The Library will be closed on Thursday, November 28 & Friday, November 29, 2024, in observance of Thanksgiving.

rare books department

Collage of various promotional brochures, workshops, and art created at The Woman's Building
Art Department, June 04, 2024

In 1970, "Art and Technology," a group exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), had no women artists included.


Sample pages from VVV, 246 Little Clouds, The Four Suits, and Every Building on the Sunset Strip
Art Department, May 22, 2024

In this installment of book treasures in our Special Collections, we will be looking at broadly distributed multiples: materials that are expressive with experimentation similar in energy to a modern-day zine.


Works by Wassily Kandinsky, Henri Matisse and Salvador Dalí
Art Department, May 08, 2024

In continuing the exploration of the history of the book through the holdings of Los Angeles Public Library’s Special Collections, this installment will cover the fine printing in paper form of artworks by famous artists.


William Blake's Visions of the Daughters of Albion, woodcut image from the Kelmscott Press and "The Tyger" from Songs of Experience
Art Department, May 02, 2024

In continuing the exploration of the history of the book through the holdings of Los Angeles Public Library’s Special Collections, this installment will cover three notable publishers of books: William Blake and his self-published books, Kelmscott Press (1891 – 1898) and Doves Press (1900 – 1916).


Close-up of a single page of the Gutenberg Bible, 1456
Vi Thục Hà, April 25, 2024

In this ongoing year-long exploration of the book that includes workshops, exhibits, video interviews, demos and more, there should be an exploration of the artistry of the book within the exemplary holdings of the Central Library, specifically focusing on the treasures in the Los Angeles Public Library's


In the Rare Books room, rare books are set on top a white cloth over a table for a preview.
Juan Avalos, October 12, 2022

There is something special about visiting the library and losing yourself in a good book. It can become more special when you find a surprise inside that book. An item meant to be forgotten, found again and given new meaning.


Joyce with Sylvia Beach at 12 rue de l’Odéon - 1922 known by the “Scandal of Ulysses” poster. unknown photographer; source: The Poetry Collection of the University Libraries, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Ani Boyadjian, June 14, 2022

June 16 marks Bloomsday, a day of celebration in honor of Irish writer James Joyce’s seminal novel Ulysses (1922).


Medieval Manuscript
Emma Roberts, February 15, 2013

Many visitors to Central Library are curious to know what the oldest book in our collection might be. In recent months we have been fortunate enough to find out a great deal of new information about a very special item in our Rare Books collection.


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