The University of Texas at Austin and the Harry Ransom Center continue to prioritize the health and safety of our community, and we remain temporarily closed to the public at this time. Re-opening will be announced in accordance with the university and with proper safety measures in place to protect our valued community. [Read more…] about Ransom Center closed temporarily
Articles
Gutenberg’s Blanks
Even with a print run of fewer than 200 copies, the Gutenberg Bible was a major undertaking. A complete copy, like the Ransom Center’s, includes 1,277 large pages that have text printed on them. Each full page required that approximately 2,500 individual pieces of metal type be set by hand, one at a time. And some pages had to be set twice, because Gutenberg decided to increase the Bible’s print run. With some rough multiplication, we end up with well over 3,000,000 times that someone had to pick up a piece of type and put it into a page forme and, then, after all copies of that page had been printed, take that piece of type out of the page forme and put it back so it could be used again. I think we’d all agree that that’s a lot of work.
Flash Fiction Collection established at the Ransom Center
More than 250 books and journals were recently donated to establish a Flash Fiction Collection at the Harry Ransom Center. The collection includes anthologies, journals, chapbooks, single-author collections, and books about the writing of flash fiction. [Read more…] about Flash Fiction Collection established at the Ransom Center
For the Walls of America: Prints from Associated American Artists
In 1934, publicist Reeves Lewenthal called together a group of 23 American artists to discuss his innovative plan for distributing art to the American public. [Read more…] about For the Walls of America: Prints from Associated American Artists
Modified research services offered remotely
The Harry Ransom Center continues to monitor the local and global developments related to COVID-19, as well as changes in university guidelines.
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Picturing the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries
The Ransom Center’s Spring 2020 Stories to Tell exhibition features some of the earliest printed examples of illustrated English plays. [Read more…] about Picturing the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries