Watch, Read, Listen

A new exhibition opens Saturday, April 23, which happens to be William Shakespeare's birthday. At first glance, "Revisiting the Regency: England, 1811–1820" might seem to be of greater interest to Jane Austen fans than to admirers of the Bard.

While out in the Shakespeare Garden yesterday, one of the guards reminded me that April 23 (this Saturday) is the day we celebrate Shakespeare's birthday. We have replanted the garden just in time to bring a bit more life and color to the clearing over which Shakespeare presides.

Monday was President's Day all over again. Pulitzer Prizes in history and biography went to books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Ron Chernow's Washington: A Life took the honors for best biography

Botanist that I am, seemingly trivial and arcane plant knowledge sometimes gets in the way of simple, normal experiences. Yesterday was Palm Sunday, which always means to me that people make convenient and curious choices while trying to round up palm fronds for decoration. At our church, the altar greenery was sago palm

A red-caped knight in golden armor rears up on a brave and formidable steed. He thrusts a massive lance toward a newly downed warrior. But wait! Another knight charges from behind with a lethal-looking spear raised high. And, oh no!

Pulitzer Prizes will be announced on Monday, April 18, including the categories of history, biography, and general nonfiction. While Huntington scholars have garnered this top honor on several occasions, including Daniel Walker Howe in 2008 for What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848

Another post in a series about Mr. Huntington's Garden by the botanical director of The Huntington.

Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter early in the morning of April 12, 1861. Two days later, Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fortification off the coast of South Carolina, but not before lowering the American flag and keeping it as a souvenir. A fragment of that flag is bound into a volume of a unique set of books in The Huntington Library.