What began as a close battle turned into a blowout as the State Library’s rare, historic atlas nearly 500 years old cruised past an 1874 book on the Northwest coast’s marine mammals 62 percent to 38 percent in the first semifinal of the Library Jewels tourney.

The win propels the atlas into the final, where it will meet the winner of the other semi featuring the J.W. Thompson photo collection of Washington and the Dr. Seuss World War II booklet on malaria. That semi begins early this afternoon, so be ready to vote!