A storied English aristocratic family, living in a palatial home that was once an abbey, struggles to maintain their household in the face of 20th century financial realities.

On April 23rd and 24th 1928, this PBS plotline unfolded in the sales rooms of Sotheby and Company, London, as 172 items, largely from the collection of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland, came on the block. Known as the Wizard Earl for his keen interest in alchemy and penchant for scientific inquiry, his library reflected his curiosity and intellect, with works on language and classical literature, the art of war, medicine and anatomy, mathematics and alchemy, and narratives of colonial conquest. The Rare Book Department is home to several extraordinary items purchased from the sale. This talk will present those items and recount the circumstances that brought them to the Free Library.

2024 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Rare Book Department. To celebrate this anniversary, the Rare Book Department will offer extended evening hours until 8:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month throughout the year, including a free behind-the-scenes, sneak peek program to interested visitors from 6:30 p.m.to 7:30 p.m. Click here for an updated schedule of events. 

Image Credit: Henry Percy, by Nicholas Hilliard c1595, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam