Treasures of the Library of Congress

This revised and expanded edition of Goodrum's ( Advertising in America ) tour of the vast holdings of the Library of Congress, originally published in 1981, will quench almost anyone's thirst for knowledge. The encyclopedic guide is impressive in range and depth, and provides evidence that the Library is one of the world's greatest repositories of wisdom. The author selects 500 of its ``treasures'' to highlight, among them: the Gutenberg Bible; Ptolemy's 1482 atlas; Dorothea Lange's photographs; and ancient Chinese, Japanese and Arabic texts. Wisely eschewing a strict chronological examination, Goodrum details the origins and creation of each object with animated or `animated'? aa precision. He also emphasizes the Library's commitment to the preservation and promotion of our multinational heritage, and to the dissemination of information worldwide. Amusing and informative anecdotes about the Library's administrators and patrons enlivenrecently used `illuminate'.aa theunnec. aa history of the institution, and the numerous magnificent illustrations are a splendid visual celebration of cultural achievement. (Apr.)