Special Collections
What is an artist’s book?
Can I douse you in salad dressing? Ed Ruscha’s Artists’ Books

“If there is any facet of my work that I feel was kissed by angels, I’d say it was my books.
X-Ray Magazine: Mail Art or Artists’ Book?
Artists’ Books at AA/PG: Kara Walker’s Pop-up
Interview with book artist Robin Price
Nobody ever dies of it: The artists’ books of Ida Applebroog
Featuring Artists’ Books in a Museum’s Collection
Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair Tour
Lines and Lines and Points: Artists’ Books by Sol LeWitt
Recently added artists’ book at the AA/PG Library
Political messages in Artists’ books
Clouds come to the American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library
Jeremy Deller’s Artists’ Book “After the Gold Rush”
Books as Art?
This post was written by Lilla Vekerdy, Head of Special Collections.
The Smithsonian Libraries Artists’ Books Collection Online
The Smithsonian Libraries is pleased to announce the new webpage of the Smithsonian Libraries Artists’ Books Collection!
From Charlie Parker to Potato Chip Portraits: Exhibition of Recently Acquired Artists’ Books
The Smithsonian American Art and Portrait Gallery (AA/PG) Library is pleased to present an exhibition of some of its recently acquired artists’ books in th
A Carousel Holiday Decoration
The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Library has nearly 2,000 movable and pop-up books, that are made with a variety of paper construction types and mechanisms that control the movement of the action on the pages. One type of movable book form is a carousel book. A carousel looks like an ordinary flat two dimensional book, but when opened, it unfolds into a 360 degree circle when stood upright.
Artists’ Books and Earth Optimism: A Conservation Conversation
Significant Collection of Arion Press Publications Comes to Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Turning a Quarantine Into a Journey With Xavier de Maistre
A Christmas Carol Imagined by Arion Press and Ida Applebroog
The Hewitt Sisters’ Diaries: Conservation and Digitization Behind-the-Scenes
This post was written by Katie Wagner, Senior Book Conservator, David Holbert, Digital Imaging Specialist, and Jacqueline E. Chapman, Head, Digital Library and Digitization. Learn more about the diaries of the Hewitt Sisters in a previous post by Jennifer Cohlman Bracchi.
Turning a Quarantine Into a Journey With Xavier de Maistre
The Long Life of a Dead Rhinoceros
Significant Collection of Arion Press Publications Comes to Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Digital Jigsaw Puzzles: National Library Week 2022
To celebrate National Library Week and a new spring season, we’ve put together another round of digital jigsaw puzzles. This time we’re featuring a variety of soothing natural history-related scenes.
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Opens “Nature of the Book”
Join us for a virtual tour on Tuesday, November 15th!
The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives presents a new exhibition, “Nature of the Book,” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History November 11. “Nature of the Book” will be on display through March 17, 2024.
Digital Jigsaw Puzzles: Holiday 2022 Edition
We’re celebrating new publications, exciting exhibitions, and the festive holiday season with another round of digital jigsaw puzzles. This collection of images highlights a few winter favorites as well as recent Smithsonian Libraries and Archives projects.
Play them right here on our blog or use the links to play full screen. Each puzzle is set to be 100 pieces but they are customizable to any skill set. Click the grid icon in the center to adjust the number of pieces.
When Middle East Met West
The Smithsonian Libraries and Archives exhibition, Nature of the Book, looks at the natural materials and evolving techniques in bookbinding from 1450-1850 as illustrated by our collections.
Fun with Euclid
Oliver Byrne, in the introduction to his The First Six Books of the Elements of Euclid of 1847, states that “the Elements of Euclid can be acquired in less than one third the time usually employed, and the