Author: MACLEISH, ARCHIBALD
Title: Address by Archibald Macleish Before the American Library Association
Description: 1942. MACLEISH, Archibald. ADDRESS BY ARCHIBALD MACLEISH BEFORE THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. Milwaukee, June 26, 1942. Nine pages, typed, stapled. The address first risks upsetting his audience by hotly criticizing intellectuals for their isolationism at the onset of WWII. Macleish, then, somewhat more congenially, traces the roots of fascism to the coordinated anti-intellectual provocations of an alienated populace, whether this be abroad or at home. Citing the press's neglect of an attempt made by the 1942 Spring session of the House of Representatives to cut acquisitions funding for the Library of Congress, Macleish states, "It was not news that the leader of the attack had unconsciously revealed a fear of books, a fear of letting information reach the people, a fear of scholarship and learning." Interesting both as a literary and historical document, this scarce item still resonates in this election year. Folded once, the condition is very good. .

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