The Boston Athenaeum Hardback

The twelve essays in this bicentennial publication address some of the most important episodes and issues during the Boston Athenaeum's two-hundred-year history.

Two chapters focus on the Athenaeum's origins: what were its models, and how did it differ from contemporary institutions?

Other chapters discuss the role of women, prints and photographs, the scruples collection, architectural holdings, and the book arts collection.

Two essays are devoted to the Athenaeum's role in the creation of the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Three other chapters discuss nineteenth-century British responses to the cultural life of Boston, the role of the Athenaeum's conservation program, and the recently established Calderwood Writing Initiative.

Each essay will remind both scholars and the general reader of the various roles the Athenaeum has played in the cultural life of the nation.

Founded in 1807, the Boston Athenaeum, the largest membership library in North America, boasts an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts as well as one of the most significant art collections at any American library.

It is home to more than 700,000 books, including approximately one-half of George Washington's personal library from Mount Vernon.