A bigger, better Harvard Guide

The new edition of The Harvard Guide, the University’s official guidebook, is now on sale at the Harvard Events & Information Center in the Holyoke Center Arcade. The guide has a fresh new look with a cover that celebrates Commencement and Widener Library.

Last published in 2000, the guide has been updated and expanded. Packed with 156 pages of “the faces, places, history, and lore of Harvard University,” the fourth edition of The Harvard Guide contains thousands of fascinating facts, such as the tragic story behind Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s beard.

Included is information about Harvard’s Nobel laureates, Commencement speakers, honorary degree recipients, Pulitzer Prize winners, groundbreaking scientists, and graduates who have gone on to fame and fortune, including seven who became president of the United States. The guide offers intimate glimpses of some of Harvard’s most notable personages, such as President George W. Bush, who during his time at Harvard Business School in the 1970s relaxed on weekends by eating hot fudge sundaes at his aunt’s house.

The guide explores Harvard’s museums, provides a snapshot of the University’s arts community, offers insight into lives of Harvard students, describes the University’s governing structure and finances, and details Harvard’s commitment to public service.

New to this latest edition is a section about the history of Harvard’s presidents, a topic that generated a great deal of interest during the inauguration of President Lawrence H. Summers in October 2001.

Many Harvard departments and groups buy the guide in bulk for distribution to faculty, staff, fellows, students, and visitors. Though the newest edition is 20 pages larger than the last, the pricing schedule remains the same. The guide is offered to members of the Harvard community at $2 per copy, with a discounted price of $1.75 per copy for orders of 100 or more – prices that reflect the break-even cost.

The price for the general public is $3 per copy.

The Harvard University Office of News and Public Affairs produces The Harvard Guide. For more information about ordering the guide, contact the Harvard Events & Information Center at (617) 495-1573, or e-mail icenter@camail1.harvard.edu.