Library of Congress Exhibit "Books That Shaped America"

A new exhibition from the Library of Congress website:

Books That Shaped America

June 25–September 29, 2012

Books That Shaped America marks a starting point—a way to spark a national conversation on books and their importance in Americans’ lives, and, indeed, in shaping our nation.

This exhibit will overlap with  the National Book Festival on the National Mall—September 22–23, 2012

"The titles featured here (by American authors) have had a profound effect on American life, but they are by no means the only influential ones. And they are certainly not a list of the “best” American books, because that, again, is a matter of strong and diverse opinion. Curators and experts from throughout the Library of Congress contributed theirchoices, but there was much debate—even agony—in having to remove worthy titles from a much larger list in order to accommodate the physical constraints of this exhibition space. 

Some of the titles on display have been the source of great controversy, even derision, yet they nevertheless shaped Americans’ views of their world and often the world’s view of the United States. As you go through this exhibition, we hope the books you see will inspire you to think of other “books that shaped America” and that you will share your choices for future lists at www.loc.gov/bookfest. Please tell us how you think your book shaped America."

See the list of all 88 books at the Library of Congress' website and vote for your three favorites.