Monday, May 23, 2011 marks the 100th Anniversary of the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (that iconic Beaux-Arts building guarded by Patience and Fortitude on 42nd and Fifth).
To celebrate the centennial a collection of 100 essays and memories of the library's treasures were compiled in Know the Past, Find the Future. The book launch was held on May 19, 2011 at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal. It was the perfect location to hold the event according to Jay Walder, CEO and chairman of the MTA, because Grand Central and the NYPL are "architectural cousins".
Copies of Know the Past, Find the Future were given away, free, at the event. Penguin Classics printed 25,000 copies of the book at no cost to the NYPL. This is also the 65th anniversary of Penguin Classics. Kathryn Court, president and publisher of Penguin Books, felt it only right to marry the two. This book represents the democratic core of the library--it's accessibility to all. Readers are encouraged to pass the book along. Paul LeClerc, president and CEO of the New York Public Library, encouraged guests to leave it on the bus, on the seat in the trains. There's even a graphic on the inside cover where the library card would be, for you to sign your name under "This book was read by:" The book is intended to be circulated.
