The second annual LitFest Pasadena takes place this Saturday, May 11, at Pasadena’s Central Park. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., you can catch readings, performances, and panel discussions from more than 75 authors, storytellers, performers, and exhibitors. The local event puts the emphasis on local, with panels on surfing … Continue reading
Category Archives: Beyond The H
And the Oscar Went to…
Winners of the Pulitzer Prize might walk the halls of the Huntington Library, but come February the only awards that matter are the Oscars. Luckily, The Huntington has one in its collections. In 1956, Sonya Levien won an Oscar, along with William Ludwig, for Writing (Story & Screenplay)—an award that’s … Continue reading
Be Mine, M’Lady
Bates and Anna. Matthew and Lady Mary. Lady Edith and Sir Anthony. Lord and Lady Grantham. If you are a fan of the British television series “Downton Abbey” you know that all is not fair in love. So far this season we have had a newlywed husband languishing in prison, … Continue reading
Historical Moments Past and Present
Today Barack Obama will be sworn in for his second term as president of the United States, although the public ceremony and inaugural speech won’t take place until Monday. In today’s New York Times, historian Ronald C. White Jr. explains why second inaugural addresses often fall flat, albeit with one … Continue reading
The Untold Stories of Ed Edelman
This Sunday at 5 p.m., PBS SoCal will air the documentary “The Passion and Politics of Ed Edelman: An Untold Story of Leadership in Los Angeles.” Edmund D. Edelman retired in 1994 after a 30-year career in Los Angeles politics, first as a city councilman and then as county supervisor … Continue reading
Yours, W Short
It wasn’t an “Aha!” moment but rather one of the many “Hmmm” moments most scholars come across on a daily basis. And this one was dated Dec. 26, 1795. A couple years ago, in Huntington Frontiers magazine, I told a story about the “Aha!” moment. In my article, “Surveying the … Continue reading
Maynard L. Parker’s American Dream
“Maynard L. Parker (1900–1976) built a career making residential spaces look their alluring best,” says Jennifer A. Watts on the jacket copy of the new book that she edited about the acclaimed architectural photographer. Maynard L. Parker: Modern Photography and the American Dream is a sumptuous volume, replete with hundreds … Continue reading
AUDIO | The Work of Death
Historian Drew Gilpin Faust, president of Harvard University and author of This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, spoke at The Huntington last night about Ric Burns’ adaptation of her book into the new PBS documentary “Death and the Civil War.” You can download her talk from The … Continue reading
A Huntington President and a Scholar
Last weekend, Huntington President Steve Koblik was among the 220 honorees who were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The ceremony, held in Cambridge, Mass., continued a tradition dating back to 1780 of recognizing some of the world’s most accomplished scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and civic, corporate, … Continue reading
The Drew Gilpin Faust Effect
Tuesday night, PBS will premiere “Death and the Civil War,” an installment of “American Experience” produced by Ric Burns and inspired by the 2008 book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, by Drew Gilpin Faust. The broadcast coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, … Continue reading