NYPL Blogs

May 27th is Memorial Day. Did you know that this U.S. federal holiday goes as far back as the American Civil War in the 1860s?

Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, occurs ever year on the last Monday of the month of May and is the day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Horse reproduction! I never thought that I would learn so much about this subject by reading a book about wild horse scientists, but I guess that it makes sense. After all, managing the numbers of wild horses on islands, especially publicly protected land in which predators are few and far between, is a challenge.

What is Steampunk? For a way to explain a fantasy subgenre, Steampunk is not very descriptive. According to The Steampunk Bible (2011), it can be explained most easily by this equation:

Steampunk = Mad Scientist Inventor [invention (steam x airship or metal man/ baroque stylings) x (pseudo) Victorian (or Edwardian) settings] + progressive or reactionary politics x adventure plot. (p. 9)

Every spring, the NYC Teen Author Festival takes place at various locations around the city, including bookstores and NYPL locations. Teens, authors, librarians, and anyone interested in teen literature can attend for free and participate in the exchange of ideas about teen literature.

"You're not going to homeschool for high school are you? How can you possibly teach all those subjects?"

I guess my husband's friend had no idea how insulting his comments were, but they made me laugh. Of course you can homeschool through high school if you have a plan! We've been homeschooling our son since 4th grade using the resources here at NYPL, why would we stop now just because he's headed to high school? Our friend's comments reminded me that it was time to start doing some research and planning to map out the next few years of our son's education.

Struwwelpeter is a children's book that has been endlessly imitated and retold, while providing the inspiration for countless parodies.

Struwwelpeter, pronounced Strool'vel-pay-ter, is a collection of cruel and frightening stories written and illustrated by Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann in 1844. Wanting to buy his three-year son a book for Christmas and dissatisfied with what was available, he wrote his own. His friends persuaded him to publish it. The five stories, illustrated and in verse, appeared in 1845 under the title, Lustige Geschichten und drollige Bilder (Merry Stories and Funny Pictures). The New York Public Library has one of the four known existing copies 

Here is a selection of books new to The New York Times list of Business Best Sellers published in the Business Section print edition Sunday, May 5. Plus, a quick look at the Nielsen BookScan in the May 4 and 11 editions of The Wall Street Journal shows some titles new to this column. Enjoy!

Where in the world are you reading about? Fiction finds its settings in all corners of the world (and some places only imagined in our minds) but there's something special about fiction set in a familiar city or neighborhood. Let's take a trip out of Manhattan for now, and into the lively borough of Brooklyn! This is one of the most storied areas that make up New York City.

You are what you eat is the common adage, but What you eat describes who you are is more appropriate for circa 1960s Madison Avenue and New York City.

The power lunch. Two-for-one happy hour. The business dinner. A sandwich from the corner diner. Scotch at 11am.

Food and drink play an important role in Mad Men.

Mayo es el Mes de Los Libros Latinos y ¡Ajá, Leyendo!. Vamos a celebrar a nuestros escritores y sus historias con esta breve selección de temas de ficción y no ficción recientemente adquiridos y a dejar que nos atrapen ¡Ajá! ¡Leyendo!

For the week of May 12th, 2013 we have hardcover fiction, hardcover non-fiction, and children's picture books.

I know the danger of first impressions. And of reportage on the basis of superficial knowledge. But when something newsworthy comes along, caution must yield in the moment. So, permit me to introduce you to NYPL's newest marketing research electronic resource: IBISWorld.

When the librarian told the kids that the library was slated to close because it was in a state of disrepair, the kids brainstormed about how to help the library. In fact, at each step of the way, not surprisingly, they read books to educate themselves about the logistics of their ideas and to flesh them out.

Have your own books, papers, and photographs seen better days? Or do you simply wonder how you can best take care of these things so they last as long as they can? The New York Public Library can help!

With my hand, I touch the outside, or contour, of a small ceramic jug, a container for cream. I slowly trace the curve of the rim, continuing to the pointed lip. I put down the jug, and pick up a piece of charcoal or a soft pastel. I draw round curves, recreating what I see in my mind's eye, moving my hand across the paper, keeping pace with my inner vision.

At Jefferson Market Library, our 10 week drawing course for adults 55+ is drawing to a close, and we are gearing up to host an event celebrating the artists who have participated.

We will be showcasing all of the work that the students have created, on Friday May 17th from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. in our first floor auditorium. Please join us to see what has been created by the class, and have some refreshments! Additionally, we will be exhibiting some of the artwork from the course in the library's second floor reading room throughout the month of June.

For this month's Reader's Den, we'll be hosting an online book discussion of Will Eisner's The Contract With God Trilogy: Life on Dropsie Aveue. This is only the second time we have featured a graphic novel (the first was Joe Sacco's Palestine in October 2010).

An estimated one in five adult Americans is living with a mental health problem, according to a recent survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Yet less than 50 percent of adults and children with diagnosable conditions receive treatment—not because it’s unavailable, but due instead to a lack of information about where to find mental health resources in local communities and due to the stigma that is often still associated with mental illness.

This book is the story of a song written by Florence Reece in 1931. Florence's son tells how his father is a miner, their family resides in a company house, and his father gets paid in money that is only good at the company store.

The boy's father says that this is why they need a union. The workers ask for better wages, but if they do not get them, they sometimes strike, or refuse to work until they get better working and living conditions.