Short answers, pulled from the story.
Harry Ransom founded the Humanities Research Center in 1957 with a clear ambition to expand rare books and manuscript holdings. He began acquiring significant collections immediately, including the Edward Alexander Parsons Collection and the T. Edward Hanley Collection.
A Gutenberg Bible and Nicéphore Niépce's View from the Window at Le Gras anchor the center's public presence. The Gutenberg Bible is one of only 21 complete copies known to exist worldwide while Niépce's photograph holds the distinction of being the first successful permanent photograph taken from nature.
F. Warren Roberts took over as official director from 1961 to 1976 and significantly expanded the photographic holdings through the Helmut Gernsheim collection. He acquired archives belonging to D. H. Lawrence, John Steinbeck, and Evelyn Waugh during his tenure.
The center houses 36 million literary manuscripts alongside one million rare books and five million photographs. More than 100,000 works of art fill additional gallery spaces throughout the facility.
Jack Kerouac kept a writing journal while preparing On the Road which was published in 1957. This journal remains preserved within the archive alongside materials from Ezra Pound and Evelyn Waugh.