The Libraries recently launched a new donation program, Adopt-a-Book.
Donors also might choose to make an unrestricted gift, and the Libraries will apply where it is needed the most. Acquisitions, conservation, digitization, exhibitions, and research initiatives all represent areas that could benefit from these donations. Any gift through the Adopt-a-book really does make a difference. Another way of adopting a book is by sponsoring a specific title, for which descriptions and images of the books are listed on the web site.
Smithsonian Libraries Adopt-a-Book program expands collections and preserves published masterpieces from previous centuries. When sponsoring an existing treasure, donors can take pride in knowing that they foster the mission of the Smithsonian ”to increase and diffuse knowledge.” Or they can exult in the fact that support will flow to our expert conservation team, who work tirelessly to repair damage and prevent the onset of deterioration that threatens the life spans of our rare, priceless volumes.
—Lilla Vekerdy
Featured item: All the world’s birds: Buffon’s Illustrated natural history general and particular of birds
By George Buffon & François Martinet, with a forward by David Sibley. New York: Rizzoli, 2008. Originally published from 1749 to 1778, Buffon’s Histoire naturelle générale et particulière included 9 volumes on birds, which were re-issued separately with superb hand-colored engravings by Martinet. The Cullman Library holds the complete original work by Buffon and a complete set of Martinet’s illustrations (without the text). This book reproduces all 1008 plates, providing modern scientific names and English translations from Buffon’s text.
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