Curator tour by John Buchtel of the Boston Athenaeum's major new exhibition this autumn, “Required Reading: Reimagining a Colonial Library.”

The tour will showcase and interpret the King’s Chapel Library Collection, one of the surviving treasures of 17th century Boston, exploring the city's colonial history, the fine crafts of bookbinding and furniture-making, and the meaning of “essential knowledge.”

Required Reading will feature a full-scale replica of the massive, ark-like bookcase designed in 1883 to house the historic collection. It will be modified in an innovative way, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in the rich contexts of the cabinet, its books, and their legacy. As visitors examine compelling and important selections from the colonial library, they will be inspired to imagine their own definitions of "required reading" in the present day, "filling" the cabinet with their own personal touchstones.

More Information:

 

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The Ticknor Society