The Darlington Digital Library was created from the first major collection of books, manuscripts, and maps donated to the University of Pittsburgh. The lion's share of the credit for this collection goes to the attorney William M. Darlington, who was born in Pittsburgh in 1815. During his long life, Darlington collected items like John James Audubon's "Birds of America" and hundreds of lithographs, broadsides, and other items. The collection eventually found its way to the university in 1925, and this collection contains over 3,000 items from its holdings. Visitors can scan through the major sections here via the Atlases, Books, Broadsides, and Images areas. The Atlases area includes five gems, including the Novus Orbis Regio, which features North and South America as Simon Gyrnaeus imagined them in 1532. The Broadsides area is a real treat, containing a proclamation by President George Washington declaring February 19, 1795 as a "Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer." Finally, users can use the search engine to look for items of particular interest. [KMG]
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