Considered a monument to modern Western creativity in art and literature from the 19th and 20th centuries, the Aramont Library — so named by the private donor — includes literary first editions, exhibition bindings, finely bound author collections, and illustrated books by art giants such as Miró, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Dorothea Tanning, Max Ernst and many more. The Aramont Library also houses some items dating back to the 17th century.
Striking a balance between book design, content, illustration and binding, the collection also includes first editions of Western literature treasures by authors such as Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf, as well as three variant first edition copies of James Joyce’s Ulysses, one of which includes a very rare schema and annotated anatomical figure describing the modernist novel. Other authors in the collection include James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck and Jean Cocteau. Famous binders such as Sangorski & Sutcliffe, Paul Bonet and Rose Adler elevate many books to holistic works of art with stunning displays of exquisite artistry.
To celebrate this important donation, the Rare Book & Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress has organized a series of events beginning with a conversation with curators; a free, in-person symposium featuring artists, scholars and specialists; a public pop-up display of around 70 books, and an evening roundtable discussion to wrap up the programming. There will also be family-oriented works including a first edition of Winnie-the-Pooh and Where the Wild Things Are.
Conversation with Curators
Time: 2:30 — 3:30 p.m.
Location: Jefferson Building Room LJ-119, with overflow seating in Members’ Room
Join curators Gordon Hollis, founder of Golden Legend Books and author of books on rare-book collecting, Stephanie Stillo, curator of the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection and Aramont Library and Emily Moore, assistant curator of the Aramont Library, for a brief introduction and history of the Aramont Library over the past four decades.
Making the Modern Book: The Aramont Library
Time: 3:45 pm — 5:00 p.m.
Location: Jefferson Building Room LJ-119, with overflow seating in Members’ Room
The symposium and Q&A will offer visitors a look at how, by combining art, literature and non-fiction the Aramont Library embodies the spirit of modernism. Speakers will include: Gabby Cooksey, bookbinder and book artist from Tacoma, Washington; Patrick Hastings, an expert on “Ulysses” and English Department chair at Gilman School in Baltimore, and Adrien Legendre, head of the Books and Manuscripts Department at Christie’s France.
Pop-up Display
Time: 5:00 — 6:45 p.m.
Location: Jefferson Building, Great Hall, mezzanine level
Display of approximately 70 books from the Aramont Library.
“Artists Approach the Book” Roundtable Discussion
Time: 7:00 — 8:00 p.m.
Location: Jefferson Building Room LJ119, with overflow seating in Members’ Room
Join a moderated roundtable discussion featuring an artist, printer and publisher exploring how artists use, understand and approach the book. Speakers will include: Robin Holder, a contemporary visual artist and activist from New York; Jamie Murphy, printer and book artist with The Salvage Press; Ken Shure, co-partner of Two Ponds Press with Liv Rockefeller, and Emily Moore, assistant curator of the Aramont Library.
The conversation with curators, symposium, pop-up display and roundtable discussion are all free, but you must register through this link.
