Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library

Interim Location Closing

The Washingtoniana interim location will be closed as of Tuesday, April 7, 2020 in preparation for the move back to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

• Adults

"Those Who Do Not Remember the Past...."

Nonfiction on forgotten or obscure American history

You’ve probably heard the George Santayana quote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Or maybe you’ve heard it as, “Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it.” The following recommendations are focused on the history of the United States and include forgotten history, obscure stories, and potentially niche but fascinating historical facts. From the whitewashing of the American wild west to the creation of the United States Postal Service, every book here is about history you may not have learned in school.  

• Annclaire L.
• History
• Nonfiction

Mr. DeMille, I’m Ready for My Close-Up

Classic Hollywood nonfiction and biographies

Classic Hollywood: an era in American cinema that stretched from the 1910s to the 1960s and influenced film world-wide. Countless books have been written about the era. Some focus on actors, often describing their lives and experiences in their own words; or on specific films; and others on scandals that rocked the industry. Some examine how society and government, such as the Hays Code and the Red Scare, influenced Hollywood. Still others look at women’s roles within the industry.

• Annclaire L.
• Nonfiction

New Collection Acquired: The Underground

Special Collections recently acquired the Underground (which became the Washington Independent) newspaper collection from Francesco DiBaggio, the son of the newspaper’s creator — writer and journalist, Thomas DiBaggio. The paper, which was hand-distributed on the American University campus, was unique for its "free range" criticism, offering a variety of perspectives within its pages.

• Adults
• D.C. History