Three upcoming lectures at Houghton

Front facade of Houghton Library

Edward Lear, Blue Parrot (Lear's Macaw), MS Typ 55.9 (22)Houghton Library is pleased to announce three upcoming lectures in March and April.

On Monday, March 5, Ken Pennington, Professor of Ecclesiastical and Legal History, Catholic University of America, will lecture on “Reading the Ius Commune: The Secrets of Roman and Canon Law Manuscripts.” This lecture is co-sponsored by the Program in Medieval Studies and is offered in conjunction with workshops using examples from Harvard special collections.

On Thursday, April 5, Robert Peck, Academy of Natural Science, Drexel University, will deliver the Frances and Philip Hofer Lecture on “The Remarkable Nature of Edward Lear: An Illustrated Talk.” This lecture marks the opening of Houghton Library’s bicentennial exhibition of Lear’s work and will discuss the remarkable life and natural history paintings of this beloved children’s writer, who abruptly abandoned his scientific work soon after he achieved preeminence in the field.

On Thursday, April 19, Robert De Maria, Professor of English on the Henry Noble MacCracken Chair, Vassar College, will deliver the 95th George Parker Winship Lecture on “The History of the Complete Works of Samuel Johnson: The First Two Hundred Years.” This lecture discusses the history and future of editions of the works of Samuel Johnson.

Further information is available in the Lectures section on the HCL Exhibitions page.