Edith Wharton was born 150 years ago

Edith Wharton was born 150 years ago, on January 24, 1862 in New York City. She died August 11, 1937, at age 75 in France. She was an American novelist, short story writer, and designer. Her novel THE AGE OF INNOCENCE won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921. She became the first woman to win the award.  

Edith Wharton in our collection  (books, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, etc.)

The Mount - Edith Wharton's estate and gardens in Lenox, Massachusetts, designed by her 

Edith Wharton Collection at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT


Edith Wharton - New York Times Topics

Eva Zeisel dies at 105

Eva Zeisel, a ceramic artist, died December 30, 2011 in New York City, N.Y. at age 105. She saw her work as a "playful search for beauty". She was born in Budapest on November 13, 1906. Her maiden name was Eva Amalia Striker. An aunt's Hungarian peasant pottery collection inspired her to become a ceramist. In 1925 she visited Paris. In 1930 she moved to Berlin. In 1932 she visited the Ukraine. By 1935 she was working in Moscow, but was arrested in 1936, falsely accused by a colleague. She was imprisoned for 16 months. A friend, Arthur Koestler, drew upon her experience in writing his 1941 novel DARKNESS AT NOON. She was released without explanation in 1937 and went to Vienna. In 1938, upon the Nazi's arrival in Austria, she escaped to Britain. In London she was reunited with Hans Zeisel, a lawyer and sociologist whom she had met in Berlin. They married and then emigrated to the United States soon after. During her second day in New York, she went to the public library to look up addresses of trade publications. In 1939 she began teaching ceramics as industrial design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. She left her teaching position in 1954 and then designed collections of ceramics, glass and metal, including rugs, furniture and lighting fixtures. Her book "Eval Zeisel on Design" was published in 2004. She remained active almost until the end of her life. Eva Zeisel is survived by a daughter and a son and three grandchildren. Her husband, Hans Zeisel, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, died in 1992. For more information on Eva Zeisel, check out:
Pictures of Eva Zeisel and her designs (outside link)

Eva Zeisel on Design

20th Century Dinnerware

Tools for Living: a sourcebook of Iconic Designs for the Home
China and Glass in America: 1880-1980

New Nonfiction Books in the 600s

We have updated our LIFESTYLES bookletter. See what is new in fitness, health, cooking! Find inspiration, ideas, and information.

New Nonfiction Books in the 700s

We just updated our Bookletter service for the following subject areas:



Crafts, Needleworks and Fashion Design










Architecture, Decorating and Garden Design








Art and Photography










More New Arrivals (Fiction, Nonfiction, DVDs, ...)

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A new public library for Stuttgart

Stuttgart in southern Germany has a new public library! How does this innovative city (known as the "cradle of the automobile") envision a public library in the 21st century? Korean architect Eun Young Yi was chosen to deliver a stunning, yet refreshingly simple design! No doubt, Steve Jobs would have approved of it! Books and people are the focus throughout, delivering a multitude of colors in a mostly white interior, similiar to the design of the new Amsterdam Public Library. There is a Café with a very appealing and smartly chosen name. It is called Café LesBar which means Reading Bar, but "lesbar" in German means also readable! Coincidentally, we just added the book "Brilliant: White in Design" by Linda O'Keeffe to our collection. More pictures of the Stuttgart Library (outside link)

Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011

Christopher Hitchens, November 26, 2010

British-American polemicist Christopher Hitchens died Thursday, December 15, 2011, of pneumonia, a complication of his esophageal cancer, at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center of Houston, Texas.  He is survived by his brother, Peter, his three children, and his second wife, Carol Blue.  He was 62.
Hitchens was a well-known journalist and essayist, with too many credits to list here.  You can read more about his life and death in the following obituaries, or read those Hitchens writings we have in our collection.  (See individual issues of Vanity Fair for more.)

Polemicist Who Slashed All, Freely, With Wit (New York Times obituary)
Writer Christopher Hitchens Dies at 62 (NPR obituary)
In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens (Vanity Fair obituary - Hitchens was a Vanity Fair editor and contributor)

The above photograph was taken by Andrew Rusk, and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license

Jane Austen's 236th Birthday - Dec. 16

Jane Austen was born 236 years ago on December 16, 1775 in Steventon, England. She died on July 18, 1817 at age 41 in Winchester, England. She is one of the most widely read writers in English literature.

A news article published in November 2011 revealed that Jane Austen might have died of arsenic poisoning. Arsenic was a common ingredient in medicines of the time.

Jane Austen's works in our library collection

Audio Recordings of her books on CD and tape

Movie Adaptations of her books on DVD

Books and films about Jane Austen and her works

Jane Austen Read-alikes

Newer book acquisitions of interest to fans of Jane Austen (click on the cover for link to the online catalog)

New Nonfiction DVDs - Arts

We added the following titles to our collection of DVDs in the 700s. You will find them in the media room, in the nonfiction DVD collection arranged by Dewey Decimal Number. Links are provided to our online catalog.

Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies.
Produced by Arne Glimcher, Robert Greenhut, Martin Scorsese ; directed by Arne Glimcher.
Explores the influence of technological innovations, particularly cinema, on artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Features: three short films: Slippery Jim (1910), The great train robbery (1903), Frankenstein (1910).




Paris: Luminous Years.
Written, directed and produced by Perry Miller Adato.
Examines the role of the city of Paris in the Modernist art movement, and the people who came there from all over the world.

Building the Great Cathedrals. Written and produced by Gary Glassman ; produced and directed by Scott Tiffany.
Carved from a hundred million pounds of stone, soaring effortlessly atop a spiderweb of masonry, Gothic cathedrals are marvels of human achievement and artistry. But how did medieval builders reach such spectacular heights? Consuming the labor of entire towns, sometimes taking a hundred years to build, these architectural marvels were crafted from just hand tools and stone. Many now teeter on the brink of catastrophic collapse.

Hermitage Masterpieces.

A tour of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, one of the oldest and largest museum of the world which was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great. This digitally re-mastered series includes images and rarely seen treasures that represent the development of world culture and art from Ancient China to the 20th century. The Hermitage is home to 3 million masterpieces.

Every Picture Tells a Story.
produced by Mike Lerner ; directed by James Bluemel.
Profiles the the creations and legacies of eight masterpieces of Western art. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews by Gainsborough -- The anatomy lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt -- Tempest by Giorgione -- The birth of Venus by Botticelli -- Boy bitten by a lizard by Caravaggio -- Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci -- Le dejeuner sur l'herbe by Manet -- The Arnolfini marriage by Van Eyck.

American Photography: a Century of Images.

Produced and directed by Muffie Meyer and Ellen Hovde.The story of the pictures we have taken and where they have taken us. The series traces the profound effect photographs have had on American life-- influencing what we buy, how we dress, how we get the news, and in the matters of life and death, medicine, science, and war.

Art of the Western World.

Directed by Tony Cash. 3 DVDs.Explores the history of Western art from the classical ideals created by ancient Greeks to modern-day works. The classical ideal -- A white garment of churches : Romanesque and Gothic art -- The early Renaissance -- The high Renaissance -- Realms of light : the Baroque -- An age of reason, an age of passion -- A fresh view : Impressionism and post-Impressionism-- Into the 20th century -- In our own time.


Between the Folds: a film about finding inspiration in unexpected places.
Written, directed & produced by Vanessa Gould."Between the Folds chronicles the stories of ten fine artists and intrepid theoretical scientists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at hard-earned graduate degrees -- all to forge unconventional lives as modern-day paperfolders"--Production company's website.

Typeface.
Produced and directed by Justine NaganA look at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, WI which is considered the birthplace of graphic design.

Art & Copy.
Produced by Jimmy Greenway & Michael Nadeau ; directed by Doug Pray.A powerful film about advertising and inspiration. It reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time, people who've profoundly impacted our culture. Their work grabbed the attention of millions and truly moved them. The social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.


Craft in America: Family
Craft in America is a groundbreaking, comprehensive visual exploration of the history, vitality, and cultural significance of America's craft movement. Features Paul and Dante Marioni, Lisa Sorrelli, Philip and Matt Moulthrop, and Cliff and Holly Lee.



David Macaulay: Pyramid.
Based on the book by David Macaulay ; executive producer Ray Hubbard ; written by Mark Olshaker ; produced by Larry Klein and Mark Olshaker. Explore the process of building an ancient Egyptian pyramid and visit various historic sites and rare artifacts, including the mummy of Ramses II.