Pierpont Morgan Library, originally the private library of J. Pierpont Morgan, in 1924 made a public institution by his son J. P. Morgan as a memorial to his father (see Morgan, family). The library is privately supported; it is located at Madison Ave. and 36th St., New York City. It consists of the original Beaux-Arts building (1906) designed by McKim, Mead & White, a 1928 annex, and a modern addition (2006) designed by Renzo Piano. The library is especially rich in illuminated manuscripts and in authors' manuscripts (including works by Dickens, Scott, and Balzac); the collection also includes, among many other riches, hundreds of Bibles in all languages, early printed books, outstanding Old Master prints and drawings, one of the largest collections of Aldine Press editions (see Aldus Manutius), and the only perfect copy of Malory's Morte d'Arthur printed by Caxton. The publications of the library include monographs, catalogs of collections and exhibits, reprints, and fascimiles. It is open to scholars for research and to the general public for exhibitions and lectures.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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