1. Elizabeth Gilbert and John Hodgman came to the library on Tuesday to talk about Gilbert’s new/old book, At Home on the Range. Here they explore some of the library’s collection items before the event begins.

    Bookmark http://www.nypl.org/live/multimedia and come back in a week or so to see video of the conversation, which was sweet and hilarious.

    Photos by Jori Klein.

  2. “Preparing lunch in Imperial Airways liner “Scylla” …Full-course meals are served at the appropriate times, and light refreshments are available at all times.” Today’s flashback Friday takes a card from the Library’s interesting collection of cigarette cards from the Arents Cigarette Card collection - a nice reminder of air travel from days gone by.

    “Preparing lunch in Imperial Airways liner “Scylla”

    …Full-course meals are served at the appropriate times, and light refreshments are available at all times.”

    Today’s flashback Friday takes a card from the Library’s interesting collection of cigarette cards from the Arents Cigarette Card collection - a nice reminder of air travel from days gone by.

  3. Here’s a sneak peek at our new ‘wichcraft coffee carts, opening at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building tomorrow. You can get beverages, sandwiches, and snacks during library hours and enjoy them at cafe tables near the carts. Fuel up next time you’re at the library!

    Here’s a sneak peek at our new ‘wichcraft coffee carts, opening at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building tomorrow. You can get beverages, sandwiches, and snacks during library hours and enjoy them at cafe tables near the carts. Fuel up next time you’re at the library!

  4. We had to share one more item in connection with yesterday’s grand finale at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show. This menu, from NYPL’s  Buttolph Collection of Menus, was catered by M.M. Stevens for 30th Annual Dog Show on February 12, 1906. But our question is: Who enjoyed the luxe luncheon? We hope it went to the dogs. (forgive the horrible pun)

    We had to share one more item in connection with yesterday’s grand finale at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show. This menu, from NYPL’s  Buttolph Collection of Menus, was catered by M.M. Stevens for 30th Annual Dog Show on February 12, 1906. But our question is: Who enjoyed the luxe luncheon? We hope it went to the dogs. (forgive the horrible pun)

  5. 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!

    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!

  6. What Was On Your Thanksgiving Table? We Want To Know!

    Another Thanksgiving is in the books - and we want to hear all about your menu. Did you have turkey? Turnips? Sushi? Eels? What did you do with your leftovers? Do you have any unique traditions? Share with us! Visit NYPL’s newly launched Thanksgiving Project to submit photos, videos, stories or audio clips about your experiences with one of the year’s most beloved midday meals - Thanksgiving. Select stories will be part of an upcoming exhibition focused around “lunch.” So share! We want what you’re having!! In the meantime, we have some amazing examples in our Digital Gallery of prior Thanksgiving meals, including The Plaza Hotel’s menu from 1899, a soldier’s hand-written description of Thanksgiving in 1918 and a menu from a train passenger station from 1899 (which is seen above and included potato chips, celery and green peas).

  7. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! To mark the occasion, here is an incredibly weird 1907 holiday postcard from our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection depicting two turkeys driving a car. Makes sense, right? Happy Turkey Day! Just a reminder, NYPL is closed today for the holiday (although you can download our eBooks). Be safe and enjoy!

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! To mark the occasion, here is an incredibly weird 1907 holiday postcard from our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection depicting two turkeys driving a car. Makes sense, right? Happy Turkey Day! Just a reminder, NYPL is closed today for the holiday (although you can download our eBooks). Be safe and enjoy!

  8. Thanksgiving - one of the country’s most popular mid-day meals - is just around the corner and NYPL wants to know what you’re cooking! Send us your photos, videos, even old home movies of the Thanksgiving meal and it may be displayed in an upcoming NYPL exhibition about another mid-day meal known as… lunch. Whether you stuff your turkey with couscous; skip the turkey altogether and make a vegan feast; prepare bok choy over brussel sprouts; or prefer sweet-potato pie over pumpkin - we want what you’re having!

    Thanksgiving - one of the country’s most popular mid-day meals - is just around the corner and NYPL wants to know what you’re cooking! Send us your photos, videos, even old home movies of the Thanksgiving meal and it may be displayed in an upcoming NYPL exhibition about another mid-day meal known as… lunch. Whether you stuff your turkey with couscous; skip the turkey altogether and make a vegan feast; prepare bok choy over brussel sprouts; or prefer sweet-potato pie over pumpkin - we want what you’re having!

  9. Eat Your Veggies … At The Library. Seriously.

    If you head to our City Island Library, you can chow down on fresh vegetables grown by the staff in their garden. That’s right - we’re talking peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs. The whole nine yards. The staff offers the fresh produce to patrons (see the photo of Library Manager Vershell Wigfall doing some sharing). The NY Times did a nice story on the practice. Cool, right? You just never know what you’re going to find in our libraries. So go to your local branch and see what’s there. You might even find a snack.

  10. In honor of National Watermelon Day, we present this photo from our Manuscripts and Archives Division of the lovely Mary Louise Keller - who weighed 107lbs according to the man running the “Official Guess Your Weight” booth at the 1939-40 World’s Fair - sitting atop a giant 160lb watermelon from Hope, Arkansas, a weight which stumped the guesser.   Download our free app Biblion for more highlights of the Fair and all its citrullus lanatus (that’s watermelon in latin) glory. 

    In honor of National Watermelon Day, we present this photo from our Manuscripts and Archives Division of the lovely Mary Louise Keller - who weighed 107lbs according to the man running the “Official Guess Your Weight” booth at the 1939-40 World’s Fair - sitting atop a giant 160lb watermelon from Hope, Arkansas, a weight which stumped the guesser.  

    Download our free app Biblion for more highlights of the Fair and all its citrullus lanatus (that’s watermelon in latin) glory.