Huntington Verso

We love to hate villains. Harry Potter's Lord Voldemort horrifies us with his flagrant use of the Unforgivable Curses. Before him, Darth Vader of Star Wars fame was the true embodiment of evil as he built the Death Star and battled his children.

Heroic tales of 19th-century frontiersmen pushing westward across the American continent have a tenacious hold on the popular imagination. Think, for instance, of Lewis and Clark exploring the waterways of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase

The painter, social critic, and editorial cartoonist William Hogarth (1697–1764) set the standard for modern English satire. He saw caricatures imported from the Continent and argued for the creation of a distinctly British approach

Huntington Explorers summer camp recently finished its 14th year at The Huntington. Each day for three weeks, children aged 5-12 explored The Huntington's library, art, and botanical collections in classes about everything from the art of storytelling to the world of science. We share the experience of one instructor

Sunday, August 16, marks the 95th anniversary of the birth of Charles Bukowski (1920–1994), whose poems, short stories, and novels depicted ordinary men and women struggling to survive in an unforgiving world.

Next time you're in the Mapel Orientation Gallery, take 10 minutes to watch a delightful new film about the history of The Huntington. Designed and directed by Los Angeles–based filmmaker and animator Cosmo Segurson, it tells the story of Henry and Arabella Huntington

If you're thinking of stopping by the Japanese Garden's Seifu-an teahouse for the second-Monday-of-the-month tour on Aug. 10, then be sure to visit the waiting bench, or Koshikake-machiai, in the tea garden.

The Huntington's Ellesmere Chaucer, an illuminated manuscript produced around the year 1400, is the most handsome extant version of The Canterbury Tales in the world. Many scholars believe Geoffrey Chaucer oversaw some of its production.

What do avant-garde art and Britain's Royal Navy have in common? The answer is Edward Wadsworth (1889–1949), a British artist whose work is currently part of The Huntington's "Between Modernism and Tradition: British Works on Paper, 1914–1948" exhibition

So wrote Shakespeare four centuries ago, and many people today would agree that while the beauty of a rose is exceptional, what truly inspires us is its scent. The Huntington's historic Rose Garden is home to 1,400 rose cultivars

Before entering the Mapel Orientation Gallery, take a moment to notice the elegant outlines floating on the front windows. These silhouettes, which greet you as you enter and bid you a pleasant day as you leave, are a snapshot of The Huntington's library, art, and botanical collections.

A popular rule of etiquette recommends avoiding two topics in polite conversation: politics and religion. I would add a third—grammar. No discussion becomes more heated than a debate over whether it is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition.