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Please Direct all Media Inquiries to:
Susan Frampton
Telephone: 202.633.1699
E-mail: libmail@si.edu
Smithsonian Institution Libraries Headlines
Smithsonian Curator Tom D. Crouch Discusses
his New Book, "Rocketeers and Gentlemen Engineers"
 Tom
D. Crouch, Smithsonian curator, historian and author, discussed
his new book, "Rocketeers and Gentlemen Engineers: A History
of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics ....and
What Came Before" at the Library of Congress on April 25. The
program, cosponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and
the Library of Congress, Center for the Book, was free and open
to the public. A book signing followed the presentation.
"Rocketeers
and Gentlemen Engineers" is a highly
readable account of the significant contributions the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics and its predecessor organizations
have made to the evolution of flight. An aeronautical and astronautical
"who's who," it covers the amazing story of visionary
individuals and dedicated engineers who have changed society. During
his talk, Crouch revealed fascinating anecdotes of famous air and
space flight pioneers, including the Wright Brothers and Robert
Goddard.
Crouch
is senior curator of the Division of Aeronautics at the Smithsonian
Institution's National Air and Space Museum and in 2002, he received
the Smithsonian Distinguished Lecturer Award. He holds a PhD in
American History from Ohio State University.
Crouch is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, and many
articles for both magazines and scholarly journals. His leading
books include "The Bishop's Boys; A Life of Wilbur and Orville
Wright" (1989); "Dream of Wings: Americans and the Airplane,
1875-1905" (1981); "Eagle Aloft: Two Centuries of the
Balloon in America" (1983) and "Wings: A History of Aviation
from Kites to the Space Age" (2003). In the fall of 2000, President
Clinton appointed him Chairman of the First Flight Centennial Federal
Advisory Board.
For
more information about Dr. Crouch, click
here
Dr. John Stachel of Boston University Delivers 2005
Dibner Library Lecture: "1905: Einstein's Miraculous Year"
 The
2005 Dibner Library Lecture, featuring Dr. John Stachel of Boston
University, was enjoyed by a crowd of 100 on Tuesday evening, December
13 in the Carmichael Auditorium at the National Museum ofAmerican
History, Behring Center, located on the National Mall. A reception
for Dr. Stachel followed his talk. Click
here to view a video of Dr. Stachel's talk.
The United
Nations endorsed the year 2005 as the World Year of Physics, a time
for international celebration of the pioneering contributions of
Albert Einstein in 1905 and an opportunity to increase worldwide
awareness of the major role physics will play in the coming millennium.
 In conjunction with the many festivities that
have taken place throughout the United States for the World Year
of Physics, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries welcomed Dr. John
Stachel, Professor of Physics Emeritus and Director of the Center
of Einstein Studies at Boston University, to talk about Einstein's
"miraculous year" or annus mirabilis. In 1905, Einstein published
five papers of major importance to the world of physics. Topics
of the papers include: determination of molecular dimensions; molecular-kinetic
theory of heat; electrodynamics of moving bodies; inertia of a body
depending on its energy content; production and transformation of
light. These papers have ensconced Dr. Einstein in history as one
of the world's most renowned scientists and serve as a foundation
for the study of modern physics.
Dr. John
Stachel, author of numerous books and articles on Einstein, wrote
the introduction to the book, Einstein's Miraculous Year: Five
Papers That Changed the Face of Physics. The book is a compilation
and English  translation
of all five of Einstein's seminal works of 1905, first published
in 1998; the Centenary Edition with a new introduction by Dr. Stachel
was published in 2005. In his talk at the Smithsonian, Dr. Stachel
discussed the significance of the annus mirabilis and recounted
the events in Einstein's personal life that led to a miraculous
moment in scientific history. Click here
for more background on Dr. Stachel.
More
details about the World Year of Physics may be found at http://www.physics2005.org/
Treasures
of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Library to be on Display
at Connoisseur's Fair
The
Art and Antique Dealers League of America opened its five-day annual
Connoisseur's
Fair on Wednesday, November 16 at the Gramercy Armory on Lexington
Avenue and 26th Street in New York. 12 rare books from the Cooper-Hewitt
collection were on display for opening night only. "These
rare treasures showed the diversity of decorative arts materials from
the National Design Library, ranging from 16th-century architecture
manuals to pop-up books from the 1930s," said Stephen Van Dyk,
head librarian responsible for selecting the books that will be
on view. Featured
titles include the following:
•
L'archittectura, by Leon Battista Alberti. Florence, 1550.
This is the first Italian version of Alberti's 15th treatise on
architectural styles and building construction.
• The Gentleman and Cabinet-maker's Director, by Thomas
Chippendale. London, 1754. A first edition of renowned English craftsman
Thomas Chippendale's catalog of tables, desks, chairs and other
furniture pieces that could be custom built by his shop.
• Wine Women & Song, by John Addington. London,
1884. Beautifully hand-tooled leather binding and endpapers with
amethysts created by  Sangorski
and Sutcliffe.
• Birmingham Brass Catalogue. Birmingham, England, 1780s.
A very early and rare trade catalog illustrating metal hardware
for furniture produced by the Birmingham Brass Co.
• Grammar of Ornament, by Owen Jones. London, 1856.
A first edition of English ornamentalist and architect Owen Jones'
famous encyclopedia of pattern inspired by historic and traditional
ornament from around the world.
• The Pop-up Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi (illustrations
by Harold Lentz). New York, 1933. A colorful example of a finely
crafted pop-up book created by Harold Lentz for Blue Ribbon Books-one
of the nearly 800 pop-up and moveable books in the Library's collection.
• Topographia Galliae, by Martin Zeiller. Frankfurt,
Germany, 1655-1661. A beautiful travel guide covering all 17th-century
French provinces. Commissioned by King Louis XIV, it contains more
than 300 hand-colored engraving of landscapes, maps, roads and waterways,
gardens, buildings and cities.
"Picturing
Words: The Power of Book Illustration," a visually stunning
panel exhibit that showcases the richness of illustrated books through
history, was also on display only on opening evening.
With more than 70,000 volumes in its repository, the Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design Museum Library,  a
branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, is the major resource
in the United States for books, trade catalogues, serials, pictures
and archival material covering design and decorative arts from the
Renaissance to the present. Collection strengths are concentrated
in architecture, graphic design, interior design, ornamental patterns,
furniture, wall coverings, textiles, metalwork, glass, ceramics
and jewelry. The Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Library is
located at 2 East 91st Street in New York. For additional information,
contact Stephen Van Dyk at (212) 849-8335 or by email at Vandyks@si.edu
"Picturing
Words: The Power of Book Illustration" Traveling Exhibit Highlight
of PRINT 05 CONVERTING 05 Trade Show in Chicago
Among
the highlights of PRINT
05 & CONVERTING 05, held at McCormick Place in Chicago September
9-15 was "Picturing Words: The Power of Book Illustration,"
a traveling panel exhibit on the history and importance of book
illustration created by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, the
world's largest system of museum libraries.
The panel exhibit previews a full gallery version featuring numerous
books from the Libraries' collection, which will open next year
at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Additional
showings in the United States through 2006 are being planned for
the traveling exhibit.
National Museum of American History curators Helena
Wright and Joan Boudreau
created the panel exhibit for the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
It showcases reproductions of some of the world's greatest pieces
of illustration from the Libraries' collection of rare books and
documents. 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). The labor-intensive
engraving process is shown through meticulously
rendered illustrations, such as "The Wood Beyond the World"
by William Morris (1894), giving the viewer an appreciation for
the thought, time and effort that went into his work. Individual
panels of the exhibit vividly demonstrate how illustrations catch
readers' eyes, draw them into their reading material and make a
more direct connection to the information. A website featuring the
exhibit may be viewed at www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/PicturingWords.
During the show, the Smithsonian Libraries hosted demonstrations
by local artists of different methods of book illustration, including
wood engraving by Judith Jaidinger and intaglio printing by David
Jones from the printmaking studio Anchor Graphics. The exhibit also
featured presentations on new forms of illustration by Columbia
College faculty members Paul Vaccarello and Craig Jobson.
"The Smithsonian Libraries is pleased that so many Chicago
visitors had an opportunity to sample our collection. We look forward
to presenting the original stunning texts next year in Washington,
D.C." said Nancy Gwinn, Director of the Smithsonian Institution
Libraries.
NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting
Technologies and 15 NPES member companies and industry organizations
provided funds and in-kind support for the exhibition.
A specially designed brochure printed by Flint Ink, a poster and
bookmark printed by MAN Roland and an alphabet block poster embossed
and foil stamped by Brandtjen & Kluge were distributed from
the exhibit.
Other sponsors include Agfa Corporation, AGS Custom Graphics, Automated
Graphic Imaging, BookTech Magazine, Colter & Peterson, D&K
Group, Expo Trust Marketing Group, the Graphic Arts Show Company,
Heidelberg USA, PIA/GATF, The Print Council and UEI Group/Infinity
Foils. NPES is continuing to seek additional sponsors for the full
gallery version of the exhibit.
"We were delighted to have the traveling version of "Picturing
Words" open at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 and showcase the
grace, beauty and significance of book illustration and the power
of print, and now we are looking forward to the gallery exhibit"
said Regis J. Delmontagne, President of NPES and the Graphic Arts
Show Company, the show's producer.
For more information about exhibit sponsorship, contact Gwen Leighty,
Development Officer, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, at (202)
633-2875 or by email at leightyg@si.edu.
Bhutan:
A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom, the World's
Largest Book, now in Libraries' Collection
The world's largest published book, according to Guinness World
Records, recently was donated to the Smithsonian Institution Libraries
by Mr. and Mrs. Theodore P. Janulis of New York.
Measuring a full 5 feet by 7 feet when open and weighing 133 pounds,
Bhutan:
A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom, by Michael
Hawley, is a visually stunning photography book, capturing more
than 100 images of the small Asian country's rich landscape and
culture. "It's an exciting donation to our collection that
we hope will draw people into a fascination with books and libraries,"
said Mary Augusta Thomas, associate director of the Smithsonian
Libraries.
Bhutan's rich and unique landscape and culture were ideal subjects
for a project of this magnitude. Considered the last Shangri-la,
Bhutan sits in the eastern Himalayas and is roughly the size of
Switzerland. Its location provides a variety of ecosystems, including
semi-tropical forests, savannah grasslands and bamboo jungles. The
lush natural setting is coupled with a unique culture. Bhutan is
one of the only remaining constitutional monarchies in the world.
The majority of Bhutanese people live in rural villages and work
on small family farms. Today, they continue to wear the traditional
dress of robes and ankle-length dresses woven out of brightly colored
fabrics.
Bhutan pushed current digital photography, printing and binding
technologies to their limits. Each copy requires a gallon of ink,
24 hours of printing time and more paper than the length of a football
field. Each digital image was two gigabytes in size, stretching
the capabilities of most computers and printers. The binding was
done by the world's oldest book publisher, Acme Bookbinding, and
utilizes an Asian fan-folded structure combined with European techniques.
Bhutan is the product of four expeditionary trips that Hawley,
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology media lab, took with
his students. The book's photographs were taken by Hawley and his
team, as well as by Bhutanese people who joined the expeditions.
A limited edition of 500 copies of the book is being published and
sold exclusively through Amazon.com. Proceeds go to the educational
nonprofit organization Friendly Planet and will benefit Bhutanese
schools, scholars and educational programs. The Libraries hopes
to make the book available to the public in future exhibitions,
including the proposed Folklife Festival program on Bhutan.
"We look forward to deepening our relationship with the scholars
and people of Bhutan through collaborative research programs and
the country's possible exhibition in a Smithsonian Folklife Festival,"
said Leonard Hirsch, senior policy advisor for the Smithsonian International
Center.
Bhutan is currently being kept in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd
Library of Natural History, which houses the Smithsonian's collection
of rare books in anthropology and natural history. One of the Smithsonian
Libraries' 20 branches, its world-class collection contains approximately
10,000 volumes published before 1840 in the fields of anthropology,
botany, zoology, paleontology and geology. The Cullman Library's
holdings are particularly strong in 17th through 19th-century voyages
of exploration, as well as the history of museums and scientific
collecting.
Author Thomas Mallon Speaks on "TWO MOONS:
The U.S. Naval Observatory through a Novelist's Telescope"
at National Museum of American History, Behring Center
Popular
author Thomas Mallon spoke July 14 in the Carmichael Auditorium
of the National  Museum of American
History, Behring Center. His topic, "TWO MOONS: The U.S. Naval Observatory
through a Novelist's Telescope," was drawn from Mallon's best-selling
historical novel, "Two Moons," which unfolds during 1877 in Washington,
D.C.
1877 was a time of fascination with astronomy in the United States,
particularly the nation's capital, where those with high seats of
scientific inquiry or ultimate legislative power held sway over
the country. The two moons of Mars were discovered in 1877 at the
Naval Observatory by astronomer Asaph Hall, and it was just three
years after the Observatory's eight expeditions to observe the last
transit of Venus across the sun, a short five years before the next.
The U.S. Naval Observatory truly was a hotbed of activity during
that fateful year.
This lecture was the last in the series related to the Libraries'
exhibition, "Chasing Venus: Observing the Transits of Venus, 1631-2004,"
which ended its run September 5 at the Libraries' Exhibition Gallery
in the American History Museum. Following the talk, Mallon signed
copies of his books and chatted with guests. The noon program was
supported by funds from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's
Office of Space Science. If you wish to view a streaming video of
Mr. Mallon's lecture, click here.
Thomas Mallon's six novels include "Henry and Clara," "Dewey Defeats
Truman," "Two Moons" and "Bandbox." He has written non-fiction books
about plagiarism ("Stolen Words"), diaries ("A Book of One's Own")
and the Kennedy Assassination ("Mrs. Paine's Garage"), as well as
two volumes of essays ("Rockets and Rodeos" and "In Fact"). Mallon's
work regularly appears in the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, New
York Times Book Review and other publications. The recipient of
Rockefeller and Guggenheim fellowships, as well as the National
Book Critics Circle award for reviewing, he is the director of the
Preservation and Access division of the National Endowment for the
Humanities in Washington.
Wade Davis, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence,
Delivers Talk At 6th Annual Spencer Baird Society Benefactors Dinner
Wade
Davis, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, was guest speaker
at the 6th Annual Spencer Baird Society Dinner, hosted by the Smithsonian
Libraries on the evening of Wednesday, April 27. Davis'  topic was "Light at the Edge of the World" and featured
a series of more than 100 stunning photographs taken during his
worldwide travels. The Libraries presented a live webcast of the
talk, and the archived streaming video is available for viewing
at: http://smithsonian.tv/programs/sil.
Wade Davis holds
Harvard University degrees in anthropology and biology, and received
his Ph.D. in ethnobotany. His early research as a plant explorer
took him to the Amazon, the Andes and Haiti. In Haiti he investigated
folk preparations implicated in the creation of zombies, which led
to his first books "Passage of Darkness" (1988) and "The Serpent
and the Rainbow" (1986), an international best seller which appeared
in ten languages and was later made into a motion picture. His other
books include "Penan: Voice for the Borneo Rain Forest" (1990),
"Nomads of the Dawn" (1995), "One River (1996), "The Clouded Leopard"
(1998), "Shadows in the Sun" (1998), "Rainforest" (1998), "Light
at the Edge of the World" (2002), and his most recent book, "The
Lost Amazon," published in 2004.
Recently, Davis' work has taken him to East Africa, Borneo, Tibet,
the high Arctic, the Orinoco delta of Venezuela, the deserts of
Mali and Burkina Faso and the forests of Benin and Togo. Upcoming
expeditions will focus on Polynesia, Greenland, Peru, Mongolia,
Bhutan and Nepal. Davis is an accomplished speaker who has lectured
at numerous educational and cultural organizations in the United
States and Canada. He has authored 130 scientific and popular articles,
and is the recipient of numerous awards; in 2004 he was made an
Honorary Member of the Explorer's Club, one of twenty so named in
the 100-year history of the club.
For more
information about Wade Davis, click here.
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