Exhibits - Visit Us at Houston Public Library

Installation view of Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine in Harry Potter's World

April 30 - June 12, 2025

In 1997, British author J. K. Rowling introduced the world to Harry Potter and a literary phenomenon was born. Although a fantasy story, the Harry Potter book series features magic that is based partially on Renaissance traditions that played an important role in the development of Western science, including alchemy, astrology, and natural philosophy.

Incorporating the work of several 15th- and 16th-century thinkers, the series examines ethical topics such as the desire for knowledge, the effects of prejudice, and the responsibility that comes with power. This 6-panel exhibition, using materials from the National Library of Medicine, will explore Harry Potter's world and its roots in Renaissance magic, science, and medicine.

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DATE	TIME	EVENT	LOCATION
Tuesday, June 3	2:00 - 3:00 PM	The Magic of Lanny Kibbey	Stanaker Neighborhood Library	Register Here
Tuesday, June 10	3:00 - 4:00 PM	The Magic of Lanny Kibbey	Scenic Woods Regional Library	Register Here

CHECK OUT OUR CATALOG

Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | English | Español | Chư ̃Viêt | Italiano | 한국인 | русский
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | English | Español | 中文 | Italiano | 한국인 | 日本語
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | English | Español | 中文 | Français | Italiano | 한국인
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | English | Español | 한국인 | Italiano | 中文 | 日本語
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | English | Español | 中文 | Chư ̃Viêt |Deutsch |
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince English | Español | 中文 | Italiano
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | English | Chư ̃Viêt| 日本語
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | English | 中文 |
The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac: The Official Magical Companion to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Books
The Tales of Beedle the Bard: A Wizarding Classic from the World of Harry Potter
Quidditch Through the Ages

Kid/Juvenile

Dawson, Ian, Renaissance Medicine
Elliott, Lynne, The Renaissance in Europe
Hilliam, Rachel, Galileo Galilei: Father of Modern Science
Pagel-Hogan, Elizabeth, The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci

Adult

Anderson, Julie, The Art of Medicine: Over 2,000 Years of Images and Imagination
Ball, Philip, The Devil's Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science
Brotton, Jerry, The Renaissance
Christian, Charles, The Witches Almanac: Sorcerers, Witches and Magic from Ancient Rome to the Digital Age
Currie, Stephen, The Renaissance
Grafton, Anthony, Magus: The Art of Magic from Faustus to Agrippa
Schneider, David, The Invention of Surgery: A History of Modern Medicine from the Renaissance to the Implant Revolution
Wilson, D. K., A Magical World: Superstition and Science from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment

Watch

Library of Things

Hogwarts Cake Pan

The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website.

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Fashion Fusion IX: Arts of Asia

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Space for Us: Afrofuturism and the Poetic Imagination

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This collection contains over 30,000 photographic items including photographs, negatives and slides, newspapers, and notebooks that depict life in minority communities and the early stages of gentrification in historically Black neighborhoods and hip hop and rock music during the 1980s and early 1990s. His work captures Freedmen's Town, the Allen Parkway Village and Direct Exposure youth projects along with local social problems including homelessness and poverty in his Understanding Poverty Project.Eliza Johnson Home for Aged Negroes Collection (RG 0047)The Eliza Johnson Home for Aged Negroes began as a dream of Anna Dupree. Dupree moved to Houston from Galveston in 1916. When the Eliza Johnson Home opened in June 1952, it was largely due to her determination and resources, as well as support and encouragement of her husband, Clarence (C.A.) and others in the black community. 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