Exhibits in the Greenfield Library

U.S. Presidents at St. John’s COLLEGE, 1791-1959

Six Presidents of the United States have visited St. John’s College, Annapolis since 1791. They visited for different reasons, and in the context of various different historical events, foreign and domestic. Two Chief Executives dedicated war memorials on-campus. One, attempting to end a war, passed through briefly and almost coincidentally, on his way to an important peace conference. Another visited the campus as part of a city-wide celebration of the Nation's early history. The first visited the campus early on in a “southern tour” of the new nation, and the most recent visitor opened a state-of the-art building that was purpose-designed to support the New Program. To explore the experience of these U.S. Presidents at St. John’s College, take a look at the exhibit opening September 12, 2024 in the Greenfield Library’s Nutt Room.

Bibliophile: Inscribed Books from the E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr. Collection

E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr., a distinguished lawyer in the District of Columbia, generously donated his remarkable and unique collection of over 1,000 inscribed books to the Greenfield Library in several installments, beginning in 1997. A true bibliophile, Prettyman believed the value of a book is raised significantly if it is signed by its original author. He believed books are even more valuable if they are inscribed with elaborate personal inscriptions.

As a lover of books, Prettyman decided that it would be ideal for his collection to be housed at a College that is filled with book lovers. The Prettyman collection is an eclectic mix of books which spans from the early nineteenth century to the late twentieth century. The collection includes, but is not limited to, books signed by important political figures, artists, American, British, French and German literary authors, Nobel Prize winners, and contemporary authors. A selection of titles from the collection are on display in the Nutt Room.