News

The Winter issue of the Ohioana Quarterly focused on our good friend, the Mercantile Library in Cincinnati. This library is one of the gems in the crown of the Queen City. It was established in 1835, according to the feature story written by Ohioana board member Bryan Loar. Its founders were merchants and clerks, hence the name. These young men of the city, ... Read More

It’s here! Spring is here! On Monday, did you run outside and beat on the ground with a stick to tell the earth to wake up? And some daffodils were blooming on Monday. Did you pick one and eat it? No? *Whew!* Good move! They’re not edible! Although someone at Ohioana did indeed eat one and nothing bad happened. It was planted on top of ... Read More

March is a month when we remember fate and destiny. Or the lack of fate and destiny. Sometimes, things just happen. March 15 is famous for being the Ides of March, or the middle of the month. It’s the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of his senate. It’s memorable to the English-speaking world because of William Shakespeare’s ... Read More

Pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Nothing worthwhile happens overnight and change takes time — and work. Lots and lots of work. In politics, Ohio can make a proud claim: Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927) was the first woman to run for president of the United States. There’s some discussion about the legitimacy of her bid for office: Woodhull was under ... Read More

It’s so exciting to have a new bookstore in town! Gramercy Books in Columbus suburb city Bexley opened its doors just about six weeks ago. What? Aren’t independent bookstores dead? Didn’t they get buried in the rise of the big box stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders? Yes and no. Borders, of course, is gone. And you can buy ... Read More

People all over central Ohio are crossing the days off on their calendars and getting their wish list together. But it’s not the first month of winter and the days are getting longer, not shorter. So what are we talking about? It’s spring in Columbus and that means the Ohioana Book Festival is fast approaching! If you haven’t yet jotted down ... Read More

The bad news: Valentine’s Day was yesterday. The good news: Valentine’s candy is on sale and the cost of long-stemmed red roses is back down to pre-holiday levels. The better news: In Ohio, love is always in the air. February is still winter and the nights are still cold, speaking of the air. But you can warm up since Ohio ... Read More

Black History Month was much shorter when it began in 1926: it was only a week long. The celebration was the brain child of historian and educator Carter G. Woodson, who spent quite a bit of his youth in Huntington, West Virginia – one of Ohio’s neighbors to the south. February was chosen since it’s also the month of Abraham ... Read More

Hello to our Ohioana friends and family! Hope you are doing well and taking time to read lots of great books by Ohioans, about Ohio, or both! We’re re-animating the Ohioana blog and will provide weekly updates on all things Ohioana: • The 2017 Book Festival • Other Ohioana events • Oldies but goodies from the collection • The latest ... Read More

The Ohioana Book Festival is celebrating its tenth birthday, and you’re invited! Join us at the Sheraton Columbus at Capitol Square on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a fun-filled day with more than 120 Ohio writers (including ten featured authors), panel discussions, special activities for children and teens, a book fair, and more! The book ... Read More