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Harry Ransom Center Humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin | Two exhibitions now on view: The Worlds of Gertrude Stein and Houdini’s Library
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The Harry Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin. Its extensive holdings provide a unique record of the creative process of writers and artists, deepening our understanding of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts. Thousands of scholars, students, and cultural enthusiasts from around the world study materials from the collections each year. These collections also inspire original exhibitions and programs that offer visitors opportunities for enrichment, discovery, and delight. The Ransom Center advances the study of the arts and humanities and fosters an environment where culture thrives. Please visit us on line for more information about gallery and Reading and Viewing Room hours, what's on view, programs, and becoming a member.

Ken Russell's controversial 1971 film The Devils is back in theaters this week. For the first time, audiences are able t...
10/21/2026

Ken Russell's controversial 1971 film The Devils is back in theaters this week. For the first time, audiences are able to see a 4K restoration of the 2002 director's cut created from the original camera negative. The film has been censored in several forms throughout the years.

The film is based on John Whiting's play The Devils and Aldous Huxley's book The Devils of Loudun. Both works are centered around the 1634 mass hysteria event in which a convent of Ursuline nuns claimed to be possessed by demons. At the risk of spoiling the film, we'll just say that a certain priest does not fair well...

Whiting's play is in our Theater Arts Library Books and our book collections include several editions and translations of Huxley's book. We have a 1703 English translation of the original French examination of the affair by Nicolas Aubin. Rather than accept the possessions as real, the text treats them as a fabrication orchestrated by Roman Catholic priests.

Learn how to access our collection materials at the link in our bio.

1. Aldous Huxley, The Devils of Loudun (New York: Perennial Library, 1971). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1517 F5 H8 1971.
2. John Whiting, The Devils (New York: Hill and Wang 1962, c1961). Harry Ransom Center Theater Arts Library Books, PR 6045 H245 D4 1962 HRC-TA.
3. Aubin, The cheats and illusions of Romish priests and exorcists... (London: W. Turner, and R. Bassett, 1703). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1517 F5 A8.
4. Aldous Huxley, The Devils of Loudun (London: Chatto & Windus, 1952). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1517 F5 H8 1952.
5. Nicolas Aubin, Histoire d'Urbain Grandier... (A Amsterdam: Aux dépens de la compagnie., 1735). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1517 F5 A75 1735.
6. Aldous Huxley, Los Demonios de Loudun (México: Editorial Hermes, c1953). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1517 F5 H818 1953.
7. Aldous Huxley, Die Teufel von Loudun (München: R. Piper, c1955). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1517 F5 H815 1955.
8. Aldous Huxley, Djevlene fra Loudun (Oslo: H. Aschehoug W. Nygaard, 1953). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1517 F5 H8164 1953.

A new film adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 debut novel Sense and Sensibility is in theaters now. Directed by Georgia Oa...
10/20/2026

A new film adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 debut novel Sense and Sensibility is in theaters now. Directed by Georgia Oakley and written by Diana Reid, the film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood and Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne Dashwood, the two eldest Dashwood sisters at the center of the story. Which of the six screen adaptations is your favorite?

The Ransom Center's book collections include many editions of Sense and Sensibility. The lead image comes from the 1923 Clarendon Press edition, which features illustrations from sources contemporary to Austen, like these two ladies in evening dresses of the period. We also have a 1902 edition illustrated by Hugh Thompson featured in slides two and three. Did you know the book was originally published anonymously by "A Lady"?

Learn how to access our collection materials at the link in our bio.

1. Illustration from the 1923 edition of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1923). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, PR 4031 C5 1923.
2. Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility (London and New York: Macmillan, 1902). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, PR 4034 S458 1902.
3. Illustration by Hugh Thomson from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (London and New York: Macmillan, 1902). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, PR 4034 S458 1902.
4. Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility (New York: Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1959). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, TEMP Au747se 1959.
5. Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility (London: Franklin Watts, 1971). Harry Ransom Center Michael Tippett Library, PR 4034 S4 1971 TSM.

Immerse yourself in the spirit world when you visit Houdini's Library at the Harry Ransom Center this Halloween season! ...
10/18/2026

Immerse yourself in the spirit world when you visit Houdini's Library at the Harry Ransom Center this Halloween season! Bring a friend, join a tour, and step into the magic of this all-ages exhibition. Admission is always free! 👻 🕯 ⛓

Plan your visit at the link in our bio.

Spirit photography emerged in the 1860s with the claim that cameras could capture presences invisible to the naked eye. Believers saw ghostly faces and figures appearing in these portraits as proof of spirits among the living. Arthur Conan Doyle, best remembered as the creator of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, devoted himself to spiritualism later in life and was a passionate advocate for the authenticity of spirit photographs.

Doyle believed Houdini possessed genuine psychic powers he refused to acknowledge. Houdini admired Doyle's moral seriousness but found his credulity troubling. Doyle urged Houdini to visit Alexander Martin, a spirit photographer in Denver. Houdini attended the session with his assistant James Collins specifically to observe Martin's methods. In Houdini's 1924 book A Magician Among the Spirits, he described Martin sending him out of the darkroom for eight minutes before the sitting, then carefully positioning Collins in a specific spot. Houdini concluded this was meant to reserve one side of the plate for ghostly extras. He gave the resulting print to Doyle.

1. Alexander Martin, [Spirit photograph of Houdini and James Collins], ca. 1922.
Arthur Conan Doyle Literary File Photography Collection, Box 2, Folder 18.
2. Harry Houdini, A Magician Among the Spirits (New York: Harper, 1924). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, BF 1042 H6, copy 2.

Join author Andrew Durbin for a reading and discussion of The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and...
10/15/2026

Join author Andrew Durbin for a reading and discussion of The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek (2026). The program will feature a reading by Durbin, followed by a conversation between Durbin and Dr. Christine Robinson, the Ransom Center’s Nancy Inman and Marlene Nathan Meyerson Curator of Photography. Book sales, signing, and a reception made possible by Central Market will follow the program.

Attend for free with an RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-reading-andrew-durbins-the-wonderful-world-that-almost-was-tickets-1990519716054?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Durbin’s dual biography explores the intertwined lives and art of the influential photographer Peter Hujar and sculptor Paul Thek, focusing on their complex relationship from the 1950s to the 1970s, their shared artistic circles (including Andy Warhol, Susan Sontag, David Wojnarowicz, and Fran Lebowitz), and their lasting impact on American art.

Andrew Durbin is the editor in chief of frieze magazine. His book The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek was published earlier this year. He is also the author of the novels MacArthur Park, which was a finalist for the Believer Book Award, and Skyland, and served as the editor for Kevin Killian’s posthumous work Fascination. His writing has appeared in The New York Review of Books, London Review of Books, The Believer, The Paris Review online, Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. He lives in London.

Today, Monday, October 12, is Indigenous Peoples' Day. The Harry Ransom Center's photography collection includes The Nor...
10/13/2026

Today, Monday, October 12, is Indigenous Peoples' Day.

The Harry Ransom Center's photography collection includes The North American Indian (1907–1930), photographer Edward S. Curtis's twenty-volume and twenty-portfolio magnum opus, copiously illustrated with mammoth sheet-fed photogravures made from his original photographs. Over nearly thirty years, Curtis documented the lives and cultures of more than 80 Indigenous tribes, producing over 40,000 photographs. Though his work has been criticized for romanticizing the people he photographed by occasionally staging scenes, costuming subjects, and retouching images to remove contemporary objects, the images remain an invaluable visual record of Indigenous North American cultures.

Learn more about our photography collection at the link in our bio.

1. Edward S. Curtis, Jicarilla Maiden, from The North American Indian, printed 1907. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection Books, -q- E 77 C978 1907 HRC-P.
2-3. Edward S. Curtis, Canyon de Chelly - Navajo, from The North American Indian, printed 1907. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection Books, -q- E 77 C978 1907 HRC-P.
4. Edward S. Curtis, Hastobiga, Navajo Medicine Man, from The North American Indian. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection Books, -q- E 77 C978 1907 HRC-P.
5. Edward S. Curtis, A Son of the Desert - Navajo, from The North American Indian. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection Books, -q- E 77 C978 1907 HRC-P.
6-7. Edward S. Curtis, A Hilltop Camp - Jicarilla, from The North American Indian. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection Books, -q- E 77 C978 1907 HRC-P.
8. Edward S. Curtis, Nesjaja Hatali - Navajo, from The North American Indian. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection Books, -q- E 77 C978 1907 HRC-P.
9. Edward S. Curtis, Geronimo - Apache, from The North American Indian. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection Books, -q- E 77 C978 1907 HRC-P.

Our No. 1-ranked, undefeated Texas Longhorns take on the Oklahoma Sooners in today's 122nd edition of the Red River Riva...
10/10/2026

Our No. 1-ranked, undefeated Texas Longhorns take on the Oklahoma Sooners in today's 122nd edition of the Red River Rivalry.

We're celebrating the occasion by highlighting collection materials connected to the game. Hook 'em horns! 🐂 🏈

Learn how to access our collection materials at the link in our bio.

3. J. Frank Dobie, The Loghorns (Boston: Little, Brown 1941). Harry Ransom Center J. Frank Dobie Library, SF 199 L6 D6 DOBIE.
5. Okahoma! program, undated. Playbills and Programs Collection.
7. Nancy Wiley, The Great State Fair of Texas: An Illustrated History (Dallas: Taylor Pub. Co., 1985). Harry Ransom Center Book Collection, S 555 T42 D359 1985.
9. E. L. Goldbeck, [Detail of panoramic photograph of the University of Texas Longhorn Band], 1977-1978. E. L. Goldbeck Photography Collection.
11. Unidentified photographer, [Detail of man in cowboy hat and chaps seated in saddle atop a horse in an open field; house in distance]. Harry Ransom Center Photography Collection.

We are saddened to learn of Eva Marie Saint's recent passing.Materials related to the Oscar-winning actress appear in se...
10/10/2026

We are saddened to learn of Eva Marie Saint's recent passing.

Materials related to the Oscar-winning actress appear in several collections, most prominently in the papers of Ernest Lehman, screenwriter of the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock-directed film North by Northwest, in which Saint starred alongside Cary Grant. Saint appears in photographs and correspondence in photographer Eliot Elisofon's papers. Elisofon photographed Saint's home for an assignment and eventual book documenting the homes of Hollywood stars. Sam Shepard’s papers feature a letter from Saint and a photograph of the actress with Wim Wenders and Sam Shepard. Saint played the mother of Shepard's character in the 2004 film Don't Come Knocking, directed by Wim Wenders and written by Wenders and Shepard.

Learn how to access material from our collections at the link in our bio.

1. Detail of promotional still from North by Northwest with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint embracing, 1959. Film Stills Collection.
2. North by Northwest Poster, 1959. Hoblitzelle Interstate Theatre Circuit Collection, Flat File 11.05 Folder 4.
3-5. Brochure from Mt. Rushmore National Memorial and note by Ernest Lehman about his research trip for North by Northwest, 1957. Ernest Lehman Papers, Box 45, Folder 25.
6. Detail of promotional still of Carey Grant and Eva Marie Saint posing in front of Mount Rushmore, 1959. Film Stills Collection.
7. Shooting schedule for North by Northwest, August 18, 1958. Ernest Lehman Papers, Box 45, Folder 5.
8. Promotional still of Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, 1959. Film Stills Collection.
9. Contact sheet of Ernest Lehman’s photographs of Mount Rushmore made during his research trip for North by Northwest, circa 1957. Ernest Lehman Papers, Box 45, Folder 26.
10. Recto of promotional postcard for North by Northwest, 1959. Ernest Lehman Papers, Box 45, Folder 23.

The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin has acquired the archive of distinguished author, journalis...
10/08/2026

The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin has acquired the archive of distinguished author, journalist, publisher, activist, and artist Dave Eggers.

“Dave Eggers’s archive is a record of creative engagement with the world,” said Stephen Enniss, Director of the Harry Ransom Center. “With this acquisition we celebrate his gifts as a writer and his commitment—so well documented in his papers—to a more abundant, engaged, and humane world. What we read and reread, what we save and what we remember, shapes not only the past but our future as well.”

We are also pleased to announce that Dave Eggers will join Megan Barnard, Ransom Center Deputy Director and Chief Curator, for a conversation on his writing career, his archive, and his latest novel, Contrapposto, on Tuesday, October 27, at 6 p.m. in Jessen Auditorium. Space is limited, so RSVP today!

Throughout a life filled with creative endeavors, Eggers has kept a careful record of his work. He has preserved drafts of all his books and writings, many covered with his own notes and edits, while others bear the suggestions of the trusted readers and friends with whom he shared early drafts.

The archive includes detailed research materials—such as interview recordings, photographs, articles, and clippings—artwork, writings from his school days with encouraging notes from teachers, correspondence, and extensive files relating to his many publishing projects and non-profit organizations. These materials fill 51 large bins that arrived at the Ransom Center over the summer and will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers in the years to come.

Learn more about the Dave Eggers Papers at the link in our bio.

1. Dave Eggers portrait © Mark Davis
2. Eggers’s early notes for his novel You Shall Know Our Velocity, ca. 2000.
3. Eggers’s early cover design sketch for Contrapposto, ca. 2025.
4. Tapes of Eggers’s interviews for the novel What Is the What, ca. 2002.
5. Dave Eggers author card, published by McSweeney’s, 2024.
6. Eggers’s high school paper about Macbeth, with a note from his teacher Jay Criche, 1986.

Join us for a virtual event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publication of Gertrude Stein’s 1926 essay-lectur...
10/06/2026

Join us for a virtual event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publication of Gertrude Stein’s 1926 essay-lecture “Composition as Explanation,” drafts of which are currently on view in the Ransom Center’s exhibition The Worlds of Gertrude Stein. Twenty contributors––including poets, novelists, and Stein scholars–– will bring objects in the exhibition to life at 12 p.m. CST on Wednesday, October 14 by reading newly commissioned pieces about specific artifacts.

RSVP for this virtual event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/composition-as-celebration-an-inventory-of-gertrude-stein-tickets-1990519430199

At this unique event, Lana Lin will read from her genre-defying, National Book Award–longlisted Autobiography of H. Lan Thao Lam, and be in conversation with Sophie Oliver, curator of The Worlds of Gertrude Stein. Tirza True Latimer, co-curator, with Wanda Corn, of the landmark 2011 exhibition Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories, will respond to their “inventory” of Stein.

In the spirit of Stein’s essay, together the participants will create an experimental composition, mixing Stein’s life and work, her time and our time.

This program is in association with the Centre for New and International Writing at the University of Liverpool.

"On October 3, he asked me what day it was." 🩷 💋 Happy Mean Girls Day!Mean Girls follows Cady Heron, played by Lindsay L...
10/03/2026

"On October 3, he asked me what day it was." 🩷 💋 Happy Mean Girls Day!

Mean Girls follows Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, as she navigates the high-stakes social world of high school after years of homeschooling in Africa. The film, released on April 30, 2004, was written by Tina Fey and produced by Lorne Michaels's Broadway Video. As a result, the Ransom Center's Lorne Michaels Collection contains a wealth of information about the film’s development, production, and release.

Mean Girls accounts for the largest volume of material within the film series of the Lorne Michaels Collection. Screenplay materials begin in 2002, and there are over twenty versions of the script across two years. Many of these drafts contain handwritten annotations either from producer Jill Messick, director Mark Waters, or executive producer Michaels. There are also extensive notes from Paramount regarding script edits as well as correspondence from writer Tina Fey on development.

Production materials are equally well-represented. Of particular note are the casting documents, which include notes and correspondence from Messick. Multiple production and wrap binders contain comprehensive documentation of daily production, including reports and schedules, along with design elements such as costume tests and soundtrack correspondence.

1-2. Pages from the first-draft screenplay for Mean Girls, with annotations by Jill Messick, 2002. Lorne Michaels Collection, Box 339, Folder 11.
3. Detail of page from revised script draft, September 24, 2003. Lorne Michaels Collection, Box 343, Folder 8.
4. Mean Girls one-sheet on foamcore, autographed by Lindsay Lohan and Tina Fey, 2004. Lorne Michaels Collection, osf 61-62.

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