As the Kress Library of Business and Economics approaches its fiftieth anniversary in 1988, it seems an appropriate time to reflect upon the library's origins. In this essay, Ruth Rogers explains how the foundation of the collection came to the Harvard Business School, what it encompasses, and how it has evolved over the years. Some major changes are evident at the close of the Kress Library's first half-century, but its perspective will always be rooted in the past.