Talk about AAS Bicentennial History

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 19 - 7:30 p.m. "Celebrating the American Antiquarian Society, 1812-2012" Philip F. Gura Philip Gura, William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the author of the just-published bicentennial history of the American Antiquarian Society. He will tell ...

What’s in a Seal?, or A Seal for the Antiquarian

The Society has published two new books in this, its bicentennial year. The works are completely different and from the hands of different authors and designers, both of whom incorporated the Society’s seal on the back cover. With all this extra attention to this device, Abby Hutchinson, who edits the Society’s newsletter, Almanac, concluded that ...

Children’s books today, Adopt-a-Book event tomorrow!

We hope to see you in the library in person tomorrow, Tuesday, April 3, at 6 p.m.  AAS's 5th annual Adopt-a-Book event will be an evening of food, drinks, original collection materials, and curatorial knowledge-sharing (although some of the preceeding are going to be kept separate from each other). You can browse the 2012 Adopt-A-Book Catalog to view the ...

Calling all Newsies: NY Paps for Adoption Here!

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Don't let the name fool you -- Adopt-a-Book is for newsies too. AAS's fifth annual Adopt-A-Book event is coming up this Tuesday, April 3, at 6 p.m. Browse the 2012 Adopt-A-Book Catalog to view the 150 items up for adoption.  Here are a few highlights of New York newspapers still available for adoption. ...

Your Newest Facebook Friend: Isaiah Thomas

It’s always a fun – and somewhat ahistorical – activity to wonder how historical figures would react to the technology of the twenty-first century. Nevertheless, it’s difficult not to wonder what our founder Isaiah Thomas, a man whose business was the printed word and the spreading of ideas and news, would have felt about new ...

A Modern Day Isaiah Thomas for the Classroom

Here at AAS we talk a lot about our prestigious founder, Isaiah Thomas. His first printing press, “Old No. 1,” stands proudly on the balcony of Antiquarian Hall. His portrait hangs in the foyer. And now, as part of our bicentennial we are touring a one-man play written by James David Moran, Director of Outreach, ...

Adopt-A-Book Catalog is Here!

The online part of the American Antiquarian Society's fifth annual Adopt-A-Book event is underway!  Check out the catalog here. The Adopt-A-Book Catalog features a variety of items acquired by AAS curators in recent months, which are available for "adoption." Your "adoption" gift is a fully tax-deductible charitable contribution and will be used by curators in the ...

With a French Accent

On Wednesday, March 14, 2012, the print exhibition With a French Accent, French and American Lithography to 1860 will open at the Davis Museum of Wellesley College. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the collection of the American Antiquarian Society and explores the influence of French expertise and design on American popular lithographic print production ...

On the Radio: “The Mother of the Valentine”

As a special Valentine's Day treat, our curator of graphic arts, Lauren Hewes, was on Boston's NPR news station (90.9 WBUR) to talk about Worcester's own Esther Howland and her valentines. A transcript of "The Mother of the Valentine" is up on WBUR's website or you can click on the "Listen Now" button to ...

Lecture tonight!

Tuesday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the American Antiquarian Society Carolyn Eastman will be talking about Books and the Imagined World of Travel in the Eighteenth Century. For more information, including directions, click here. In the eighteenth century, lavishly illustrated travel narratives quickly became one of the most popular book genres for American readers. These books ...

Boston Book Fair, Nov. 11-13, 2011

This weekend bibliophiles from all over will be converging in Boston, and those of us at AAS will be among the first in line.  Join us this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Boston Book Fair. Friday (11/11): 5pm-9pm Saturday (11/12): 12pm-7pm Sunday (11/13): 12pm-5pm There will be a number of fair activities, including a collectors' roundtable and tips on ...