The American Antiquarian Society is an independent, non-for-profit institution of national importance that supports a preeminent research library of American history and culture. Our mission is to collect, organize, preserve, and make available for use the printed and manuscript materials that record all aspects of the early history of what is now the United States, from the establishment of its first printing press in 1639 to 1876. We do so in order to foster a widely shared understanding and appreciation of our national past.