Fact, Fiction, and the New World: The Role of Books in the Making of America
Exhibition
The availability of books and the spread of literacy profoundly influenced the discovery of the New World. Looking for people, places, and things that were described in books, explorers defined their encounters by referring to names and ideas from popular stories and ancient legends. This Humanities Texas traveling exhibition will encourage people to think about the power of stories and the lure of new found lands. This exhibition highlights the ways in which books determined what people looked for in the New World and how they interpreted what they did see. For more information, contact the Chan Shun Centennial Library.
January 29 – February 23, 2018
Map
Title page to Utopia, by Sir Thomas More, in the copy owned by Fray Juan De Zumarraga, first Archbishop of Mexico. This work exercised strong influence over the first missionaries in Mexico, some of whom attempted to organize their parishes by the Utopian model. Photograph Courtesy Benson Latin American Library, University of Texas at Austin.