Library or Museum?

I stopped in the City yesterday on my way to a hockey game. I heard the New York Public Library has a museum-like exhibition of historical documents and I wanted to see it in person.

Wow! Imagine being personally close to treasures from antiquity to modern times. Like 5,000 year old cuneiforms, Beethoven's draft of a symphony, Thomas Jefferson's handwritten Declaration of Independence, Karl Marx's handwritten "Das Kapital" and Bob Dylan's song lyrics. The collection is startling in its breadth. Honestly I didn't know the Public Library possessed such artifacts. The exhibition is free to see.

P.S., The Devils won in a shoot-out (2-1)!

P.P.S., Mourning the loss of Mamouns from Long Island, I stopped in at a NYC location to enjoy their incomparable falafel sandwich. New York has great stuff if you know where to look. :)

Beethoven's Music

Cuneiforms from Mesopotamia

Illustration from "The Wizard of Oz"

Thomas Jefferson's handwritten Declaration of Independence

Umbrella owned by the author of "Mary Poppins"

Bob Dylan's song lyrics

Photograph by Diane Arbus

Charles Dickens' writing desk, chair & lamp

Oscar Wilde's handwritten book-draft

James Baldwin's open letter to Angela Davis

Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities"