Books That Shaped America

Books That Shaped America is an exhibition on view through September 29, 2012 at the Library of Congress. Intended to kick off a multiyear "Celebration of the Book," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington states that:

. . . the list [of books in the exhibition] is intended to spark a national conversation on books written by Americans that have influenced our lives, whether they appear on this initial list or not. We hope people will view the list and then nominate other titles. Finally, we hope people will choose to read and discuss some of the books on this list, reflecting our nation’s unique and extraordinary literary heritage, which the Library of Congress makes available to the world.

An annotated online exhibition can be viewed here; in addition, readers are encouraged to submit their input on books of merit via an online survey. Another upcoming significant event is the 12th annual National Book Festival, to be held September 22-3, 2012 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.