Harry Ransom Center

The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin is a place where curiosity transforms into discovery. As one of the world’s leading humanities research libraries and museums, the Center invites visitors to explore the creative processes that have shaped literature, art, photography, film, and performance. Its mission is not simply to preserve history, but to inspire new ideas and deeper understanding through direct engagement with remarkable collections.

The scope of the Ransom Center is extraordinary. Housing nearly one million books, over 42 million manuscripts, five million photographs, and more than 100,000 works of art, the Center offers unparalleled opportunities for research and exploration. Highlights include treasures that span centuries and disciplines: one of only twenty surviving complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible, the notebooks of Albert Einstein containing unpublished calculations, and the archive of actor Robert De Niro, with scripts, costumes, and personal notes that trace his legendary career.

The Center also preserves iconic works from artists and writers whose legacies continue to shape culture. Visitors can view Frida Kahlo’s intimate self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird, Jack Kerouac’s notebook capturing the genesis of *On the Road*, or manuscripts by Nobel laureate Doris Lessing. The Gernsheim Collection showcases masterpieces of photographic history, while the archives of Gabriel García Márquez reveal the working mind of one of literature’s greatest voices.

Beyond its role as a repository, the Ransom Center is an active hub for learning and exchange. Public exhibitions, lectures, performances, and programs invite audiences of all backgrounds to engage with its holdings. Researchers find a world-class resource, while casual visitors encounter moments of wonder that spark imagination.

To step into the Ransom Center is to take part in an ongoing dialogue between past and present. It is a place where history, creativity, and scholarship converge, offering inspiration to all who enter.