The Zohar (aka Sefer Ha-Zohar, or "Book of Radiance") is considered the key religious text of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. It is a collection of commentaries on the esoteric aspects of the Torah…
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a bookmaking revival in the greater Boston/New York area, and Bertram Goodhue was thoroughly involved, influential, and supportive. He designed for…
Architect Bertram G. Goodhue (1869-1924) was a gifted and multi-faceted artist. He began drawing as a young child, first with pen and pencil and later with watercolors. He decorated school papers with…
Once upon a time, Broadway was the Great White Way of the West. A high concentration of theaters populating the stretch of Downtown between 3rd and Olympic rendered it an epicenter for film and live…
LGBT Pride Month gives us an opportunity to discover a fascinating character from the early days of French opera. The life of Julie d'Aubigny (1670-1707) became a subject of interest at a time when…
As we observe Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at Los Angeles Public Library, this is a good occasion to look at some of the interesting examples of Japanese cinema available to our patrons…
To celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at the Los Angeles Public Library, we have occasion to show off one of the greatest pictorial maps ever created: The Pageant of the Pacific by the…
For 50 years, nationally recognized architect Norman Pfeiffer has applied creativity, innovation, and technical proficiency to an impressive portfolio of outstanding renovations and additions to…
A highlight of our docent tours is Ann Preston's Illuminations, a series of lanterns that descend the southern escalator landings of the Tom Bradley Wing. Each lamp is 13.5' tall, and contains lights…
March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a global celebration that has taken place yearly since the early 1900s. IWD celebrates women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and…
“You do what you think is right and let the law catch up”—Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967. On his way to serving on the high…
2017 marks the hundredth anniversary of the death, at the age of 49, of Scott Joplin, one of America's first great composers, and the composer of arguably the first important American opera…
What are "air rights," and why are they important to Los Angeles's iconic Central Library building? The short answer is that without the funds the City received for the sale of the development rights…
I love taking tours through the old children’s room in the Central Library because it’s the only place in the building where one can stand close enough to the ceiling to see how artist Julian Garnsey…
