American Treasures in the Library of Congress: Memory, Reason, Imagination

One of the world's largest and most diverse repositories of recorded knowledge, the Library of Congress holds nearly 110 million items in formats ranging from manuscripts to motion pictures and sound recordings. This volume showcases 76 of the library's most important American treasures, which have been selected for its first-ever permanent public exhibition, opening in spring 1997. 97 illustrations, 93 in color.

YA?This handsome volume serves as a catalog for the new permanent collection of the Library of Congress, which uses Thomas Jefferson's original tripartite concept of "Memory" (history), "Reason" (philosophy, law, and science), and "Imagination" (the arts) as its basis for classification. The 76 documentary photographs include the first book printed in the United States in 1640, objects that Abraham Lincoln carried on the night of his assassination, the famous FSA collection of documentary photographs of migrant workers captured from 1935-1943, the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, and much more. Government classes will appreciate the accounts of landmark court cases such as the deliberations of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the Gobitis (misspelled from Gobitas by a printer's error) case involving the rights of individuals and the freedom of speech. Wills's introduction reflects on the importance of these treasures and the connection of the object with our nation's history. A welcome resource, especially for those who can't get to Washington to see the real thing.?Bobbi Thomas Skaggs, Robinson Secondary, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.