NY Public Library

Nowruz is one of the most important Persian holidays and coincides with the vernal equinox and the first day of spring. In the days leading up to Nowruz, Chahārshanbe Sūrī (Fire Wednesday) is celebrated by jumping over bonfires, a ritual that marks the transition into the new year, casting off the past year’s hardships and welcoming light and health. Fire symbolizes purification and cleansing in Persian tradition, and is often vividly depicted in miniature painting, as in this scene. 📕 ‘The Fire Ordeal of Siyāvush,’ Folio 104v from the Shāhnāmah (‘Book of Kings’) of Firdawsī, attributed to Shiraz, Iran, copied for “Muḥammad Sharīf” by Muḥammad ‘Alī, in 1023/1614.

'Give Her Credit: The Untold Account of a Women's Bank That Empowered a Generation' by Grace L. Williams is the true story of the Women's Bank of Denver, founded by women who fought to give female borrowers financial independence. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/4drUJxy

Ramadan is a holy month centered on reflection, remembrance, and reading, particularly of the Qur’an honored by Muslims around the world. As Muslims in NYC prepare to celebrate Chaand Raat tonight and Eid al-Fitr, explore this lavishly illuminated double page in a blue and gold palette found at the beginning of the opening sūras (chapters) of the Qur’an, surrounds the main text in Arabic, with an interlinear translation in Farsi in red ink, reflecting the ways the text circulated and has been understood across communities and languages. 📕 Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and beginning of Sūrat al-Baqarah in a 19th century Qur’an manuscript, probably copied in Iran.

For over 15 years, journalist Robert Hobart Davis traveled the world and took over 2,000 photographs of his interview subjects and social circle of artists, authors, journalists, and other prominent persons. On the hundredth anniversary of Davis’s first photographs, explore six portraits that are on display in the Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room for Rare Books and Manuscripts through March. Learn more: on.nypl.org/4bUh4m4

In 'The Road to Tender Hearts' by Annie Hartnett, after learning his high school sweetheart is widowed, PJ Halliday sets out on a road trip to proclaim his love . . . taking along two orphans, his adult daughter, and a death-predicting cat. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/3Pif12C

In 'Crooks' by Lou Berney, you’ve never met a family like the Mercurios. They say the American dream is going farther in life than your parents ever did. But how does that work if your parents are criminals? #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/4bwOTbw

NYPL is reimagining its historic Carnegie libraries, preserving what makes them special while adapting them to meet the needs of today’s communities. Learn how these thoughtful renovations are expanding access, supporting learning, and strengthening communities for generations to come. Read more: on.nypl.org/47OUXLo

In 'When the Harvest Comes' by Denne Michele Norris, the life Davis built himself—complete with his husband and his career as an award-winning violist—threatens to unspool when he learns that his estranged father has died in a car accident. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/4cJmQrU

The New York Public Library is holding a Manga March Madness competition! All New York City teens have the opportunity to vote for their favorite sports manga. Voting is open and the winning title will be selected the week of March 23rd. Learn more: on.nypl.org/4s5f4wZ

In 'Workhorse' by Caroline Palmer, determined to rise through the ranks at the elite fashion magazine where she works as an assistant, Clo Harmon will do whatever it takes to win in a world that plays dirty. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/4sGmxCz

Go deeper on some of the 2026 Oscar nominees with literary and Library ties! Many of the nominated films have literary ties, including several—"Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Train Dreams," and more—that were adapted from books. Learn more about these literary connections as well as more ways you can dig deeper into these nominated at the Library. Learn more: on.nypl.org/4bCtijc

'Daring to Be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World' by Sudhir Hazareesingh is a history of enslaved people's resistance and self-emancipation, across the Atlantic world and beyond. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/4sGBS6k

Happy #PiDay! 🥧 Although the day 3/14 refers to the number pi (3.14159265358979...), it's also a time to celebrate pie in edible form. Food was a major component of the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair, and pie was well represented. Photos from the records of the Fair held at NYPL show fair mascot Elmer preparing pie, the "Pie of Tomorrow" contest winner, a kids' pie-eating contest, and a gigantic pie made for the National Cherry Festival. Explore the full records of the Fair in our Manuscripts and Archives Division: on.nypl.org/4uvUSGl

In 'The Dream Hotel' by Laila Lalami, a museum curator’s life is upended by a series of surreal events that force her to confront the boundaries between memory and reality. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/4rqrhLO

In 'Tangerine' by Christine Mangan, Alice arrives in Morocco for a fresh start with her new husband. But when her college roommate reappears, Alice is forced to confront the very past she has tried to escape. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/40vhZTJ

In January, this Qur’an from the collections of Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library was used to swear in the city’s mayor. It once belonged to Arturo A. Schomburg, the pioneering collector whose personal library documenting the history and culture of the African Diaspora became the foundation of today’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. See this remarkable manuscript on view at our flagship building on 42nd Street through March 19, before it returns to the Schomburg Center.

'Troublemaker: The Fierce, Unruly Life of Jessica Mitford' by Carla Kaplan explores the story of Jessica Mitford, one of the famous British aristocratic Mitford Girls, who became a Communist muckraker. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/4rym3O5

This Greek Heritage Month, step inside NYC’s diner culture of the 1970s. Photographer Kay Zakariasen captured the Greek American owners and workers who brought these beloved neighborhood institutions to life. Explore more: on.nypl.org/4uEdap4

'Who's Afraid of Gender?' by Judith Butler is a deep dive into how the concept of "gender" has become a global flashpoint, examining the political forces behind current cultural debates. #BookOfTheDay: on.nypl.org/40sRVIS

Dorothea Lange used her camera to capture life in America during the Great Depression. Best known for her work with the Farm Security Administration (FSA), Lange documented the lives of sharecroppers, migrant workers, and displaced families during the 1930s. Her images brought national attention to communities that were often overlooked and helped shape the future of documentary photography. Today, NYPL holds about 40,000 photographs from the FSA collection, taken during the 1930s and 1940s by Lange and other photographers.