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Library News
Vincent Lugo, whose family papers are at The Huntington, helped build the beloved La Laguna de San Gabriel playground, also known as “Monster Park.” The so-called monsters are play sculptures of an octopus called Ozzie, a whale known as Minnie, and a starfish named Stella, among other smiling sea creatures.
Some people assume that the Gutenberg Bible is the oldest printed book at The Huntington. But there’s a much older one that dates back almost 1,000 years ago! Curator Li Wei Yang explores the connections between the printing cultures of China and Europe.
Learn how daguerreotypes are made and what makes them unique, see examples of historic and contemporary daguerreotypes in The Huntington’s collections, and learn about what’s involved in cataloging and caring for them.

Using the Library
Every year, researchers from over 30 countries make more than 20,000 visits to the Library’s reading rooms, and thousands more make use of the Library’s virtual services and digital collections.

About the Library
- One of the world’s largest collections of British medieval manuscripts, including the 15th-century Ellesmere manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
- One of 12 surviving copies on vellum of the Gutenberg Bible, the jewel of the second-largest collection of incunabula (15th-century printed books) in the United States.
- A leading repository for Americana, including extensive holdings for Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson, and such gems as the original manuscript of Franklin’s autobiography.
- Extensive collections on the American West, including the great 19th-century photographic surveys and original sources about overland migration, industry and transport, and Native Americans.