Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of Heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone. And the face of the deep is frozen --Book of Job 38: 29-30 Carte de l'amérique corrigée, et augmentée Petrus Bertius (1565-1629) Paris?,...

"Research ain't nuthin but formalized curiosity, just poking and prying with a purpose." Sanctified Betye Saar (b. 1926) Los Angeles: The Museum of Contemporary Art, 1990 N7433.4 S22 S26 1990 Betye Saar began her artistic career as a printmaker. Sanctified was published on the occasion of the installation (April 22...

We invite you to visit our most recent addition to the Rare Books Virtual Lecture Series: What is a Book?, an exploration of the object we call the "book" that answers questions you never knew you had. What is a book? Where did it come...

from Paradise Lost, John Milton, 1688 “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..” We miss our books, we miss holding our books, we miss our classroom, we miss our students, we miss putting our books...

“Don’t fancy I attempt dancing—no, no. I am well content to look on.” -- Elizabeth Gould The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle… Charles Darwin (1809-1882) London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1839-43 First edition Zoology was first published as a five-volume unbound book in nineteen parts as they were...

Tomorrow is easy, but today is uncharted, Desolate, reluctant as any landscape To yield what are laws of perspective After all only to the painter's deep Mistrust, a weak instrument though Necessary. Of course some things Are possible, it knows, but it doesn't know Which ones. Some day we will try To do...