in the collections of The New York Public Library. The New York Times wrote a fascinating piece on Valerie Solanas - the feminist loner best remembered for shooting Andy Warhol - who actually came to The NYPL in the 1970s and marked up her own book the S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men) MANIFESTO with edits and annotations. The book is now preserved in our Manuscripts and Archives Division at The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 40th Street and 5th Avenue. Solanas story was depicted in the 1996 film I SHOT ANDY WARHOL starring Lili Taylor as Solanas.
Today is also the 25th Anniversary of Andy Warhol’s death. This is not the only Warhol related material we have at The New York Public Library as The Times reported a few weeks ago about a Christmas Card that Mr. Warhol drew and gave to our fascinating Art and Picture collection. RIP Andy.
This book by Judith Kerr is indeed vintage - we only have one copy, and it’s at the Non-Circulating Reading Room in the Schwarzman Building. That said, we are swinging by first thing Monday to have a read - how cute is Mog?!
PS - For library nerds - “Mog the Forgetful Cat” is filed under the subject heading “Cats — Fiction” - Caturday’s favorite subject heading! Happy Caturday!
Children’s book from 1970 featured on Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves. Excerpt:
Once there was a cat called Mog and she lived with a family called Thomas. Mog was nice but not very clever. She didn’t understand a lot of things. A lot of other things she forgot. She was a very forgetful cat.
We would consider ourselves remiss if we didn’t share this exquisite image with you, and so therefore; we share this exquisite image with you: Sixteen varieties of Gooseberry as found in Pomona Britannica (aka - A Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits) in NYPL’s Rare Book Division.
Can’t you just see this sweet image decorating your walls at home? We can! And if you’d like to make that a reality, just visit the digital gallery and order your own print!
Mayor Bloomberg joined NYPL Prez Anthony Marx (at the podium in the photo), Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, NYPL Trustee Terry McGraw, the heads of the Brooklyn and Queens Library systems and several other elected officials at our Seward Park Library yesterday to announce the citywide New Chapter initiative to give patrons under 18 the opportunity to eliminate all of their prior fines. That’s right - all of ‘em. All kids have to do is return their materials (so grab those overdue Harry Potter books from under your bed and return them, kids, cause you won’t be penalized) or check out a new book and, poof, their fines are waived. The goal - to get kids back in the libraries reading, instead of afraid that they can’t afford the fine. As Marx said, “Our priority was students reading more than collecting the fines, 95 percent of which we weren’t going to collect anyway based on past history. Those folks were not coming to the library because their fines were keeping them away.” Well, come back guys! This program - which was made possible because of a generous donation from McGraw-Hill - lasts till Oct. 31, so spread the word!!
We ♥ fashion! Yesterday, we were joined by award-winning designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte and acclaimed photographer Catherine Opie to discuss their latest collaboration - a monograph of exquisite design, featuring the designs of Rodarte, the portraiture of Catherine Opie, and the landscapes of Alec Soth.
Simply Stunning!
Behind the Scenes: Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte and Catherine Opie Book Talk/Signing at the New York Public Library
Today is Mary Shelley’s birthday, so we thought we’d share this - a video done by NYPL’s own Jonathan Blanc that animates the first book Mary Shelley was ever involved with (the video is narrated by award-winning British actor Simon Jones). Shelley was 10-years-old. The children’s book was completed in 1808. The full story of the book and the video is here, but for now, just enjoy. It’s very cool. And if you like Mary Shelley, stay tuned - a free exhibit, featuring parts of her Frankenstein manuscript, will be at NYPL next year!
Supermodel and library lover Tyra Banks stopped by our landmark 42nd Street building this morning, talking with us about how “libraries are insanely important.” Banks, who follows us on Twitter and wrote parts of her upcoming young adult novel Modelland in our Rose Main Reading Room, said, “The library is such a great equalizer. It doesn’t take money. You can have access to anything and everything in the world and get that knowledge and that entertainment for free. Especially in our economy right now, with things being expensive and people being laid off and families having issues, to be able to come to the Library … that’s kind of amazing.” She added that the Rose Main Reading Room (where she’s pictured in this photo by NYPL’s Jonathan Blanc) “is just insanely gorgeous,” and said, “I would just look up and be inspired. I think this branch actually made me dream bigger and my imagination flowed. There were no boundaries because the room was so inspirational.” Tyra - who is currently reading Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - also uses our Mid-Manhattan Library sometimes, and said when she walked into the Inglewood Public Library in California as a kid, “I almost felt like it was giving me a hug.” Very sweet! Thanks Tyra! Her book comes out in September - get it in a library near you.
