Studs Terkel at the Bughouse Square Debates, 1975
"The Myriopticon: Historic Panorama: The Rebellion," a toy theater containing 22 colored illustrations of the U.S. Civil War and one of the first products created by American manufacturer Milton Bradley
Route of the Mormon Pioneers from Nauvoo to Great Salt Lake, February 1846 - July 1847
Studs Terkel at the Bughouse Square Debates, 1975
Studs Terkel at the Bughouse Square Debates, 1975

May 16 marks the 100th anniversary of Studs Terkel’s birth, and an occasion to memorialize one of the most prolific writers and cultural critics in the history of Chicago letters.

"The Myriopticon: Historic Panorama: The Rebellion," a toy theater containing 22 colored illustrations of the U.S. Civil War and one of the first products created by American manufacturer Milton Bradley
"The Myriopticon: Historic Panorama: The Rebellion," a toy theater containing 22 colored illustrations of the U.S. Civil War and one of the first products created by American manufacturer Milton Bradley

The Newberry is pleased to be one of the collaborating cultural institutions on a new website: “The Civil War in Art: Teaching and Learning Through Chicago Collections.” An educational tool designed primarily for students and teachers in grades 6 – 12, the site features 128 high-resolution images from the Terra Foundation for American Art and its partners: the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago History Museum, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Public Schools, DuSable Museum of African American History, and the Newberry’s Professional Development Programs for Teachers.

Route of the Mormon Pioneers from Nauvoo to Great Salt Lake, February 1846 - July 1847
Route of the Mormon Pioneers from Nauvoo to Great Salt Lake, February 1846 - July 1847
Friday 3/30 to Saturday 7/7

When Chicago steel magnate Everett D. Graff walked into Wright Howes’ bookshop on Michigan Avenue in the 1920s he sparked one of the most important friendships in the book world. Their four-decade partnership, which included cross-country road trips in search of books, manuscripts, and maps, resulted in a world-class American history collection, which Graff donated to the Newberry in 1964.

The Newberry in October proudly announced the launch of the Campaign for Tomorrow’s Newberry to its family, supporters, and the general public. Co-Chaired by Roger Baskes, Vicki Herget, and Sandy McNally, the campaign seeks to raise $25 million to enhance the library’s collections, services, and facilities.

Core Collections

Gaylord Watson, Chicago Fire Map. 1871.

Chicago and the Midwest

The collections contain extensive materials on the history of Chicago and the Midwest, including its growth, politics, and eclectic inhabitants.

American History and Culture

The Newberry has deep collections reflecting the breadth of American history and culture through World War One.

Manuel Rodriguez. Compendio Geografico, c. 1768.

Genealogy and Local History

The Newberry has been actively collecting genealogy and local history materials since 1887.

An illustration from "Compositione di meser Vincenzo Capirola"

Music

The Newberry collects on western European music to the early 20th century, American music to the mid-20th, and on musical life in Chicago.

Recent Acquisitions

The child’s companion and juvenile instructor

The Religious Tract Society was founded in 1799 as a publisher that issued religious tracts throughout England. Its aim was to promote literacy, religion, and appropriate behavior among the “lower classes.” The Society soon added material for children to its publication list, reprinting tracts by Hannah More and other 18th-century writers who composed works for young readers. This early juvenile periodical was issued monthly from 1846 to 1921 and contained stories with a heavy dose of moral instruction along with attractive woodcuts.

Jean Calvin’s Institutes

This is the first edition printed in England of Jean Calvin’s Institutes in the original Latin. In its earliest recension, the Institutes were published in Basel in 1536; the first English-languge edition was printed in London in 1561. Our copy has been copiously annotated by an anonymous sixteenth-century reader. Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century books with contemporary reader notes are by virtue of our online catalog easily retrievable. The Newberry has a number of sixteenth-century editions of Calvin’s Institutes with similar annotations.