Verso

So wrote Shakespeare four centuries ago, and many people today would agree that while the beauty of a rose is exceptional, what truly inspires us is its scent. The Huntington's historic Rose Garden is home to 1,400 rose cultivars

Before entering the Mapel Orientation Gallery, take a moment to notice the elegant outlines floating on the front windows. These silhouettes, which greet you as you enter and bid you a pleasant day as you leave, are a snapshot of The Huntington's library, art, and botanical collections.

A popular rule of etiquette recommends avoiding two topics in polite conversation: politics and religion. I would add a third—grammar. No discussion becomes more heated than a debate over whether it is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition.

Recent visitors to The Huntington's Chinese Garden—or Garden of Flowing Fragrance (Liu Fang Yuan)—may have noticed lotus flowers in bloom. The warm summer sun prompted their young leaves to emerge and float on the surface of the Lake of Reflected Fragrance.

Next Tuesday is Bastille Day, when France celebrates the start of the French Revolution, which began with the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. To mark the occasion, we highlight items in The Huntington's European art collection that have been forever altered

It's nearly impossible to experience all that The Huntington has to offer in a single day. There are acres of gardens to explore, hundreds of world-class works of art to gaze upon, and an entire library filled with rare books and manuscripts that bring history and literature to life.

The year was 1976, and the country was 200 years young. The gritty film Rocky filled movie theaters and a new TV show, "The Bionic Woman," flashed across TV screens. It was a time happily poised between the end of the Vietnam War and the beginning of long gas station lines.

On June 30, an era draws to a close at The Huntington as President Steve Koblik steps up to his well-deserved retirement. Before we turn the page to the next chapter in our history, Susan Turner-Lowe, vice president for communications and marketing at The Huntington, casts an eye over the life