Video Episodes:
3 Views
13:28:57 04/17/12
How the States Got Their Shapes Too
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 13:28:57 04/17/12
Was Roger Williams too pure for the Puritans, and what does that have to do with Rhode Island? Why did Augustine Herman take 10 years to complete the map that established Delaware? How did Rocky Mountain rogues help create the state of Colorado? All this and more is explained in Mark Stein's new book. Speaker Biography: Mark Stein is a playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been performed off-Broadway and at theaters throughout the country. Stein has also taught writing and drama at American University and Catholic University. His previous book, "How the States Got Their Shapes," a New York Times best-seller, was the basis for The History Channel's documentary of the same name. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5447.
1 Views
13:28:14 04/17/12
Locomotive to Aeromotive: Octave Chanute & the Transportation Revolution
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 13:28:14 04/17/12
Drawing heavily on the rich aeronautical archives of the Library of Congress, including personal correspondence, "Locomotive to Aeromotive: Octave Chanute and the Transportation Revolution" is the first detailed examination of French-born and self-trained civil engineer Octave Chanute's life and his immeasurable contributions to engineering and transportation, from the ground-transportation revolution of the mid-19th century to the early days of aviation. Speaker Biography: Simine Short is an aviation historian who has researched and written extensively on the history of motorless flight. Her first book, "Glider Mail: An Aerophilatelic Handbook," received numerous research awards worldwide and is considered a standard reference by aerophilatelists and aviation researchers. For transcript, captions, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5471.
1 Views
13:27:20 04/17/12
A Washington Sketchbook: Drawings by Robert L. Dickinson, 1917-18
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 13:27:20 04/17/12
New York physician Robert L. Dickinson was stationed in Washington during World War I and in his free time was a prolific artist. An avid nature lover, he explored both sides of the Potomac River, sketching the woodsy and idyllic scenery that captured a now-vanished way of life. His work is the subject of a new book by Gail Dickersin Spilsbury. Speaker Biography: Gail Dickersin Spilsbury is also the author of "Rock Creek Park" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), and she has been an editor at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art. For transcript, captions, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5472.
10 Views
15:44:41 03/27/12
Showcasing the Great Experiment: Cultural Diplomacy & Western Visitors to the Soviet Union
[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 15:44:41 03/27/12
During the 1920s and 1930s, thousands of European and American writers, professionals, scientists, artists and intellectuals made a pilgrimage to experience the "Soviet experiment" for themselves. The reception of these intellectuals and fellow travelers and their encounters in order to analyze Soviet attitudes toward the West are the subject of a new book by Michael David-Fox. Speaker Biography: Michael David-Fox is associate professor in the Department of History and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He is the author of "Revolution of the Mind: Higher Learning Among the Bolsheviks, 1918-1929" and a founding editor of the journal Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5444.
16 Views
17:18:47 01/31/12
J. Edgar Hoover & the Library of Congress
[LESS INFO] 16 VIEWS | ADDED 17:18:47 01/31/12
"Young J. Edgar: Hoover, the Red Scare and the Assault on Civil Liberties" brings to life the nationwide Palmer raids of 1919-20 and the coming of age of the seminal FBI director, including his four-year career (1913-17) at the Library of Congress. Speaker Biography: Kenneth Ackerman is a writer and attorney in Washington, and a veteran of senior positions in Congress, the executive branch, financial regulation and private law. His previous books are "Boss Tweed: The Rise and Fall of the Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York," "Dark Horse: The Surprise Election and Political Murder of James A. Garfield" and "The Gold Ring: Jim Fisk, Jay Gould and Black Friday, 1869." For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5385.
3 Views
17:21:17 01/06/12
Getting It Wrong: Misreported Stories in American Journalism
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 17:21:17 01/06/12
W. Joseph Campbell discusses his new book on the ten greatest misreported stories in American journalism. W. Joseph Campbell is a tenured professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. For captions, transcript, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5165.
18 Views
16:42:37 11/16/11
Odessa: Genius & Death in a City of Dreams
[LESS INFO] 18 VIEWS | ADDED 16:42:37 11/16/11
Odessa was the Russian Empire's gateway to the Middle East when Catherine the Great created this port city on the Black Sea as a model of enlightenment. Georgetown University professor Charles King recreates this world in his historical account. Speaker Biography: Charles King is a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University and the author of four books on Eastern Europe, including "The Black Sea: A History." For transcript, captions, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5319.
11 Views
16:42:37 11/16/11
Odessa: Genius & Death in a City of Dreams
[LESS INFO] 11 VIEWS | ADDED 16:42:37 11/16/11
Odessa was the Russian Empire's gateway to the Middle East when Catherine the Great created this port city on the Black Sea as a model of enlightenment. Georgetown University professor Charles King recreates this world in his historical account. Speaker Biography: Charles King is a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University and the author of four books on Eastern Europe, including "The Black Sea: A History." For transcript, captions, and more information visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=5319.
5 Views
16:15:17 09/09/11
1861: The Civil War Awakening
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 16:15:17 09/09/11
Adam Goodheart discussed his book "1861: The Civil War Awakening." Adam Goodheart is a historian, journalist and travel writer. He is writing a regular column on the Civil War for The New York Times online. He has written for National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, GQ and The New York Times Magazine, among others, and has worked as an editor of the op-ed page of The New York Times. He is a book reviewer for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and the New York Observer. He lives in Washington, D.C., and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he is director of Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.
7 Views
16:15:17 09/09/11
1861: The Civil War Awakening
[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 16:15:17 09/09/11
Adam Goodheart discussed his book "1861: The Civil War Awakening." Adam Goodheart is a historian, journalist and travel writer. He is writing a regular column on the Civil War for The New York Times online. He has written for National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, GQ and The New York Times Magazine, among others, and has worked as an editor of the op-ed page of The New York Times. He is a book reviewer for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and the New York Observer. He lives in Washington, D.C., and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where he is director of Washington College's C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.
9 Views
18:59:52 09/07/11
Ralph Ellison: A Biography
[LESS INFO] 9 VIEWS | ADDED 18:59:52 09/07/11
Ralph Ellison never produced another novel in his lifetime after his magnum opus "Invisible Man," which won the National Book Award in 1953. Did success ruin him? This is one theme in the new biography of Ellison by Arnold Rampersad, the first scholar given complete access to Ellison's papers at the Library of Congress. Rampersad discussed and signed his book, "Ralph Ellison: A Biography," as part of the Books & Beyond author series organized by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The event was co-sponsored by the Library's Manuscript Division. Ellison's story of an unnamed black man in 1940s New York City who struggles to find his identity and place in society won him the National Book Award for fiction and catapulted him to national prominence. Ellison went on to earn many other honors, including two presidential medals and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Yet, his failure to publish a second novel, despite years of striving, haunted him for the rest of his life. Speaker Biography: Arnold Rampersad is Sara Hart Kimball Professional in the Humanities and a member of the Department of English at Stanford University. His books include biographies of Langston Hughes and Jackie Robinson, and he collaborated with Arthur Ashe on his memoir, "Days of Grace." He has written for The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic and The Washington Post and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
8 Views
18:59:52 09/07/11
Ralph Ellison: A Biography
[LESS INFO] 8 VIEWS | ADDED 18:59:52 09/07/11
Ralph Ellison never produced another novel in his lifetime after his magnum opus "Invisible Man," which won the National Book Award in 1953. Did success ruin him? This is one theme in the new biography of Ellison by Arnold Rampersad, the first scholar given complete access to Ellison's papers at the Library of Congress. Rampersad discussed and signed his book, "Ralph Ellison: A Biography," as part of the Books & Beyond author series organized by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The event was co-sponsored by the Library's Manuscript Division. Ellison's story of an unnamed black man in 1940s New York City who struggles to find his identity and place in society won him the National Book Award for fiction and catapulted him to national prominence. Ellison went on to earn many other honors, including two presidential medals and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Yet, his failure to publish a second novel, despite years of striving, haunted him for the rest of his life. Speaker Biography: Arnold Rampersad is Sara Hart Kimball Professional in the Humanities and a member of the Department of English at Stanford University. His books include biographies of Langston Hughes and Jackie Robinson, and he collaborated with Arthur Ashe on his memoir, "Days of Grace." He has written for The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic and The Washington Post and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
2 Views
18:51:08 09/07/11
"They Have Killed Papa Dead!": Abraham Lincoln's Murder and the Rage for Vengeance
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 18:51:08 09/07/11
The assassination of the 16th president is one of the singular events in American history, and historian Anthony Pitch uses primary source material to document and reveal previously unknown facts about Lincoln's death; the murder of his secretary of state, William Seward; and the events that led to the torturous incarceration of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators. According to Pitch, Lincoln was under threat of assassination from the time of his first inauguration, in 1861. Gen. Winfield Scott, in charge of military defenses in Washington, feared secessionists would kill Lincoln even before his inauguration. And six weeks before shooting Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, Booth was forcibly restrained from approaching the president as he walked through the rotunda of the Capitol to be sworn in for his second term. Pitch details the murder plots that were unsuccessful as well as the successful one by referencing hundred of sources. Most of his research was conducted at the Library of Congress. Speaker Biography: Historian Anthony Pitch is also the author "The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814." He spoke about that book at the Library in 1998.
13 Views
18:51:08 09/07/11
"They Have Killed Papa Dead!": Abraham Lincoln's Murder and the Rage for Vengeance
[LESS INFO] 13 VIEWS | ADDED 18:51:08 09/07/11
The assassination of the 16th president is one of the singular events in American history, and historian Anthony Pitch uses primary source material to document and reveal previously unknown facts about Lincoln's death; the murder of his secretary of state, William Seward; and the events that led to the torturous incarceration of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators. According to Pitch, Lincoln was under threat of assassination from the time of his first inauguration, in 1861. Gen. Winfield Scott, in charge of military defenses in Washington, feared secessionists would kill Lincoln even before his inauguration. And six weeks before shooting Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, Booth was forcibly restrained from approaching the president as he walked through the rotunda of the Capitol to be sworn in for his second term. Pitch details the murder plots that were unsuccessful as well as the successful one by referencing hundred of sources. Most of his research was conducted at the Library of Congress. Speaker Biography: Historian Anthony Pitch is also the author "The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814." He spoke about that book at the Library in 1998.
3 Views
18:50:18 09/07/11
Vivian Ann Davidson Hewitt: The One and Only
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 18:50:18 09/07/11
Vivian Ann Davidson Hewitt, who, among other achievements, was the first African-American president of the Special Libraries Association (1978-1979), has written an autobiographical history of her remarkable life, called "The One and Only." Speaker Biography: Vivian Ann Davidson Hewitt's association with the Library of Congress dates to 1979-1982, when she served as a member of the Center for the Book's first National Advisory Board. Hewitt has also been chief librarian for the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Council on Foreign Relations.
15 Views
18:50:18 09/07/11
Vivian Ann Davidson Hewitt: The One and Only
[LESS INFO] 15 VIEWS | ADDED 18:50:18 09/07/11
Vivian Ann Davidson Hewitt, who, among other achievements, was the first African-American president of the Special Libraries Association (1978-1979), has written an autobiographical history of her remarkable life, called "The One and Only." Speaker Biography: Vivian Ann Davidson Hewitt's association with the Library of Congress dates to 1979-1982, when she served as a member of the Center for the Book's first National Advisory Board. Hewitt has also been chief librarian for the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Council on Foreign Relations.
09/07/11