The Center for the Book was 25 years old on Oct. 13, 2002. This is the twelfth and last in a series of articles about its activities during its first quarter-century. It features many of the graphics created and used by the Center for the Book as it has used the prestige and resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading and encourage the study of books, reading, and print culture—nationally and internationally.
This selection of Center for the Book promotional items includes a "Books Make a Difference" large-sized postcard from the early 1990s; two stickers; "Love Me, Read to Me" (1989) and "Language of the Land," which advertises a mid-1990s traveling exhibition of literary maps; a "Shape Your Future—Read!" rubber refrigerator magnet; artist Lance Hidy's outdoor image of "reading aloud" for his 1984 Center for the Book poster, also used for notecards; a "Books Change Lives" brochure; bookmarks from the "Read More About It" and Year of the Lifetime Reader" campaigns; and a 1984 U.S. 20 cent-postage stamp dedicated to "A Nation of Readers," one of the center's most popular promotion themes.
The Evolution of a Logo
The Center for the Book's distinctive "Books Give Us Wings" logo (far right) was inspired by a statement in Paul Hazard's "Books, Children & Men" (1944). It first appeared on a 1989 refrigerator magnet (from left), was condensed for the 1991 "Lifetime Reader" campaign, and presented two themes simultaneously ("Books Change Lives" and "Explore New Worlds—Read!") in 1992 before it settled into its present form.
