Harvard University’s Houghton Library houses more than 500,000 books, manuscripts, letters, photographs, and other ephemeral materials spanning centuries, capturing the breadth of the human experience. And every year, the collection grows even larger.

To showcase some of these new acquisitions, Houghton curators have organized an exhibition in the library’s lobby that showcases 10 of the library’s current collections.

“We acquire a tremendous amount of material that year,” said Matthew Wittman, curator of the Harvard Theater Collection at Houghton, who helped prepare the exhibit. “So I think what’s really helpful about the exhibitions that we have on a regular basis is to give our visitors, students and faculty a concise way to understand the wide range of material that we collect.”

An exhibition of newly acquired works, On display until the end of Aprilincludes novels from Sylvia Plath’s bookshelf, religious texts, letters from Japanese concentration camps, and more.

Ancient translations of the Bible and Apocrypha from Greek to Georgian

Curators say this is probably the most unusual piece on display as part of the new acquisition exhibit.

This book was created as part of a program initiated by Prince Bakal Batnishvili to promote the use of the language in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

It is one of the few complete copies to survive Russia’s annexation of parts of the country in the 19th century and subsequent repression by Russian Orthodox authorities. Much of the Bible was lost in the 1812 fire that destroyed Moscow during Napoleon’s invasion.

Curators note that this is not the first time the Bible has been displayed at Harvard’s library. It was deposited in 1920 by its then owner, Professor Robert Pierpont Blake, and returned to the collection when he retired.

Sylvia Plath’s copy of Thomas Hardy’s “Far From the Madding Crowd”

Sylvia Plath probably read Far from the Madding Crowd in 1957 or 1958 while teaching first grade English at her alma mater, Smith College. Although she did not assign the text to her students, she was clearly impressed by it, writing in her diary in July 1957 that she found Hardy “an inspiring and very relatable person.”

Plath underlined passages on more than half the pages of Hardy’s novel. The text outside the margin reads: “Love is always miserable for a woman. I will never forgive the God who made me a woman. And I am beginning to pay for the honor of owning a beautiful face.”

She also left a note in the margin saying, “I am beginning to glimpse my destiny.”

Plath suffered from depression, had a tumultuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes, and had two children. She committed suicide at the age of 30.

She published only two books during her lifetime: the poetry collection The Colossus and the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar. Several more books were published posthumously, including The Collected Poems, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982.

The Houghton Library recently acquired several Plath books, including a rare first edition of The Bell Jar and an annotated reading list for second-year English students at Smith College.

“El Indio”

Diego Rivera is best known for his large-scale murals that helped shape the Mexican and international art scene for more than 30 years. However, he also worked as an illustrator for commercial books. This is an exploration of small-scale illustration that is often overlooked.

Currently in the Houghton Library’s collection is an English translation of Mexican novelist Gregorio López y Fuentes’ El Indio, featuring illustrations by Rivera.

El Indio, which criticized the violence of capitalism in early 20th century Mexico, was the first recipient of the Premier’s National Literary Award in 1935.

The story centers on the search for gold and the exploitation of the indigenous people, and Rivera’s illustrations depict the violence and bravery of El Indio’s characters through simple, bold line drawings.

medieval french prayer book

Created between 1475 and 1500, this prayer book serves as both a snapshot of late medieval life for a literate middle-class woman and a time capsule for a long line of French bourgeoisie.

This prayer is likely dedicated to Leonardo Bernacier, the wife of a notary from central France, and explores the recurring themes of pregnancy and motherhood. Here is a passage.

“Fe(m)me grosse qui veult enfenter Tienne la sur soy Tantost e(n)fentera sans peril de Son corps…” [the prayer] On her own, she will give birth without any danger to her body … “)

Preserved as a family keepsake, this book records the births and marriages of the Bernassier family up to the end of the 18th century.

Leaf of Faith depicting the eagle of St. Augustine, St. John and St. Bridget

Such devotional illustrations were commonly sold to pilgrims visiting holy sites during the Incurable Era (1450-1500) as a way for religious communities to generate income.

According to Kelly Bullard, assistant curator of printing and graphic arts at Houghton College, “The presence of this feminine saint indicates a female religious institution, likely the site of leaf production, where manuscripts and early print production intermingled to create printed, hand-colored, and illuminated religious keepsakes.”

The accompanying legend says: “Die verholentheiden zyn den arent ghoopenbaert wele hy St. Augustin heeft verclaert” (“What is hidden is the hope of the eagle, declared by St. Augustine.”). The banderole (ribbon scroll) reads “S. Johan(n)es eva(n)ge(lista)” and “S. Augustinius ep(iscop)us”.

“Auto Vole”

Diane de Bournazel is a French painter, printmaker, and book illustrator who uses drawing, painting, paper cutting, and collage to create what she calls “wordless poetry.”

Houghton recently acquired a copy of the artist’s book “Haute Volée,” which will be published in 2022. This roughly translates to “high-flying” or “luxury.” The image includes distinctive human and non-human figures, along with folklore patterns and bold color blocks.

Molly Schwartzberg, curator of print and graphic arts at Philipp Hofer, said she hopes viewers will “find the message they’re looking for in the puzzling images.”

Memories of the Chinese Theater in San Francisco

British actor Leonard Shepard toured the United States three times between 1904 and 1909, during which time he kept two diaries.

These diaries contain not only handwritten accounts but also striking photographs and vivid watercolor sketches, some of which provide a rare record of San Francisco’s Chinese theater, which began to emerge in the 19th century.

Shepard was a rare tourist at San Francisco’s Chinese Theater, home to America’s first Chinatown district, which is primarily enjoyed by the immigrant community. His diary provides valuable historical insight into the operation of the theater before it was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed much of the city.

Records of influential Kabuki actors Meiji Kabukiza Spring Programs

Among the new acquisitions are records of Otojiro Kawakami and Sadakko’s first Western tour from 1899 to 1900.

Illustrated versions of Kawakami and Sadakko’s performances have English captions to help Western audiences understand the highly stylized drama, which has music but no dialogue.

We also received a new program poster from Kabuki-za, Japan’s national theater, advertising its Spring 1892 performance.

Princess White Deer Chromolithograph Poster

Esther Louise Georgette Deere (1891-1992), known as Princess White Deere, was a performer and activist of Kanien’kehaka descent who gained fame in popular shows during the 19th century Wild West.

The posters on display in the Houghton exhibit are part of a large temporary collection documenting the performances of the Deere family, known for their shows that combine trick horseback riding, dancing, and singing with romantic paintings depicting Native Americans on the American frontier.

Esther Dear continued to reject the performance aspects of the Dear family in her solo career, creating work that blends Native American traditions with contemporary dance forms.

She went on to star in Ziegfeld Follies and on Broadway, and used her cross-cultural fame to become a leading advocate for Native American civil rights.

Wartime documents of the Uenishi family

Mariagnes Aya Ouenisi Medordo (1925-2016) was a schoolteacher and community leader in Colorado who spent several years in U.S. concentration camps in Washington and Idaho.

Her paper helps shed light on the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II, including those of Meddle’s mother, Kane, and her sister, Hope, and brother, Roy, who were imprisoned with her.

Horton also obtained a letter from Medrud’s father, Kozo. Kozo was a community leader who was arrested by the FBI as an enemy of the state and held apart from his family in a series of prisoner-of-war camps.

Mitch Nakaue, interim associate librarian for academic and public programs, said the acquisition included four letters from Kozo to his wife and one letter in English to Roy, in which he assured him that “everything is fine, there’s no need to worry, and that he will continue to improve himself.”

Medordo and his parents petitioned the government for two years to be released, and were finally reunited. She later became an outspoken anti-war activist.