4.0
The Public Library
ByPublisher Description
A “beautifully crafted” visual celebration with 150 photos and essays by Barbara Kingsolver, Bill Moyers, Ann Patchett, Anne Lamott, Amy Tan, and more (Publishers Weekly).
Many of us have vivid recollections of childhood visits to a public library: the unmistakable musty scent, the excitement of checking out a stack of newly discovered books. Today, the more than 17,000 libraries in America also function as de facto community centers offering free access to the internet, job-hunting assistance, or a warm place to take shelter. And yet, across the country, cities large and small are closing public libraries or curtailing their hours of operation. Over eighteen years, photographer Robert Dawson crisscrossed the country documenting hundreds of these endangered institutions. The Public Library presents a wide selection of his photographs—from the majestic reading room at the New York Public Library to Allensworth, California’s one-room Tulare County Free Library, built by former slaves. Accompanying them are essays, letters, and poetry by some of America’s most celebrated writers.
“For book lovers, library denizens, and fans of architecture or Americana, The Public Library is a delight.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“If you think all public libraries look pretty much the same, well, you need to take a look at this book. Oh, sure, there are plenty of grand ones, such as Philadelphia’s own Central Library on the Parkway. But we also have the Fishtown Community Branch, featured in this volume, which used to be a firehouse and, before that, a stable. There’s also the log cabin library in Cable, Wis. And many, many more, both grand and humble.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
“An irrefutable argument for the preservation of public libraries . . . profound and heartbreakingly beautiful.” —Toni Morrison
Many of us have vivid recollections of childhood visits to a public library: the unmistakable musty scent, the excitement of checking out a stack of newly discovered books. Today, the more than 17,000 libraries in America also function as de facto community centers offering free access to the internet, job-hunting assistance, or a warm place to take shelter. And yet, across the country, cities large and small are closing public libraries or curtailing their hours of operation. Over eighteen years, photographer Robert Dawson crisscrossed the country documenting hundreds of these endangered institutions. The Public Library presents a wide selection of his photographs—from the majestic reading room at the New York Public Library to Allensworth, California’s one-room Tulare County Free Library, built by former slaves. Accompanying them are essays, letters, and poetry by some of America’s most celebrated writers.
“For book lovers, library denizens, and fans of architecture or Americana, The Public Library is a delight.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“If you think all public libraries look pretty much the same, well, you need to take a look at this book. Oh, sure, there are plenty of grand ones, such as Philadelphia’s own Central Library on the Parkway. But we also have the Fishtown Community Branch, featured in this volume, which used to be a firehouse and, before that, a stable. There’s also the log cabin library in Cable, Wis. And many, many more, both grand and humble.” —Philadelphia Inquirer
“An irrefutable argument for the preservation of public libraries . . . profound and heartbreakingly beautiful.” —Toni Morrison
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About Robert Dawson
Robert Dawson's photographs have been recognized by a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize. He is an instructor of photography at San Jose State University and Stanford University.
Other books by Robert Dawson
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was a Russian‑born American writer and the author of nearly five hundred books. He is credited as one of the finest writers of science fiction in the twentieth century. Many, however, believe Asimov’s greatest talent was for, as he called it, “translating” science, making it understandable and interesting for the average reader.
Other books by Isaac Asimov
E. B. White
E. B. White was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1921. He joined the staff at The New Yorker, where White’s poems, essays, satirical pieces, and editorials started to appear, as well as in Harper’s. His books include One Man’s Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E. B. White, The Essays of E. B. White, and Poems and Sketches of E. B. White.
The author of more than twenty books of prose and poetry, White is perhaps best known for his award-winning children’s books, Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. White received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1970, and his The Trumpet of the Swan was honored by the International Board on Books for Young People as a distinguished example of literature with international influence.
For his lifelong contribution to American letters, President John F. Kennedy awarded White the Presidential Medal for Freedom. He also received the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism. In 1973, White was elected to be a member of the Academy. He also received honorary degrees from seven colleges and universities. White died on October 1, 1985.
The author of more than twenty books of prose and poetry, White is perhaps best known for his award-winning children’s books, Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. White received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1970, and his The Trumpet of the Swan was honored by the International Board on Books for Young People as a distinguished example of literature with international influence.
For his lifelong contribution to American letters, President John F. Kennedy awarded White the Presidential Medal for Freedom. He also received the 1971 National Medal for Literature and the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism. In 1973, White was elected to be a member of the Academy. He also received honorary degrees from seven colleges and universities. White died on October 1, 1985.
Other books by E. B. White
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