Posts by Michael Inman

Learn about this 16th century trailblazer, and his rare works that are part of the NYPL collections.

Enjoy a look at a recent addition to the Rare Book Division's collection, a "materia medica" from the 15th century.

A rare find has found its way to the NYPL Rare Book Division: The 1585 printing of "Confessionario para los Curas de Indios".

Recently, The New York Public Library digitized in its entirety one of its great treasures, the 1640 printing of The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre.

Let's take a break from the season's commotion in order to better appreciate the history of this most festive conifer.

On Sunday morning, July 30, 1916, at 2:08 a.m., one of the worst terrorist attacks in American history took place at Black Tom Island, New Jersey, a shipping facility located in New York Harbor.

The New York Public Library received a generous grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to scan the globe using 3D imaging technology. The project was undertaken in conjunction with the Lazarus Project, an organization that provides historical researchers access to advanced imaging technology.

April 21 is the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. As any grade school student in the Lone Star State will proudly tell you, the leader of the Texan forces was Samuel “Sam” Houston, a.k.a. the President of the Republic of Texas. He is well-represented in NYPL's collection of Texana.

In the wake of the United States’ war declaration against Germany on April 6, 1917, dozens of extralegal vigilance organizations such as the Knights of Liberty, American Rights League, Boy Spies of America, American Defense Society, Sedition Slammers, National Security League, and the Terrible Threateners sought to ensure Americans’ full participation in the war effort, often through measures of intimidation, harassment, surveillance, and outright violence.

During World War I, the making of movies—even seemingly pro-American films—could be a dangerous proposition, given the wartime hysteria so prevalent on the U.S. home front. Case in point: