Widener: Biography of a Library
By
Matthew Battles (Author)
Hardback
Available / dispatched within 1 - 4 weeks
Quantity
Description
Wallace Stegner called its stacks "enchanted." Barbara Tuchman called it "my Archimedes bathtub, my burning bush." But to Thomas Wolfe, it was a place of "wilderment and despair." Since its opening in 1915, the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library has led a spirited life as Harvard's physical and, in a sense, its spiritual heart. Originally intended as the memorial to one man, it quickly grew into a symbol of the life of the mind with few equals anywhere-and like all symbols, it has enjoyed its share of contest and contradiction. At the unlikely intersection of such disparate episodes as the sinking of the Titanic, the social upheavals of the 1960s, and the shifting meaning of books and libraries in the information age, Widener is at once the storehouse and the focus of rich and ever-growing hoards of memory.
With copious illustrations and wide-ranging narrative, Widener: Biography of a Library is not only a record of benefactors and collections; it is the tale of the students, scholars, and staff who give a great library its life. 27 color illustrations, 37 halftone illustrations CPSIA choking or other US hazard warning - No California Proposition 65 hazard warning necessary
About the Author
Matthew Battles is Associate Director of metaLAB at Harvard University.
More Details
- Contributor: Matthew Battles
- Imprint: Widener Library
- ISBN13: 9780674016682
- Number of Pages: 224
- Packaged Dimensions: 184x266x20mm
- Packaged Weight: 822
- Format: Hardback
- Publisher: Harvard University Press
- Release Date: 2004-12-15
- Series: Harvard College Library
- Binding: Hardback
- Biography: Matthew Battles is Associate Director of metaLAB at Harvard University.
Delivery Options
Home Delivery
Store Delivery
Free Returns
We hope you are delighted with everything you buy from us. However, if you are not, we will refund or replace your order up to 30 days after purchase. Terms and exclusions apply; find out more from our Returns and Refunds Policy.