Throughout Spring and Summer, every corner of the Free Library of Philadelphia will be taking inspiration from In Our Nature: Flora and Fauna of the Americas - an exhibition taking place in our… continue reading

By Adam F.   March 27, 2018    3

The Free Library's Rare Book Department prides itself on making historical and beatiful artifacts available to the general public. An award of $500,000 from the Council on Library and… continue reading

By Julie B.   January 11, 2018    4

Ferdinand never wanted to be a fighting bull, so he's right at home here in the Free Library...  John Cena stars as the big-hearted bull in the animated adaptation opening in theaters… continue reading

By Caitlin G.   December 15, 2017   

Do you send out greeting cards around the holiday season? Families have been writing "Christmas Letters" for hundreds of years, but the commercially produced Christmas card is a little… continue reading

By Caitlin G.   December 8, 2017   

Come join us in the Rare Book Department for our newest exhibition, where you will discover a world of books big, small, round, long, clay, flat, wearable, and more! As you make your way through… continue reading

By Grace D.   November 2, 2017   

Earlier this week, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden made a whirlwind visit to the Rosenbach and the Parkway Central Library , and we couldn't have been more thrilled to have her! On her… continue reading

By Sandy H.   September 22, 2017    1

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is celebrating its 100th birthday ! Come celebrate with the Parkway Central Library and our Parkway neighbors ! The centennial celebration will kick off on Friday,… continue reading

By Julie B.   September 5, 2017    1

We like to celebrate Beatrix Potter every day here in the Rare Book Department , but today is her 151st birthday, so it's extra-special. You probably remember Peter Rabbit and his… continue reading

By Caitlin G.   July 28, 2017    1

Much has been written in academic journals about the need to increase access to special collections in public libraries, museums, and universities. This topic is particularly relevant to the … continue reading

By Joe S.   May 5, 2017   

We all know Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia's everyman. Poor Richard . Diplomat of the Revolution . Inventor of the Glass Harmonica . Postmaster General . Guy Who Flew A Kite in a… continue reading

By Caitlin G.   April 28, 2017   

Move over, London! England’s capital city may count Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot among its resident gumshoes, but only Philadelphia can be called the true birthplace of the modern… continue reading

By Alix G.   April 10, 2017    2

Do you love The Da Vinci Code ? Have you ever wished you could uncover a secret code in a medieval manuscript? Exciting news! Your wish may come true! Take a look at the image of a 15th-century… continue reading

By Diane B.   March 9, 2017   

The Rare Book Department 's Judaica includes a beautifully written and lavishly hand-decorated Spanish Hebrew Masoretic Text bible . Commissioned in 1496 in Lisbon, Portugal, the book is… continue reading

By Caitlin G.   February 24, 2017   

His wasn’t an auspicious beginning and his end remains shrouded in mystery... 208 years ago today, Edgar Allan Poe was born to actors David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe, in… continue reading

By Allison F.   January 19, 2017    1

Philadelphia is a wild and weird city. There’s so much to love, to hate, to love to hate, and to hate to love. There’s also so much that we, as every day Philadelphians, have somehow… continue reading

By Sarah M.   January 5, 2017   

This One Book, One Philadelphia season takes us back in time to the Civil War era, as we travel and travail alongside fictional southerners Inman and Ada in Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain .… continue reading

By Kathy H.   January 20, 2016   

To celebrate the landmark papal visit to Philadelphia, the Rare Book Department at Parkway Central Library has opened a new exhibition of rare religious texts. Running through January 30,… continue reading

By Janine P.   August 31, 2015   

Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. It is a day of feasting and rejoicing, commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to annihilate… continue reading

By Joe S.   March 4, 2015   

The Free Library of Philadelphia is proud to present Framing Fraktur , a three-month celebration of historic Pennsylvania German folk art and its relationship to contemporary art, opening today… continue reading

By Michelle S.   March 2, 2015   

We’re excited to share our newly digitized Oscar Wilde manuscripts, part of the rich collection of literary manuscripts and first editions in the Rare Book Department. The draft of The… continue reading

By Samantha M.   November 25, 2014    2