Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), best known for his novels Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, spent the final four years of his life on his estate near the village of Vailima in Samoa. Over the course of these years, he wrote 45 letters to his dear friend [...]
One hundred years ago this week, Harry Elkins Widener, Harvard class of 1907, wrote this letter to his friend and advisor Luther Livingston. He begins: “Just a few lines to tell you I am about make a quick trip to England. We sail on Wednesday at 1 a.m. on the Mauretania and return on April [...]
Our newest online exhibition examines two crucial figures in the history of the Harvard College Library, Harry Elkins Widener, and his mother Eleanor, who gave Harvard both Harry’s outstanding collection of books and manuscripts, and the library that memorializes him.
