Houghton Library

@Harvard’s principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, literary and performing arts archives, and more. (Avatar by Audubon.)

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

We’re consolidating all our news on Instagram, so we won’t be posting here anymore after today. We’ll leave this page here as a resource but will not be adding to it.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Join us this Wednesday, February 28, from 5:30–8:00 PM in the Edison and Newman Room as we celebrate the 82nd anniversary of the opening of Houghton Library along with the opening of our newest exhibition, "Marks in Books"! No registration is required.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Houghton Library will be closed on Monday, February 19th in observance of Presidents' Day. Regular opening hours will resume Tuesday, January 20.

Pictured: Peale, Charles Willson. 1775. George Washington. MS Am 1375. Houghton Library, Harvard University.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This 16th century woodcut image depicts a blindfolded Cupid aiming his arrows at two courtly lovers. The lover presents his beloved with what appears to be a heart-shaped valentine while she reciprocates with a flower.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Our building is closed today due to the forecasted storm. We will reopen tomorrow for our regular hours and look forward to seeing you then!

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Happy Lunar New Year!

Celebrated by many Asian cultures, the Lunar New Year is observed from the first day of the new moon to the first day of the full moon. Though specific practices and traditions vary, in general this is a time for families and friends to gather.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Merce Cunningham created an informal system for recording his dances, and those notations have found their way into museums and libraries. The six-page “score” for How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run is on view in the lobby gallery through May 3, 2024: https://t.co/8cH4INxPbc

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Boasting exquisite calligraphy and illumination, this manuscript dates to the Mughal period and was likely crafted in the 17th century. On view in the Amy Lowell Room through May 8, 2024: https://t.co/6uNF7aoLsK

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

NEW EXHIBITION: “Marks in Books” reprises the landmark 1984 exhibition of the same name, displaying materials from the original exhibition alongside new acquisitions. It will be on view January 22, 2024–April 19, 2024 in Houghton's Edison and Newman Room.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Houghton will be closed Monday, January 15. We will return on Tuesday, January 16 to our regular hours.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

We are still accepting applications for the 2024-25 Houghton Library Visiting Fellowship season!

Starting July 2024, the library will offer fellows a $4,500 stipend for 4 weeks of residence at Houghton. The application deadline is January 19, 2024.
https://t.co/kB8DlyfuvK

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

NEW EXHIBITION: “Recent Acquisitions” features ten recent additions to Houghton’s collections, from a 16th century scientific textbook printed on vellum to a 1949 edition of The Green Book and will be on view January 8, 2024–May 3, 2024 in the Houghton Lobby Gallery.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Now on view through May 8, 2024 in Houghton Library’s Amy Lowell Room: "Central Asian Chronicles: Echoes of the Silk Road in Manuscripts and Imagery" explores the history of Central Asia, shaped by the footprints of empires and the whisperings of poets.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

This week is your last chance to experience our exhibition, “At the Limits of the Book: Bindings from the Houghton Library Collections,” which closes this Friday, January 5!

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Happy New Year!

Starting January 2, Houghton Library will be open M–F, 10 AM–5:00 PM. Our reading room will be open from January 8–19 M–F, 11 AM–4 PM. Our regular hours will resume January 22.

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Houghton will be closed for Winter Recess from Friday, December 22, 2023–January 1, 2024. Our reading room will reopen on January 8.

Warmest wishes this holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in 2024!

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

It’s the last week to see our “Five Score Years from Lincoln to King: The Struggle for Black Freedom in America” exhibition in the History of Ideas Case, closing this Thursday, December 21!
https://t.co/w7yzttzZGd

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

The year is winding down and so are our exhibitions. Check out our December newsletter for winter recess closures, exhibition closing dates, and a sneak peek of our upcoming exhibitions: https://t.co/cdAaNHPW2G

[Houghton Library @HoughtonLib]

Fan of games? Check out @HarvardYenching's cool exhibit on Japanese console-based video games before it closes on Wednesday, 12/20!
https://t.co/OV3tLoLS0m

They also loaned us three games for our collaborative lobby exhibition, closing Tuesday, 12/19.
https://t.co/BxO1TbyKsn

[Christina Davis @Indavisible]

At this difficult hour, I'm so grateful at the thought of a resonant reading between these two beings: FORREST GANDER & FANNY HOWE. Doors will open at 5:30pm so that the community can gather.

Tonight at @HoughtonLib. Livestreaming also available via the WPR YouTube channel.