Word: rare
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Some of the rare book collections are highly sought by researchers, and in many cases represent some of the only remaining prints. Security measures vary in effectiveness, but curators are reluctant to discuss that aspect of their job. "It's hard to keep track of two million books," one curator notes...
Though Harvard undergraduates are not frequent patrons of most of these collections, rare book aficionados can find out about Harvard's assemblage through catalogues circulated around the world. However, most do not have regular circulation. Only some professors and specialists in particular fields can touch these treasures...
Houghton Library, the granddaddy of Harvard's rare book libraries, contains one of the world's most extensive collections--over 450,000 volumes. According to Hugh Amory '52, a curator at Houghton, the library collects any book printed before 1601, English books before 1701, and North American books printed prior...
...voluminous is Houghton's assemblage of rare books that most of the prizes remain on the shelves, cloistered in special humidity controlled rooms away from scholars and students alike. One example of the diverse collection is the library's copy of a book written by James Monroe in 1797 which criticizes the first presidential administration. A personal copy belonging to George Washington, the book contains Washington's rebuttal of Monroe's arguments in the margins of the pages...
Like Houghton, the Kress Library is humidity controlled with special temperature gauges for the preservation of the Business School's rare books. Like Houghton, this library is one of the world's most famous, although it is seldom appreciated, and security is tight at Kress as well...