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Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was one of the most celebrated designers at the turn of the 20th century, known for his metal and glass work. But Tiffany was also a notable artist, who created beautiful drawings and paintings as well as three-dimensional works. This richly illustrated biographical account features the portraits and landscapes Tiffany painted as he traveled the world. It includes drawings and photographs relating to every aspect of his artistic career, from stained glass and jewelry to vases and textiles.

In 2001, British artist Jeremy Deller received a residency from the CCAC Wattis Institute in San Francisco. He applied his honorarium toward a used Jeep and five acres of land in the Mojave Desert for $2000, thereby staking his own claim upon the Golden State. His fellowship resulted in an unorthodox but compelling guidebook tracing California’s history from the 19th century mining boom to the post-dot-com recession, as found along its dusty highways and in its roadside museums.

Joseph H. Hirshhorn, founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, was an avid collector and supporter of Picasso. The two became friends after being introduced by photographer Edward Steichen. The Hirshorn Library’s copy of Picasso, by art critic Jean Cassou, is inscribed in ink by Picasso on the half-title, “Pour Joe Hirshhorn, son ami Picasso, le 25-7-69,” and includes a full-page original Picasso sketch of a bearded man with curly hair and a wavy hat.

Joseph H. Hirshhorn, founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, was an avid collector and supporter of Picasso. The two became friends after being introduced by photographer Edward Steichen. The original dark purple cloth publisher's binding of this monograph is embossed with a gold gilt facsimile of Picasso’s signature.

From the National Air and Space Museum Library's rare book collection, this 1953 classic is another publication from the Golden Book series on aviation for young readers. It was given to the Smithsonian’s National Air Museum (as it was called then) in 1957 by Paul Garber, the first curator of aeronautics for the Smithsonian. It is filled with aircraft illustrations, flight history, and biographies of well-known aviators of the period. Due to its age and paper quality, it is in need of some preservation treatment.  

"Droning a drowsy syncopated tune; Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon..." 

This book captures the colorful spirit of the American West in its history and quirks. Included are songs and stories, charts of brands used to mark cattle, and sketches of the boom and bust of the Old West. In one chapter, the author informs us that the Westerner left his names casually and naturally on the land and on each other, without ostentation. This led to names like Jerked Beef Butte or Rattlesnake Basin in Arizona, or nicknames for fellow cowboys like Crooked-Nose Pete and Three-Fingered Smith.