As one of the major art reference libraries in the United States, the Museum Library houses approximately 200,000 books, auction catalogues, and periodicals dating from the sixteenth century to the present. Reflecting the Museum's rich and distinctive collections, the Library's holdings focus on European, American, and Asian painting and sculpture; furniture and decorative arts; arms and armor; costume and textiles; prints, drawings, and photographs; and modern and contemporary art. The Library also subscribes to a growing collection of electronic resources, available on workstations in the Reading Room.

During his long life, Rockwell Kent (American, 1882–1971) assumed the roles of painter, lobsterman, writer, dairy farmer, sailor, printmaker, architect, well-digger, illustrator, and carpenter. He devoted all of his legendary energy to each of these efforts, but none brought his work into the public imagination more than his book illustrations. This installation presents a selection of the artist’s works for trade, limited-edition, and deluxe publications, along with bookplates (and related wood blocks) designed for individuals and the mass market.

The Library is pleased to present selected bound volumes of Kent’s limited editions and trade publications along with unbound materials from the collection of the Museum’s Prints, Drawings, and Photographs department. Like all Museum Library materials, additional volumes illustrated by Kent and books about the artist are available to researchers upon request.