Reviews of Harry Ransom Center (Museum)

Stacie Cooks

the gutenburg bible and the de niro collection are MUST SEES here! love this!

Meg McLaughlin

The HRC is a fantastic resource. I'm a photographer and a human interested in the arts, so I try to go as often as possible. I haven't been to a bad exhibit here. Some days I just go hang out with the first photograph. Sometimes I like to go to the reading rooms. The staff is lovely and welcoming. I can't recommend it enough!

Josh R

Free (donate what you like) and great exhibits. Just saw a great Ed Ruscha photography exhibit.

Eve Dinnan

Great place to see some really great exhibits.

Paul DeMello

The "first photo" was mesmerising, and it was cool to see the Gutenberg bible

Michael Stevens

We just recently went and saw the exhibit on the censorship of books in the US. This place is incredible for what it offers for free, bit PLEASE donate. They have the first photograph EVER taken on display which is a pretty big deal. The staff was extremely knowledgable and helpful. We did not go upstairs into the library/archive area but have heard nothing but phenomenal things about what all they offer. Please visit, please donate. Also the huge open windows offer great lighting for photographers.

Brittany Highland

I adore the Ransom Center. They had a Beat Generation exhibit from 2007-2008 that was my favorite exhibit ever, complete with the On the Road scroll. They currently have an indepth and fascinating exhibit on the King James Bible. The Center holds many treasures, including Scarlett O'Hara's outfits from Gone With the Wind.

Christy Horton

an amazing collection of historical documents.

kris schludermann

A great place for undirected browsing and learning

Leila Rahil

Thanks to a friend who works on Campus, I was given a full tour and this was one of my favorite stops! There are 3 must-sees here, 2 of which are permanent displays: -The Gutenberg Bible -The First Photograph -The Gone w/the Wind Exhibit The Gutenberg bible display is great and what a beautiful piece of preserved historical literature! They do a great job of enclosing the display case w/the book from the entryway ruckus, but be warned, you may only get a minute or two, if that, to yourself to admire the work of art as it is a tight space and people are not shy about squeezing in on you to get their peek. The First Photograph display is great as well! I actually had no idea UT even had this! The photograph itself is very small and super hard (if not impossible) to see up close. You have to stand back and admire it from afar and better yet, at an angle to make any discernible imagery out. The write-up on it is very informative! The Gone w/the Wind exhibit was neat. I have not read the book or seen the movie, so I am not, by any means, an GWtW expert, but the exhibit had props from the set, some great info, a first edition, and there were showings of the original screen tests in the auditorium. They even had this cool board to post a "post-it"of your thoughts on the exhibit to be collected and archived daily. Awesome on-campus discovery, especially for the low low price of FREE! Can't wait to see their upcoming exhibit, Alice in Wonderland!

Ian De Jong

Fascinating exhibits, broad and deep collections, and a welcoming (though rigorous) reading room make this an A+ destination for bibliophiles and researchers alike!

Glenna Broderick

Seeing the first photograph, a Gutenberg bible and an exhibit of Magnum photographs in one afternoon was awesome. If I lived here I would be there digging through their archive at least once a week. This place is the best. Thank you Harry Ransom for making all this highly accessible to the public!

Tiff Ting

UT has a ton of artifacts, and Harry Ransom is one of the venues through which it can display some of it on a rotating basis. And admission is free!

Meghan McCann

Great place! Employees care a lot about what they do and are very knowledgeable and the exhibits are great. Plus, it's a good place to escape the heat in the summer

Robert R

Open to the public, the collections housed here are beautiful and intriguing. However, the limited exhibition space limits the scope of these collections. Also, it's focus on literary material limits it's appeal to many. The building itself was very clean and the staff were quite friendly.

Brian Episcopo

Must see small free museum on University campus. World class research archive of popular media.

Daniel Salinas

I work here, and I'm in love with it. The employees care a lot about their work.

Carla Stevens

This is FREE, when not many things are anymore. I have been here many times and am never disappointed. The exhibits are always interesting, insightful and even if you think you know a lot about a subject there is always more to know. I never cease to be intrigued and informed.

Eduardo Acosta

Great museum. Get on their email list to find a cool event. The events vary from free movies to poetry readings.

Stephen Niemeyer

Amazing collection of artifacts and books, sometimes the collected works, including rough drafts and manuscripts, of authors. Exhibits rotate regularly and are free (although a donation is requested). Check out the website for hours and exhibits.

Alex Moore

Very cool Vaudeville exhibit!

Adam Honeycutt

This place is always fun to visit. They have really well put together exhibits, but it's not overwhelmingly large. Plus it's free, so you really have nothing to lose.

Patrick Lu

I've been studying photography for over 5 years now, and the HRC has one of the best curated galleries that I've seen in America. They have the entire Magnum archive which is absolutely flipping nuts. I could easily spend a month here looking at photos and I still wouldn't have scratched the surface of what they have to offer.

Katherine Fan

This is not going to be your typical review of the Ransom Center, but... it makes for a fantastic photo backdrop. I've been using the exterior glass walls, walkways, etc. for years for everything from just-for-fun to bridal sessions. It looks imposing at night, and approachable by day.

Robert Elsishans

Every exhibit here brings me to a different time in history. They usually blend art, writing, and time in a most interesting way.

John Tobin

Highly recommend for locals and out-of-towners - the public area is small but has their permanent exhibits (Gutenberg bible and first photograph) and an always interesting rotating exhibit. It's also completely free.

T. Rick

saw de original Jack Kerouac scroll fer 'On the Road' at this joint... mind blown... made me wanna tank up on angel dust, steal an old lady's car, point that whip west, proceed atta high rate o speed. all the while appeasing the manic thoughts perusing my brain wit continual doses o high octane caffeine!

Sean Harrison

Grand

Gregor J. Rothfuss

Amazing collection of rare books and the first photograph in the world, from 1826.

Lewis Desmond

worth checking out if you are on campus. saw an exhibit on a western artist last summer (can't remember his name) that was very well done. "the bible" is there

Lorena Lopez

Fairly decent museum (hey, it's free!) but I think Austin is quite lacking in the museum department. WHY?

Joyce Christ

Great Exhibits. Admission is free.

Mohammed Kamal

They have so many equipments

ezzeddine Elmir

This place has some nice artifacts like the first picture ever taken by a camera and one of the first printed bibles (Gutenberg bible).

Beth McKinney

I was really happy I finally went here. Everything from Robert Deniro's boxing gloves to the Gutenberg Bible can be seen, and for free. FREE. I was going to give it 4 stats because I'd hoped it would be bigger... But who can take away points when they didn't have to pay?

Joe Morse

A beautiful building at the edge of the UT campus, the Ransom Center is a literary museum unlike anything I've seen. It houses one of the only original Gutenberg Bibles (the first mass-produced book ever), an original print of the predecessor to photography, and several interesting exhibits (showing when I was there was an exhibit about a Greenwich Village bookstore and an exhibit on censorship). Interesting place!

K S

This is a must see while you’re in the Austin area. This museum is small but also free. They do except small donations. There’s a Frieda Khalid painting, the first ever photograph, and a Gutenberg Bible. An incredible amount of history in such a small space. The staff here were helpful and friendly. There are not large bags allowed. You do have free use of locked lockers. There is a small exhibit on at this time, which I assume rotates. There is no free parking for this building.

Taylor Fisk

Absolutely fantastic repository. I was so impressed with the two photography exhibits up right now. The curators did such a great job. I don’t think I will forget them any time soon. The selections from the Arthur Miller papers were also very cool and I have to give props to the processing archivists for getting a collection of that size ready for researchers in two years. The staff here were also very friendly and helpful, which is sadly quite rare with rare book and manuscript repositories. It is definitely worth a trip to the HRC if you’re in Austin.

Robert S

Magnum Photos. Gutenburg. Niepce. And Thursday = free day.

Aarika Marino

I have only been to the Harry Ransom Center once, but I intend on visiting many times again. The exhibit I visited was a collection of Arnold Newman’s portraiture work. His portraits really got me thinking. If I were to have someone take a portrait of me, how would I want to be portrayed? The flow of the work and the interactive installations were fantastic. And as an extra surprise, there is a painting by Frida Kahlo tucked to the right of the entrance! I never had seen one in person before, but the detail was exquisite.

Mengyu Xu

Has some incredible pieces such as the worlds first “photograph”, which was taken in 1826 in France and one of the few remaining original Gutenberg Bibles made in the 15th century. Well worth the visit if you ever come to UT.

Edward Doan

Fantastic collection of art and other historical artifacts! The building and its grounds are a relaxing place to spend time.

Nora Grace

A very nice collection of pieces and friendly staff.

Donald McClane

The exhibits are definitely worth a look. I had a great experience here.

Peter Tsai

The world's first photograph and a Gutenberg Bible are sitting 50 feet away from each other in this museum! I've also seen amazing exhibits here including original works from Ansel Adams. Best of all, the museum is free! The cool glass windows are amazing as well and a great spot for pictures. If you've never been here, what are you waiting for?

Dan Alpert

I went here with a group for a guided tour of the Alice in Wonderland exhibit. I had never heard about this place and was very pleasantly surprised. Our tour guide patiently and knowledgeably answered many questions. The exhibit was quite interesting. I have a new place for my parents to go next time they visit while I'm at work.

Phoebe Mattoon

It looks like it would be great but it's closed until Aug 15th. We will have to come back.

Wyatt Buckner

While I was there they they had a comprehensive showcase on Frank Reaugh that was organized very well. They also had a Gutenberg Bible on display which I found compelling. To my surprise with little advertising, off to the side they had the first photograph ever taken which I enjoyed very much.

Adam Hansen

Depending on the exhibit, this place can be really interesting.

Maria Regina

Has some literary treasures and hosts interesting special exhibits.

Curt Gardner

Access to amazing literary archives!

Santi Cortés Rico

Great

The W Family

Especially enjoyed the Gutenberg Bible and the exhibit of the first photograph ever taken. The museum is part of UT and admission is free with a suggested donation.

Chris Webb

Great literary and photographic displays. Friendly staff. Beautiful space.