Timothy W. Diggins

The Boston Athenæum, “Boston’s best kept secret” (Boston.com) and one of the most distinguished libraries in the nation, was founded in 1807. Its landmark 1849 building and architecturally significant reading rooms at 10½ Beacon Street welcome readers, thinkers, writers, and learners in the heart of Boston. Highlights of the library’s holdings include the King’s Chapel Library collection, with roots in the 17th-century settlement of Boston; rare publications in Native American languages; the personal library of George Washington; historic early European printed works; and numerous works of fine art, including portraits of notable Americans such as Hannah Adams, John Marshall, and Alexander Hamilton, and by artists such as Gilbert Stuart, John Singer Sargent, Allan Rohan Crite, and Polly Thayer Starr. An extensive collection on the art of the book includes exquisite and rare examples from many eras of bookbinding and fine printing, as well as contemporary artists’ books. Learn more at bostonathenaeum.org.