Illuminations: First Editions

Drop in and enjoy rare treasures from the Central Library’s Archives. This month’s theme will show first editions by Frederick Douglass, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Sir Walter Raleigh, and more.

Archivist & Special Collections Librarian Dana Bronson and local novelist & Writing Education Specialist Sharma Shields share a passion for libraries, research, and critical archival work. Join them each month as they share exciting and often surprising items from the Central Library’s Archives and Special Collections. Highlighted items might include rare books and manuscripts, local records and photographs, and/or maps and correspondence.

This month we’ll showcase first editions of Frederick Douglass’s Life of an American Slave, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Sir Walter Raleigh’s Historie of the World in Five Bookes, Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and more. Participants are welcome to drop in at any time throughout the hour and roam the featured works at their leisure.