Exhibit of Law Library Books to be Held in New York City

An exhibit, “Law’s Picture Books: The Yale Law Library Collection,” will be on display at New York City’s Grolier Club from September 13 to November 18, 2017.

Curated by Rare Book Librarian Michael Widener and legal historian Mark S. Weiner ’00, the exhibit includes 140 illustrated law books from the library’s collection. In challenging the stereotype of legal literature as a dreary expanse of dry text, "Law's Picture Books" will appeal to both book lovers and the legal community.

A 220-page, full color catalogue of the exhibition is available from Talbot Publishing. The book includes essays by Widener, Weiner, Jolande E. Goldberg, and Erin C. Blake.

There will be a companion exhibit in the law school, called “Around the World with Law’s Picture Books,” from September 5 to December 15, 2017. The books—in ten languages from fifteen countries on six continents—will be on display on Level L2 of the Lillian Goldman Law Library. The law school exhibit is curated by Michael Widener and Emma Molina Widener.

“These two exhibitions showcase book illustrations in that can be functional, funny, or sometimes beautiful, and that are employed in litigation, law reform, and legal education,” said Michael Widener.