Harry Ransom Center
Located at the University of Texas at Austin, the Harry Ransom Center is a one of a kind archive, library, and museum dedicated to art and literature. Full of literary and cultural artifacts from the United States and Europe, there is nothing quite like a tour of this fabulously informational and fascinating center of learning and cultural preservation.
If anyone in your group is an avid reader or enjoys the arts and/or history, a visit to the Harry Ransom Center is in order. Permanent exhibitions laud famous works such as the Gutenberg Bible, one of the first works created by the printing press in the 15th century. The Harry Ransom Center is one of only a handful of archives worldwide to possess a copy of this illustrious historic book. They are also in possession of the first ever photograph dating back to 1826-1827, taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in Le Gras, France.
Not all of the museum's exhibitions follow the ancient and historic. Some of the traveling and temporary exhibits focus on Shakespeare's work in both print and performance, the artistic works of Frida Kahlo, how sports are portrayed in literature, and many others. Learn about the history of the King James Bible and how it changed the English language, explore the Golden Age of Hollywood through the extensive film and script collections, find yourself face to face with handwritten manuscripts from greats like E.E. Cummings, Walt Whitman, and D.H. Lawrence among others.
There's nothing quite like finding magnificent works of human genius right before your eyes. Glimpse into the past, marvel in the present, and dream of the future through the literary and art collections held at the Harry Ransom Center.
