.:Digital Library
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Ten major natural history museum libraries, botanical libraries, and research institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, are collaborating on the Biodiversity Heritage Library Project. The goal of the project is to establish a major corpus of digitized publications on the Web drawn from the historical biodiversity literature in their respective collections. This material will then be available for open access and responsible use as a part of a global Biodiversity Commons. BHL strives to work with the global taxonomic community, rights holders, and other interested parties to ensure that this legacy literature is available to all.
Search for digitized SI Libraries books Here!
2000 Annual Report (no report for this year) (2000)
Annual report of Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Scholars and the Everywhere Library (2009) by Dan Cohen
Dan Cohen is Associate Professor in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University and the Director of the Center for History and New Media. He is co-author of Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005) and has published articles and book chapters on the future of history in a digital age (among other subjects) in journals such as the Journal of American History, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and Rethinking History.
For more information on Dan Cohen, check out his blog.
Democracy 2.0: A Case Study in Open Government (2010) by David S. Ferriero
David S. Ferriero is the 10th Archivist of the United States. He presents on the issues and controversies surrounding the National Archives' use of social media in a "Case Study in Open Government : How the National Archives' own Open Government Plan is reaching out to new audiences through social media.
Not Done Yet: Charting a new Course for Librarianship (2008) by R. David Lankes
R. David Lankes is director of the Information Institute of Syracuse, and an associate professor in Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. Lankes is a passionate advocate for libraries and their essential role in today's society. He also seeks to understand how information approaches and technologies can be used to transform industries.
Libraries in a Networked World (2008) by Roy Tennant
Roy Tennant is Senior Program Officer for OCLC Research. He is the owner of the Web4Lib and XML4Lib electronic discussions, and the creator and editor of Current Cites, a current awareness newsletter published every month since 1990. His books include "Technology in Libraries: Essays in Honor of Anne Grodzins Lipow" (2008), "Managing the Digital Library" (2004), "XML in Libraries" (2002), "Practical HTML: A Self-Paced Tutorial" (1996), and "Crossing the Internet Threshold: An Instructional Handbook" (1993).
We Can't Get There From Here: The Intersection of Research Library Aspirations and Copyright Challenges. (2008) by James Neal
James Neal is currently the Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University. He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences, and is a consultant and published author, with a focus in the areas of scholarly communication, intellectual property, digital library programs, organizational change and human resource development.
George Oates: A Conversation with Nancy Gwinn (2011) by George Oates
George Oates, Lead for Open Library, and Nancy Gwinn, Director, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, talk about the future of libraries, archives and museums in a digital world. As Lead for the Open Library at the Internet Archive, George is responsible for the overall site design, project management, grant management, and community development of the program. George was one of the invited "digerati" at the 2009 Smithsonian 2.0 meetings as well as the keynote speaker at the Smithsonian Regents' Dinner. She has been appointed a Research Associate for Smithsonian Institution Libraries in 2011.
Copyright Law as Storytelling (2010) by William Patry
William F. Patry is Senior Copyright Counsel at Google, Inc. and the author of a 7-volume treatise on U.S. copyright law entitled Patry on Copyright. He got his J.D. degree at the University of Houston and was admitted to the bar in Texas, the District of Columbia, and New York.
In 2009 he published Moral Panics and the Copyright War, and resumed blogging in support of the book. He also blogs about his book.
Knowledge, Noise, and the End of Information (2008) by David Weinberger
David Weinberger is currently a fellow at the Berkman Institute on Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. In 1999, he co-authored The Cluetrain Manifesto, a set of 95 theses examining the impact of the internet on markets and organizations. His latest book is Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder.
The Art of African Exploration (2008) by Kirsten VanderVeen, Daria Wingreen-Mason
The Art of African Exploration presents a selection of drawings, book illustrations, and other objects from the The Russell E. Train Africana Collection in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History. The compelling images that emerged from the early european exploration of Africa tell the story of Africa as it was first seen by Western eyes, and the impact it had on a fascinated public.
Information on Old Books (1998) by Special Collections Department Staff
Answers many commonly asked questions about aged books, such as how to determine bibliographical information and find an appraiser.
An account of the Smithsonian Institution : its founder, building, operations, etc. / / prepared from the reports of Prof. Henry to the regents, and other authentic sources (1866?) by William Jones Rhees
Guide to the Smithsonian Institution and National Museum.
Bella C. Landauer Collection of Aeronautical Sheet Music (2002) by Paul K. McCutcheon
Early development in aeronautics has been accompanied by great popular interest and media coverage. This widespread fascination with flight has inspired an enormous output of historical drawings, paintings, advertisements and illustrations for publications. Some of the most colorful illustrations are those which adorn sheet music. In the Bella Landauer collection, you can find illustrations that range from the bizarre to the commonplace, from the humorous to the mundane. But most are colorful and interesting.
African American Indians
Selected Bibliography (January 2005) by Compiled by Shauna Collier, Librarian
and Amber Thiele, CIRLA Fellow
Book Dealers Specializing in African Art (1997) by Janet Stanley
A list compiled by staff of the National Museum of African Art Library of book dealers around the world
Museums in the U.S. with African Art Collections (2002) by Janet Stanley
Links to American museums with African Art collections with state-by-state listings
Bibliographies from the National Museum of American History (2003) by D. Chris Cottrill
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
American Seed and Nursery Industry (2001) by Marca Woodhams
Bibliography of the nursery industry. One hundred individual biographies covering the careers of commercial nurserymen who established and expanded the American seed and plant sales industry starting in the 1800s. Listings' lengths vary from four to forty lines with an emphasis on horticultural sales or product innovations. Each biography includes abbreviated citations with links to sources.
American Silurian Crinoids (1926) by Frank Springer
Subjects: Crinoidea, Fossil; Paleontology -- Silurian
Analyse des fleisches einiger Fische (1877) by Aug. Almen
Anthropology on the Internet For K-12 (1999) by Margaret R. Dittemore
The Smithsonian's Anthropology Department defines anthropology as "the science that deals with the origins, physical characteristics, and cultural development of humankind." The broad scope of this definition means exploring the Internet for related resources can be both exciting and a little daunting. The Internet's tremendous growth in size and popularity has resulted in the need for assistance in navigating it. The following select list of Web sites, each with a brief annotation, is a sample of what the Internet holds for teachers and students interested in the field of anthropology. The accompanying illustrations are primarily of Smithsonian Institution researchers at work in the field or their laboratories. A full caption for each is available when the illustration is enlarged. Additional Web sites will be included as time for review permits. Suggestions are welcome!
Atoll Research Bulletin (1951-)
The Atoll Research Bulletin is issued by the Smithsonian Institution to provide an outlet for information on the biota of tropical islands and reefs and on the environment that supports the biota.
The Bulletin was founded in 1951 and the first 117 numbers were issued by the Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, with financial support from the Office of Naval Research. Its pages were devoted largely to reports resulting from the Pacific Science Board's Coral Atoll Program.
Archive of African Artists (2003) by Janet Stanley
The National Museum of African Art Library maintains a fast-growing collection of more than 2,000 files on contemporary African artists. No other library in the United States is developing or maintaining this type of collection. Although most of these artists are living and working in Africa, the Library also collects information on African artists internationally. The individual files may contain gallery brochures, exhibition announcements and invitations, price lists, resumes, press releases, reviews, and newspaper cuttings.
Art & Artist Files in the Smithsonian Libraries' Collections (2005)
The Smithsonian artists' files are an exceptionally valuable resource for art historical research done on emerging regional and local artists and often are the only obtainable sources of information. This site represents the holdings of the five Smithsonian art libraries and will grow to include artists represented in the collections of non-art libraries at the Smithsonian.
List of Audio Tapes: Hirshhorn Museum And Sculpture Garden Library (2003) by Anna Brooke
A comprehensive list of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library’s audio tape holdings, featuring many important artists of the 20th century
List of Films and Videotapes: Hirshhorn Museum And Sculpture Garden Library (May 20, 2003) by Anna Brooke
A comprehensive list of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library’s video and film holdings, featuring many important artists of the 20th century
Description Botanique du Chiranthodendron (1805) by José Dionisio Larreátegui
After its publication in Mexico, Larreátegui's monograph found its way to France. It happened that a French naval and colonial administrator, returning to France by way of the United States after a term of service in Guadeloupe, met another Frenchman who had been travelling in Mexico; the latter, a certain "Monsieur Orsel of Lyons," gave to the administrator, Daniel Lescallier, a copy of Larreátegui's Spanish publication along with dried specimens of the leaves, flowers, and seed pods of the tree, all of which Orsel had acquired in his Mexican travels. Lescallier recognized the interest and reputed usefulness of the plant, and, while apologizing for his lack of standing in botanical circles and the "indirect route (and, as the English say, at second hand)" by which he had become involved with the work, he decided "to put [his translation] before the public, such as it is" (translated from the "Avant-propos du traducteur," p.7-8).
Benjamin Franklin’s political arithmetic : a materialist view of humanity (2006) by Joyce E. Chaplin
In the 2006 Dibner Library Lecture, Professor Joyce E. Chaplin describes Franklin’s interest in human nature and population growth and how, with far fewer sophisticated tools, he came to the amazingly accurate theory that the North American population was doubling every twenty years.
A Report on Smithsonian Libraries Activities in the BHL : Q1, FY2011 (2011) by Costantino, Grace
(pdf download 7.4MB) A report on Smithsonian Libraries participation in the Bopdiversity Heritage Library for October-December, 2010
Biologia Centrali-Americana (1879-1915) by Frederick D. Godman and Osbert Salvin (eds.)
The Biologia Centrali-Americana (BCA) is a fundamental work for the study of neotropical flora and fauna. It includes nearly everything known about the biological diversity of Mexico and Central America at the time of publication (1879-1915). The original work consists of 58 biological volumes containing 1284 plates illustrating 18,587 subjects. A total of 49,392 species are described, 19,263 for the first time. Many of the illustrations and descriptions are the only ones that exist of the biota of the region.
Ornithologie (1773-1792) by François Nicolas Martinet
To understand the significance of François Martinet's work, it is important first to recognize the difficulties involved in producing illustrations of birds in the 18th century. This provides a foundation for viewing the development of Martinet’s bird illustrations and their contribution to works that became classics in the history of ornithology and makes possible a fuller appreciation of the beautiful hand-colored plates in Ornithologie, the folio reproduced in this digital edition. Digital edition made possible with funding from the Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation.
The Avifauna of Laysan and the neighbouring islands with a complete history to date of the birds of the Hawaiian possession (1893-1900) by Walter Rothschild
In 1890, when Rothschild was 23, he sent a sailor named Henry Palmer to the Sandwich Islands (as the Hawaiian Islands had been named by Captain James Cook in the late 1770s) and most particularly to Laysan, one of the Leeward Islands in the Hawaiian archipelago now part of the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation. His instructions were to collect as many different birds as possible, with special attention to inter-island variation. Palmer spent over two years at the task, from December 1890 to August 1893, and sent almost 2000 specimens back to Tring, including representatives of 15 species previously unknown to Western science and several species which have since become extinct.
Birds of North and Middle America: A Descriptive Catalogue (1914) by Robert Ridgway
Notes on some of the birds of Oyster Bay, Long Island. March, 1879 (1879) by Theodore Roosevelt
Brief notes on bird species as observed by Theodore Roosvelt in the Oyster Bay area of Long Island, New York. Digital edition made possible with funding from the Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation.
Recommended List of Books and Other Information Resources for Zoo and Aquarium Libraries (1996) by Kay Kenyon
This bibliography is intended to serve as a guide for both small and large zoo/aquarium libraries. The books, serials, CD-ROMs, and databases that should be available in every zoo/aquarium library, have been marked with a star. Although more and more CD-ROM reference sources (not indexes) are available, they have not yet become critical to zoo/aquarium library collections. However, a few are mentioned throughout the document.
Simiarum et Vespertilionum Brasiliensium Species Novae (1823) by Johann Baptist von Spix
Johann Baptist von Spix (1781-1826), found his life's work in the field of natural history, specifically zoology. In 1815 Spix, botanist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868), and several other naturalists were selected to take part in an official Austrian expedition to Brazil. Simiarum et Vespertilionum Brasiliensium Species Novae provides an account of their findings.
Bulletin des séances de la Société entomologique de France (1873-1894) by Société entomologique de France
Meeting notes and other reports from the Société entomologique de France
By Aeroplane to Pygmyland: Revisiting the 1926 Dutch and American Expedition to New Guinea by Paul Michael Taylor
This online publication, By Aeroplane to Pygmyland: Revisiting the 1926 Dutch and American Expedition to New Guinea, aims to "revisit" a historically important scientific expedition from today's perspective of 80 years later. It does this through interpretive essays accompanied by the publication, for the first time, of two expedition diaries by the American participants and a wealth of additional expedition records that had never before been published, including over 700 original photographs and about two hours of original film footage, in an annotated and inter-connected multimedia format allowing comparison among multiple sources.
Shedding Light on New York : Edward F. Caldwell & Co. (2009) by Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library
The E. F. Caldwell & Co. Collection at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, contains more than 50,000 images consisting of approximately 37,000 black & white photographs and 13,000 original design drawings of lighting fixtures and other fine metal objects that they produced from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries.
The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology at 25 Years: Celebrating the Collector's Vision and Its Legacy (2002) by Owen Gingerich
In October 2001, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Dibner Library with lectures celebrating its history, collections and significance. From the 2002 Dibner Library Lecture.
Celebrity Caricature: Selections from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (2003) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
In the late 1990's the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery Library (AA/PG Library) made a special effort to collect materials on caricature and cartoon in conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery's 1998 exhibition "Celebrity Caricature in America", curated by Wendy Wick Reaves.
Chasing Venus: Observing the Transits of Venus 1631-2004 (2004)
For ages, astronomers looked for a way to measure the distance between Earth and the Sun. This distance, called the astronomical unit was a yardstick that could measure the entire solar system. Since the astronomer Johannes Kepler had determined the relative distances among the planets and the Sun in the early 1600s, the Earth-Venus distance could be used to calculate the Earth-Sun distance. Observing the transits of Venus across the surface of the Sun would help to find the value of this measurement.
(Chasing Venus Lecture 6) (2004) by Michael Chauvin
Michael Chauvin, Director of the Hawaiian Skies Program, discusses the ups and downs of this fascinating scientific endeavor.
The Postal Service in Colonial America: A Bibliography of Material in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries National Postal Museum Branch (2000) by Timothy Carr and Debra Shumate
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
Smithsonian Contributions to History and Technology (1969 - present ; formerly Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology) (1969 - present)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums
On the Crinoid Genus Scyphocrinus and its Bulbous Root Camarocrinus (1917) by Frank Springer
This paper, originally intended merely as an account of a remarkable dis- covery in 1912, having a decisive bearing upon the distribution and morphology of the genus Scyphocrinus, and its relation to the bulbous organism hitherto called Camarocrinus, has by force of repeated further acquisitions of material expanded into a memoir requiring for its illustration nine plates and numerous text-figures. The drawings for the plates were executed by Mr. Kenneth M. Chapman, now of Santa Fé, New Mexico, with his usual skill and fidelity. The text-figures have been prepared with much care by my assistant, Mr. Herrick E. Wilson, whose studies of the structural details have greatly facilitated the present explanation of the internal characters of the Camarocrinus bulbs. For the valuable aids thus contributed I wish to express to both these gentlemen my acknowledgment and appreciation.
Czech Book Covers of the 1920's and 1930's in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library (2004) by Stephen H. Van Dyk
During the period between the two World Wars, the Czechoslovak Republic was an important and prolific center for avant-garde book design. Signed, limited editions showcased experimental design techniques, high-quality materials, and specially commissioned graphics. Book design for the general public, although mass-produced and much more affordable, was similarly innovative and attentive to questions of design.
Development of non-destructive techniques to search for a lost mural by Leonardo da Vinci (1976) by H. Newton Travers and Maurizio Serancini
Final report for grant N. FC-6-66619, 1976, special studies/research
A Description of the fossil fish remains of the Cretaceous, Eocene and Miocene formations of New Jersey (1911) by Henry Weed Fowler
Dibner Library News (2000 -)
The Dibner Library News is an irregularly published newsletter highlighting acquisitions, research, and other happenings at the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology.
Discussion on Results Recorded in the "Biologia Centrali-Americana" (1916) by Zoological Society of London
Meeting notes of the Zoological Society of London on the creation of the Biologia Centrali-Americana
Doodles, Drafts & Designs: Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian (2004)
How do ideas evolve into reality? Doodles, Drafts, and Designs: Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian offers a fascinating glimpse into inventors' sketchbooks, engineers' mechanical drawings, and architects' renderings from the 1830s to the 1990s, to show the origins of some of the most familiar sites and devices of modern-day life.
Drawing from Life: Caricatures and Cartoons from the American Art / Portrait Gallery Collection (2003) by Kent Boese
The Smithsonian Institution Libraries has a substantial collection of cartoon and caricature books. While these materials can be found in several branch libraries - such as the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Library or the National Museum of American History Library - the largest concentration is at the Smithsonian American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library (AA/PG). The collection at AA/PG includes general collections, rare, and special collections titles which date from 1800. Currently numbering over 600 volumes, this growing collection has a strong focus on the works by American artists - the oldest dating to the Civil War period.
Astronomiæ instauratæ mechanica (1602) by Tycho Brahe
This edition is the first trade edition of the Mechanica (as the book is commonly known). The work was originally printed privately for Tycho Brahe in 1598 by the Hamburg printer Philip von Ohrs on Tycho's printing press at the castle of Wandsbeck. The 1598 edition was meant for private distribution only and very few copies were made (probably between 60 and 100). After Tycho's death in 1601, it appears that his heirs sold the Mechanica's woodcuts and copper-plate engravings to the Nürnberg writer and printer Levinus Hulsius. Hulsius printed his edition in 1602 and it is very similar to the 1598 edition except that he did not use as fine a paper, the margins are smaller, and the pages do not have the fine border around the text and illustrations. In addition, most of the 1598 copies were hand-colored prior to distribution.
The Servant in the House: A Brief History of the Sewing Machine (1930) by Frederick Lewis Lewton
An early work on sewing machine history, published by the Smithsonian Institution
Untersuchungen zur Ichthyologie angestellt in der Physiologischen und Vergleichend-Anatomischen anstalt der Universitat Freiburg nebst einer Geschichte und Beschreibung dieser Institute (1857) by Alexander Ecker
Bibliography Of Recently Published Books On The Presidency (2000) by D. Chris Cottrill
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
Endeavour's Wake: Captain Cook and the Transit of Venus (Chasing Venus Lecture 2) (2004) by Richard Fisher
“Endeavour's Wake: Captain Cook and the Transit of Venus” Richard Fisher, Director, Sun-Earth Connection Division, NASA Office of Space Science, Washington, DC
The evolution and distribution of fishes (1923) by John Muirhead Macfarlane
Extraterrestrial Life and Our World View at the Turn of the Millennium (2000) by Steven J. Dick
As we stand on the threshold of a new millennium, we may conjecture that 1,000 years from now we will have had our answer to this age-old question. Humanity 3000 will know whether or not it is alone in the universe, at least within our galaxy. Steven J. Dick discusses these ideas, first presented as a Dibner Library Lecture in May 2000.
Finding Aid for the Federal Aviation Administration (2006)
Finding aid for: Technical reports on aeronautics: general flight information, notices to airmen (NTAMS), census of aircraft, aviation statistics and forecasts, cost studies, fact books, air traffic surveys, air safety and air accident reports, lists of operators, aviation in defense, international restrictions and regulations, air traffic control and communications procedures, indexes of facilities, equipment outages, airline industry data, airline noise data, navigation systems
The First Observation of a Transit of Venus (Chasing Venus Lecture 1) (2004) by Wilbur Applebaum
"The First Observation of a Transit of Venus” - Wilbur Applebaum, Professor Emeritus, Humanities Dept., Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Plates prepared between the years 1849 and 1859, to accompany a report on the forest trees of North America (1891) by Asa Gray
Plates with brief text prepared for an unpublished work on forest trees of North America
Le Garde-meuble, ancien et moderne (1839-1935) by Désiré Guilmard
Le Garde-meuble, ancien et moderne (Furniture repository, ancient and modern), a bimonthly periodical published in Paris, exerted an enormous influence throughout the world by promoting French styles in furniture, fabrics, and interior decoration for a nearly a century, beginning in 1839 during the reign of Louis Philippe and ceasing in the waning years of the Third Republic around 1935.
Frontier Photographer: Edward S. Curtis (2000) by William E. Baxter
Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) left an indelible mark on the history of photography in his 20-volume life's work, The North American Indian.
Part photographic essay, part ethnographic survey, and part work of art, Curtis' North American Indian Project represented an attempt to capture images of American Indians as they lived before contact with Anglo cultures. The photogravure prints in The North American Indian reveal peoples whose traditional ways of life were coming to an end as the U.S. frontier began to fade.
Thirty years of grueling work on the North American Indian Project cost the artist his marriage and his health. It also yielded an American legacy that is an artistic masterpiece.
Grinnell Hawaiian Missionary Stamps (2003) by Paul K. McCutcheon and Herbert A. Trenchard
In the early days of philately, rumors circulated about a cache of very rare and valuable Hawaiian missionary stamps secreted away in New England. Were the Grinnell stamps this legendary hoard and therefore, one the greatest philatelic finds of the 20th century? Or were they expensive fakes? According to George H. Grinnell, Charles B. Shattuck gave him a cache of 71 Hawaiian missionary stamps in 1918. Shattuck had inherited the stamps from his mother Hannah. Hannah corresponded with a Hawaiian missionary, Ursula Newell Emerson, for several years and amassed a sizeable collection of the stamps.
Guide to the gallery of fishes in the Department of Zoology of the British Museum (Natural History) (1908) by British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Zoology
" Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment" (from Bulletin 164) (1957) by John C. Ewers
John Ewers's scholarly paper, "Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment" was published as an Anthropological Paper within the BAE series in 1957, Ewers presents a short but comprehensive discussion on the history, manufacture, uses, and meanings of these ornaments. In doing so, he uses both published and archival references, verbal testimony of Indian informants, and the careful study of ethnological objects, drawings, paintings, and photographs.
Heralds of Science (2008) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The Heralds of Science are 200 books and articles selected by Bern Dibner from his collection, as the most significant titles in the formation and development of Western science and technology.
Photo Collection Inventory: Hirshhorn Museum And Sculpture Garden Library (July 23, 2003) by Anna Brooke
A comprehensive list of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Library’s photo collection, featuring many important artists of the 20th century
The House Painter, or, Decorator's Companion (1841) by William Mullingar Higgins
The House Painter is a splendid example of the kind of trade manual which serves as a primary document in the history of technology, manufacturing, culture, and aesthetic styles. The SIL copy is a well-worn, craftsman copy, and is an intriguing artifact in itself.
Huygen's Ring, Cassini's Division, and Saturn's Children (2004) by Albert Van Helden
Albert Van Helden (Rice University and the University of Utrecht) discusses the beginnings of telescopic astronomy. From a October 27, 2004 Dibner Library Lecture.
Huygens's Ring, Cassini's Division, and Saturn's Family: The first Exploration of the Solar System (2004) by Albert Van Helden
Albert Van Helden, of the University of Utrecht, gave this presentation at the National Museum of American History about the first exploration of the universe
Incunabula in the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology (2004)
The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology has 320 incunabula in its collection. Incunabula (from the Latin meaning swaddling clothes or, figuratively, infancy) are European books printed with movable type during the fifteenth century.
Index Animalium (1902-33) by Charles Davies Sherborn
Sherborn’s Index Animalium is a compendium of zoological taxonomic species nomenclature from 1758 to 1850. For each species described in this period it clearly lists the genus name, author, publication, pages, and date. A crucial tool for taxonomists, Index Animalium contains references to over 400,000 names compiled from early taxonomic literature.
Ternate: The Residency and its Sultanate (Bijdragen tot de kennis der Residentie Ternate) (1890) by F.S.A. de Clerq
The book can just be enjoyed as a vivid and informative account of court life at the historic sultanate of Ternate, joined to a travelogue about the far-flung dependencies of the sultanate, as told by a witty and opinionated observer with many interests--who happened also to be the "Resident" or supreme local representative of the colonial government. This translation ries to convey the detailed data de Clercq presents while also preserving the pungent style with which he leads the reader on this tour of his Residency.
Connect
Verzeichniss meiner Insecten-Sammlung (1796) by Jakob Sturm
In 1796 Sturm published the catalog of his own insect collection, reproduced here. As a result of his work and expanding network of contacts with entomologists and other scientists, his collection grew so rapidly that he issued an enlarged second edition only four years later, in 1800, and eventually a third in 1826 and a fourth in 1843. His became one of the largest and most valuable private collections in Europe, consulted and cited by entomologists throughout the scientific world.
James Wong Howe, Cinematographer, Selected Bibliography (2000) by Thomas R. Baker
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
A Jules Verne Centennial: 1905 - 2005 (2005) by Norman Wolcott
The Smithsonian Institution Libraries is fortunate to have a few early editions of Verne's works with the original engraved illustrations which made his works so popular. Verne and his publisher Julius Hetzel paid acute attention to the details of these illustrations, so that they are almost an integral part of the story. Later reprints usually omitted these engravings, and since the original woodcuts and early printing plates are long gone, all that remains are these images from the early books
Katalog der Paläarktischen dipteren (1903-1907) by Theodor Becker and M. Bezzi, J. Bischof, Dr. K. Kertész, et al.
Catalog of diptera
Títulos de Publicaciones Periódicas en Español sobre el tema Latino, Albergadas en las Bibliotecas del Instituto Smithsonian / Latino and Spanish Language Serials Held by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (2006) by Cataloging Services Division
All Latino and Spanish language serials held by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries are available through this alphabetical listing. / Recientemente, el Grupo de Iniciativas Latinas del Instituto Smithsonian, le concedió a las Bibliotecas del mismo, recursos económicos para comenzar el proyecto de catalogación y registro en SIRIS (Sistema de Información sobre Investigación del Instituto Smithsonian), de todas sus publicaciones periódicas en español.
Deciphering the Archimedes Palimpsest and Creating Digital Manuscripts (2009) by William Noel
William Noel, Curator of Manuscripts at the Walters Art Museum discusses conservation and imaging of the Archimedes Palimpsest.
How to Survive in the New Media Ecology (2009) by Lee Rainie
Lee Rainie is currently director for the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web (1999 -) by S. Diane Shaw
Library and Archival exhibitions on the Web features links to over 2,500 online exhibitions sponsored by libraries, archives, and manuscript collections from around the world. Search for exhibitions by keywords in titles, subjects, and/or institutional names. "Editor's Pick," Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries (August 2010).
Local Mail Posts in the United States, A Bibliography of Items in the National Postal Museum Library of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (2001) by Timothy Carr, Francis Duncan, Ph.D., Herbert A. Trenchard, Ph.D. and David Jickling, Ph.D.
Local mail posts were private enterprises that operated mainly in cities circa 1840-1861. Locals provided services the United States Post Office Department (USPOD) did not offer. Frequent daily deliveries and collections of mail, including parcels, as well as mail boxes at convenient locations were among the services they provided, while the USPOD delivered mail only between and among post offices. Some locals operated in association with the USPOD. In addition, some locals offered services that overlapped those offered by other independent mail carriers and express companies. Many locals issued their own stamps.
Magic and Technology in Early Modern Europe (2002) by Anthony Grafton
Anthony Grafton (Princeton University) discusses the rise of technology in Early Modern Europe and its relationship to magic. From a Dibner Library Lecture held October 15, 2002.
Mail Call! A Postal History Booklist for Young Readers (2005) by Paul K. McCutcheon
A bibliography for young readers on postal history
The Making of a Homemaker (2003) by Erin Clements
Sustaining a home and healthy family was a full time job for middle class women in late nineteenth century America. Daniel Wise articulated the popular sentiment when he proclaimed, "Home is woman's world, as well as her empire".1 Cooking, cleaning, and child rearing were seen as women's work. To some, "Comfort for her family is provided even at the expense of many an exhausted nerve, and an aching heart". How did they handle the daunting work without the aid of microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners and carpools? Wealthier women might rely on servants while other matrons bore the brunt of work themselves. However, to almost all, a comprehensive domestic guidebook could be indispensable.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Bibliography Of Titles In Smithsonian Institution Libraries (January 2005) by Compiled by Amber Thiele
CIRLA Fellow
Modern African Art: A Basic Reading List (1998) by Janet L. Stanley
Modern African Art: A Basic Reading List" is an Internet version of a bibliography that was originally compiled in 1990 and is being updated continually. This reading list is intended to dispel the notion that nothing has been published on modern African art. It consists primarily of books and exhibition catalogs.
Monographs on African Artists: An Annotated Bibliography (2007) by Janet L. Stanley
This bibliography is limited to substantive monographs and exhibition catalogs about 20th-21st century African artists. Focusing on a single artist, these texts are usually written by a scholar or critic who has conducted art historical research on the artist and/or who has gathered for publication a wide range of images of the artist's work. It also includes autobiographical writings by artists.
The purpose of delimiting the bibliography in this way is to highlight art historical scholarship which treats in depth the life and history of individual artists. The secondary and indirect aim is to point the way to artists yet unexplored. It is startling to realize how few substantial artist's monographs there are amidst the profusion of writing on modern African art. This bibliography is supposed to extract the polished gems from the stone.
Moving Libraries and Archives: A Selected Bibliography (April 2005) by Gil Taylor
A selected bibliography on moving libraries and archives
Observationum Botanicarum (1802) by Romanus Adolph Hedwig
The Observationum botanicarum was delivered as an academic oration and first published in February 1802 by the Leipzig printer Hirschfeld (ex officina Hirschfeldia) in 15 pages with no plates. As the title indicates, the 20 pages seem to have been intended as the first part of a larger work, starting with the mosses and lower plants, but no evidence has been found to indicate that the work was ever continued.
The Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio (2004) by Joy Kiser
Illustrations of the nests and eggs of birds of Ohio was published in the small town of Circleville, Ohio, over a period of eight years (from 1879 to 1886) through the dedicated efforts of the family and friends of a young woman named Genevieve Jones. Despite being produced not just by amateurs but largely by women, far from the publishing houses and intellectual centers of 19th-century America, the book was hailed as an extraordinary achievement from the moment its first few plates were published. Elliott Coues, one of the foremost American ornithologists of the period, praised the book as its parts came off the press and were distributed.
The New York Coach-Makers' Magazine (1869-1871)
Begun in June, 1858, the New York Coach-Makers' Magazine" was "Devoted to the Literary, Social and Mechanical interests of the Craft" and directed primarily to proprietors of the coach shops
Nile Notes of a Howadji: American Travelers in Egypt, 1837 - 1903 (2004) by Martin R. Kalfatovic
Travel literature is an increasingly popular research tool for anthropologists, natural scientists, and social historians, as well as an informative and entertaining subject for the armchair traveler. The works displayed here focus on the American travel experience in Egypt, a popular destination for travelers from the time of Herodotus (ca. 420 B.C.). American travel accounts displayed a brashness and a paradoxical tendency to praise Egypt for being a fresh new travel destination while criticizing it for not being enough like home.
This online presentation brings together selected travel account by Americans who visited Egypt in the nineteenth century. Many of the volumes, or their authors, have special associations with the Smithsonian. Additionally, a sampling of guidebooks and handbooks to Egyptian antiquities are presented.
An Odyssey in Print: Adventures in the Smithsonian Libraries (2002) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Throughout time, explorers have drawn readers to faraway places through stories and songs, maps and drawings, manuscripts and books. Their intriguing accounts of the new and unknown have brought the world closer to those left at home. As you explore six centuries of rare books, manuscripts, art, and artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution, you'll learn how Smithsonian staff use these resources in their everyday work.
Osnovy ikhtiologii (1948) by Evgeniĭ Konstantinovich Suvorov
" Make the Dirt Fly!" Building the Panama Canal (1999) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
For hundreds of years people dreamed of linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the narrow neck of land connecting North and South America—the Panama Canal. In 1904, the U.S. government embarked on the largest civil engineering project in history, and today, after more than eight decades of efficient operation, the Panama Canal remains a symbol of human creativity, persistence, and achievement.
Parcel Post: Delivery of Dreams (2004) by Paul K. McCutcheon
The National Postal Museum Library has a rich collection of books concerning the history of parcel post in the United States. The establishment of parcel post in 1913 had a tremendously stimulating effect on the national economy; it opened a world of opportunities for both farmers and merchants alike.
In addition, farmers were able to ship eggs and other produce directly to the consumer, saving them both time and money. A staggering variety of goods was mailed by parcel post through the years. Prior to World War I, before the practice was banned, even children were sent parcel post. In 1916, an entire bank – probably the largest and heaviest object ever sent by parcel post – was dismantled and shipped from Salt Lake City, Utah to Vernal, California. This display provides a brief history of parcel post with appropriate illustrations from the collections of the National Postal Museum Library.
Picturing Words: The Power of Book Illustration (2005)
Through historic illustrations, viewers of the exhibit are able to see what inspires and drives graphic art. Andreas Vesalius, an early physician and progressive scientist, wrote the book “De Humani Corporis Fabrica” (1543) with illustrations of the human body showing muscles pulled back to see what was underneath. The illustrations of Vesalius changed the way people looked at the human form and helped develop modern medicine. Letters have been shown to be inspiration for some writers, as seen through the graphic images from children’s alphabet books; and pictures drawn with a calligraphic style add a degree of artistry to poems about birds in Armand Monjo’s “Tu l’as vu l’oiseau?” (1993)
Vibrant Visions: Pochoir Prints in the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Library (2004) by Stephen H. Van Dyk
The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, has a rich collection of vibrantly colored illustrated books and periodicals that were created using the pochoir stenciling process. The pochoir process, characterized by its crisp lines and brilliant colors, produces images that have a freshly printed or wet appearance. This display provides a brief history and description of the pochoir process along with select examples of pochoir images from the library's collection that illustrate costume, interior, and pattern designs produced in France from 1900 through the 1930s.
A History of Pop-up and Movable Books: 700 Years of Paper Engineering (2010) by Ellen Rubin
Ellen G. K. Rubin discovered pop-up and movable books when she began reading them to her sons over 25 years ago. Today, she has more than 6,500 books and thousands of uncataloged movable ephemera. While at Yale Medical School's Physican Associate program in 1987, she attended the Sterling Library's exhibition on the history of movable books. It was there that she learned about the scholarly dimensions of her passion. Ellen now lectures and writes about her books, conducts workshops, and curates exhibitions. In 2000, she co-curated Brooklyn Pops Up! The History and Art of the Movable Book at the Brooklyn Public Library. She is a charter member of the Movable Book Society and writes for their newsletter and is a member of the Grolier Club. Ellen hosts her website, The Pop-Up Lady. to disseminate information on the subject.
Postal files at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum Library (2007-) by National Postal Museum Library
Postal files at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum Library
Public Reaction to the Transit of Venus, 1882 (Chasing Venus Lecture 5) (2004) by David DeVorkin
"Public Reaction to the Transit of Venus, 1882" David DeVorkin, Curator of History of Astronomy, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Ramelli's Machines: Original drawings of 16th century machines (2004) by Ronald Brashear
The military engineer Agostino Ramelli produced a remarkable illustrated book in 1588 describing a large number of machines that he devised. Called Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli (The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli), this work had a great impact in the field of mechanical engineering. The book contains 195 superb engravings of various machines along with detailed descriptions of each one in both French and Italian. The Dibner Library has original drawings of seven of the machines and this web site has been developed to further research on these artworks. We have on display here each of the drawings along with their counterparts in the printed book.
Theatrum instrumentorum et machinarum (1578) by Jacques Dauphinois Besson
Near the end of the 16th century, a new type of book appeared which evolved into an entire genre of literature known as the "Theater of machines." These works represented a new way of thinking that was cultivated during the Renaissance: mathematical principles could be applied to the development of new machines and new technical achievements were appropriate considerations for monarchs and the upper class.
Report of Hon. William H. Witte, from the Committee of the House of Representatives, to which was referred the letter of the Hon. Rufus Choate, on the Smithsonian Institution (1855) by United States Congress
Smithsonian Institution -- History
The William Woodville Rockhill donation (2008) by Lily Kecskes
William Woodville Rockhill (1854-1914) was a US scholar-diplomat stationed in China in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1927 his widow donated his Chinese books to the Smithsonian Institution and placed them in the Freer Gallery of Art library. This bibliography is a comprehensive listing of the books that were part of the donation, as well as select publications by Rockhill, and is an appendix to the article "A Scholar Diplomat‘s Legacy : William Woodville Rockhill and his Chinese Language Books at the Freer Gallery of Art Library” by Lily Kecskes which appears in the Journal of East Asian Libraries.
Samuel P. Langley: Aviation Pioneer (Part 1) (2005) by William E. Baxter
Very few people today realize that Samuel P. Langley almost succeeded with inventing the airplane before the Wright brothers. Who was Langley and what did he do?
Systema Saturnium (1659) by Christiaan Huygens
Christiaan Huygens was born in The Hague, Netherlands, on April 14, 1629. Huygens was particularly intrigued by Saturn, mainly because of its puzzling appearance. In 1659, Huygens was satisfied with the extent of his research and his book, Systema Saturnium, was printed and ready for distribution by July of that year. The Systema Saturnium is one of 200 books known as the "Heralds of Science."
Science and the Artist's Book (1995) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Science and the Artist’s Book takes its inspiration from the Heralds of Science (1955; rev. ed. 1980), Bern Dibner’s bibliography of 200 landmark works in the history of science and technology. In 1995-1996, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and the Washington Project for the Arts hosted an exhibition of works by more than two dozen artists, who re-interpreted various scientific ideas, methods, and discoveries through their imaginative use of the book form.
Form and Function of Scientific Discoveries (2000) by Kenneth L. Caneva
Kenneth L. Caneva discusses the phenomenon that what a scientist is typically credited with having discovered often differs significantly from the way in which the scientist himself characterized his work. From a November 2000 Dibner Library Lecture.
Instruments for Science, 1800-1914: Scientific Trade Catalogs in Smithsonian Collections (2003-)
Scientific trade literature is a unique and uniquely valuable category of historical evidence. But it has not always been so highly regarded. Being commercial documents, catalogs have traditionally had a hard time fitting into library or archive collections. Even the companies that printed these catalogs expected their usefulness to end as soon as the next edition was printed. That's why so many of them were printed on the cheapest paper available. In many ways it's not surprising that so few of them have survived - or that when they have survived, their existence has gone unnoticed.
Scientific Identity: Portraits from the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology (2003)
The scientific portrait collection in the Dibner Library was assembled by Bern Dibner. The images formed a fine research complement to the thousands of scientific books and manuscripts in the library he founded, the Burndy Library. Bern Dibner obtained most of the portraits during the 1940s from print dealers in Boston, London, and Paris. By 1950 he had about two thousand images and arranged them into ten scientific subdivisions: Botany, Chemistry, Electricity, Geology, Mathematics, Medicine, Philosophy, Physics, Technology, and Zoology. The portraits are of various types: woodcuts, copper and steel engravings, mezzotints, lithographs, oil paintings, and photographs.
Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery. The U. S. Exploring Expedition 1838-1842 (2004) by Nathaniel Philbrick
U.S. Exploring Expedition Nathaniel Philbrick talks about Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery. The U. S. Exploring Expedition 1838-1842 using images from the Smithsonian digital collection.
Prodromus in systema historicum testaceorum (1795 [1801 issue]) by Joachim Johann Nepomuk Spalowsky
Joachim Johann Nepomuk Anton Spalowsky (1752-17 May 1797) was a veritable polymath in the Austrian Empire of the late eighteenth century. His Prodromus is among the rarest of published books on shells.
Seed and Nursery Catalogs (2005)
The Smithsonian Institution Libraries have a unique trade catalog collection that includes about 10,000 seed and nursery catalogs dating from 1830 to the present. Many of the trade catalogs were part of the Burpee Collection donated to the Horticulture Services Division by Mrs. David Burpee in 1982. The collection includes both Burpee and their competitors' catalogs. The real gems of the collection date from 1830 to the 1930s and are both beautiful and important multidisciplinary historical documents. The seed trade catalogs document the history of the seed and agricultural implement business in the United States, as well as provide a history of botany and plant research such as the introduction of plant varieties into the US Additionally, the seed trade catalogs are a window into the history of graphic arts in advertising, and a social history, through the text and illustrations, showing changing fashions in flowers and vegetables.
The Sewing Machine: Its Invention and Development (1976) by Grace Rogers Cooper
We are delighted to announce that Grace Rogers Cooper's 1976 classic, The Sewing Machine: Its Invention and Development, long out of print, is once again accessible to researchers and the public. The Smithsonian Institution's mission of "diffusion of knowledge" is well suited to this web publication of a museum reference work
Sewing Machines: Historical Trade Literature in Smithsonian Collections (2001)
This guide illustrates the range of materials published by and about sewing machine companies in the United States, starting in the 1840s. Sewing machine catalogs and other industry materials are just one portion of the remarkable collections of manufacturers' trade literature held in the libraries, archives and curatorial units of the Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution Digital Repository
The Smithsonian Institution Digital Repository stores digitized and born-digital publications and related data produced by Smithsonian Institution staff and researchers.
Smithson's Library (2008) by Leslie Overstreet
James Smithson (c.1765-1829), an 18th-century gentleman of science, included his library with his bequest to the United States, and those books now reside in the vault of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
This site provides a listing of those 126 titles, along with selected digitized images from some of the titles.
Smithsonian Annals of Flight (1964 - 1974)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the area of aeronautics and flight.
Smithsonian Institution ... / by Charles Minor Blackford, Jr. M.D., reprint from the North American Review for January, 1909, with revisions by the author … (1909) by Charles Minor Blackford, Jr.
[United States] 60th Cong., 2d sess. Senate. Doc. -- 717 United States. 717.
Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology (1965 - present)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the field of Anthropology.
Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics (1956-1974)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the field of Astrophysics.
Smithsonian Contributions to Botany (1969 - 2001)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the field of Botany.
Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation (2010-)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the areas of museum conservation and materials science.
Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology (1969 - present)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the field of Paleobiology.
Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences (1969 - 2002)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the field of Earth Sciences.
Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences (1977 - present)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the field of Marine Sciences.
Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology (1969 -)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the field of Zoology.
Smithsonian Folklife Studies (1980-1990)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff in the area of Folklife studies.
The Smithsonian Institution, a revelation (1926) by Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution -- History
SIRIS: Smithsonian Institution Research Information System
SIRIS is the first stop in performing research at the Smithsonian Institution. Search thousands of records in the libraries, archives and more.
Bulletin 200: List of Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology (1971) by Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology
The Smithsonian Institution Libraries selected this work, List of Publications of the Bureau of American Ethnology with Index to Authors and Titles, Bulletin 200, as its second electronic edition from the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) publications for its usefulness to the world research community.
Smithsonian Studies in Air and Space (1977 - 1990)
This series reports on the scientific, research conducted by Smithsonian staff and their professional colleagues, as well as on the collections of the various Smithsonian museums in the areas of aeronautics and space sciences.
From Smithson to Smithsonian: The Birth of an Institution (1998) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
This exhibition highlights the life of James Smithson, the English scientist who bequeathed his fortune to the United States to establish an institution "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." The exhibition tells of the retrieval of the bequest from Great Britain, and describes the controversy this bequest provoked in the United States, up until the 1846 founding of the Smithsonian Institution. It concludes by tracing the early years of the Institution as it grew and developed under the leadership of its first two Secretaries.
Solution of the Black-drop Mystery (Chasing Venus Lecture 4) (2004) by Jay M. Pasachoff
"Solution of the Black-drop Mystery" Jay M. Pasachoff, Director of Hopkins Observatory and Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy, Williams College.
Stamp Collecting for Novices (2010) by Paul K. McCutcheon
A bibliography to aid novice philatelists.
From Horses to Horsepower: Studebaker Helped Move a Nation (2004) by Kent Boese
Studebaker's long standing commitment to quality and value made it one of the automotive giants prior to the Great Depression, often being among the first manufacturers to introduce new technology or safety features, such as four-wheel hydraulic brakes in 1925. Barely surviving the 1930s, Studebaker resumed its innovative heritage with some of the first new designs to follow World War II. Postwar Studebaker automobiles, largely due to their association with Raymond Loewy, are still considered to be classics of modern industrial design. Both functional and elegant, Studebaker's are highly prized by car collectors and enthusiasts throughout the United States. In addition to a national museum devoted to Studebaker in South Bend, Indiana, the national chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club includes more than 13,000 members of Studebaker owners and admirers.
Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N.Y. (1877) by Theodore Roosevelt and H. D. Minot
Brief notes on bird species as observed in the Adironacks area of New York. Digital edition made possible with funding from the Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation.
A Biological Survey of the Waters of Woods Hole and Vicinity (1913) by George M. Bowers
Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries issue describing the marine flora and fauna of the Woods Hole, Mass. and surrounding areas
Tapestry: A Guide to Information Sources (2005) by Courtney Ann Shaw, Ph.D.
Textile Fiber Atlas: A Collection of Photomicrographs of Common Textile Fibers (1942) by Werner Von Bergen and Walter Krauss
Werner von Bergen, renowned author/editor of the Wool Handbook (six volumes), also co-authored a small volume of fiber photomicrographs with microscopist Walter Krauss in 1942. This volume, the Textile Fiber Atlas: A Collection of Photomicrographs of Common Textile Fibers, has provided generations of textile students with definitive images of fibers at high magnification, along with careful directions and precise notes. It is an indispensable aid in properly identifying textile objects.
The Textile Fiber Atlas… has been out of print for some time but it remains popular among ethnobotanists, textile conservators, microscopists, anthropologists, and archaeologists in photocopy form. Though modern techniques of photomicrography now permit color and scanning electron micrographic images, the Textile Fiber Atlas remains a classic reference in textiles research.
The American Expeditions of 1874 and 1882 (Chasing Venus Lecture 3) (2004) by Steven J. Dick
"The American Expeditions of 1874 and 1882" Steven J. Dick, NASA Chief Historian, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC
The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture (1955) by John C. Ewers
The Horse in Blackfoot Indian Culture is a remarkable blending of two different approaches to the study of culture. On the one hand it is a detailed technological study, harkening back to classic studies of the late 19th and early 20th century; on the other it is a nuanced analysis of social differentiation and class structure, reflecting interests that would engage anthropologists for decades to come. The successful integration of these two differing approaches contributes to the lasting interest of the book.
The Measure of the World (2003) by Ken Alder
Ken Alder (Northwestern University) on "The Measure of the World," the mission to measure the Earth and define the meter for all nations and for all time. From a Dibner Library Lecture held November 5, 2003.
Transatlantic Slavery: Selected Bibliography (2003) by Shauna Collier
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
United States Exploring Expedition (2004)
In one very important way, the work of the United States Exploring Expedition was only beginning when the ships returned to Washington after almost four years at sea. In addition to Captain Wilkes himself who recorded ocean and weather data and surveyed island groups and coastlines, the Expedition had carried a civilian group of scientists who had collected specimens, artifacts, and observations through the whole voyage. Called the "scientific corps," or just the "scientifics," they were Horatio Hale, ethnographer & linguist; Charles Pickering and Titian R. Peale, naturalists; J.P. Couthouy, conchologist; James D. Dana, mineralogist; William Rich and William D. Brackenridge, botanists; and Alfred T. Agate and Joseph Drayton, artists.
U.S.-Mexico Border Issues: A Selected Bibliography of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Collections (2000) by Celia C. Perez
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
Underwater Web: Cabling the Seas (2001) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
A century and a half ago, the world suddenly became smaller when an underwater telegraph cable joined two nations divided by the sea. From that first link, a vast web spread across the globe.
Unveiling the statue of Joseph Henry : Smithsonian grounds, Thursday, April 19, 1883 (1883) by Smithsonian Institution
Program for the unveiling of the Joseph Henry statue
Die Verbreitung der Fische (1895) by J. Palacký
Voyages: A Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition (2001) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Voyages of discovery can be of many kinds: a physical journey to an unknown place, a mental exploration of new or familiar territory, or a wholly new episode of creative thought. All three are explored in Voyages, an exhibition spanning five centuries of rare books, manuscripts, art, and artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
The Watch factories of America, past and present. A complete history of watchmaking in America, from 1809 to 1888 inclusive (1888) by Henry G. Abbott
A history and description of watch factories in America; includes images of factories and key industrialists
Bibliography for Women's History Month: Women in Science and Technology (2000) by Daria Wingreen
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
Bibliography for Women's History Month: Health, History, and Lifestyle (1998) by Amy E. Levin
Publications and other resources for further research compiled by Smithsonian Institution Libraries’ staff.
Wonder Bound (2002) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Why are centuries-old natural history books vital to scientific research? Our scientists consult early printed materials to compare historical descriptions with modern specimens. These researchers use the rare book collection of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' new Joseph F. Cullman, 3rd, Library of Natural History.
Wonder-rooms and curiosity cabinets appeared in the 1500s, as wealthy Europeans displayed objects and specimens collected during trading voyages and exploring expeditions. Books-such as these-allowed scientists and collectors to share their observations.
Revisiting World's Fairs and International Expositions: A Selected Bibliography, 1992 - 2004 (2005) by Bridget Burke, Cathy Serafica, and Martha Higgins
This bibliography supplements Bridget Burke's bibliography, "World's Fairs and International Expositions: Selected References 1987-1993," which was published as part of Fair Representations: World's Fairs and the Modern World, edited by Robert Rydell and Nancy Gwinn.
Taking to the Skies: The Wright Brothers & the Birth of Aviation (2003) by Paul K. McCutcheon and William E. Baxter
On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers were the first men in history to make powered, sustained and controlled flights in an airplane. The machine, engine and propellers were all of their own design and construction. It was bitterly cold that morning and a gusty 27 mile-per-hour wind scoured the sand dunes.
Your Smithsonian Libraries (2006) by Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Did you know the Smithsonian has a library? Actually, the Smithsonian has 20 libraries combined into one system and supported by an online catalog of the combined collections of: Over 1.5 million books, 50,000 rare books, 10,000 historic manuscript and over 2,000 electronic journal titles
Zoe (1890-1908) by Zoe Pub. Co.
Zoos: A Historical Perspective (2002) by Alvin Hutchinson
A collection of pamphlets and guide books published by zoos over the past century has been collected by the National Zoological Park branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. This online sample of these items, which includes maps, drawings and photographs of zoos from over 30 states and 40 countries is intended to highlight the value of this resource for both zoo and cultural historians. Few libraries or archives today contain materials showing the evolution of zoos in the modern era to the extent that this collection does.