Alfred Edward Newton, one of the most prominent book collectors in the Philadelphia region, was born in Philadelphia on August 26, 1864. His formal education was limited, but an interest in books inspired his first collecting efforts in the 1880s. His early working life was haphazard: he began working as a grocery stock boy when he was still in his early teens, spent a few years as a bookstore clerk unwilling to sell books, tried and disliked banking, and eventually joined the Cutter Electrical and Manufacturing Company in 1895. Five years later, he bought it and became president, and remained with the company until his retirement in 1932.

His interests, however, lay almost entirely in the realm of book collecting – he claimed nine-tenths of his energies were devoted to his library. He married Babette Edelheim, daughter of fellow collector Carl Edelheim, in 1890, and socially moved in a circle of fellow collectors, including Moncure Biddle, William Elkins, and Christopher Morley. His first book, The Amenities of Book-Collecting, was published by The Atlantic in 1918. It was an enormous success in the circle of bibliophiles throughout England and America, and led Newton to a successful writing and speaking career. Later books followed on similar themes, including 1921’s A Magnificent Farce and 1928’s This Book-Collecting Game. He primarily collected British literature, and was particularly drawn to Dickens, Trollope, and Samuel Johnson.

Newton and his family lived at their estate, “Oak Knoll,” in Daylesford, Pennsylvania. Oak Knoll Books and Press, a printing and publishing company (founded in 1976 and located in Delaware) was named after Newton’s estate, the company’s founder being inspired to start the company by some of Newton’s writings on book collecting. Although Newton is not connected to Oak Knoll Press, he did do some printing at home, producing Christmas keepsake pamphlets on a variety of subjects for a substantial list of friends and colleagues for thirty-three consecutive years. After a lingering illness, Newton died in 1940, described by the Library of Congress as “the most famous and influential of American book collectors.” His remarkable collection of rare books was auctioned off by Parke-Bernet in 1941, with his personal papers and his published writings being donated to the Free Library by his son, E. Swift Newton, in 1954.

Bibliography

Free Library of Philadelphia. "Remarks Made by E. Swift Newton on the Occasion of His Presentation of the Personal Library of His Father A. Edward Newton to the Free Library of Philadelphia." Philadelphia: Free Library of Philadelphia, 1954.

ABAA. Interview with Bob Fleck, founder of Oak Knoll, 2010.

Library of Congress: Rare Book Division. A Tribute to A. Edward Newton, Christmas, 1940. US GPO, 1940.

This collection primarily consists of the personal papers and published writings of Philadelphia book collector A. Edward Newton. Correspondence, book manuscripts and typescripts, keepsakes produced by Newton, and newspaper clippings make up the bulk of the collection; other types of materials include auction and dealer catalogs, bibliographies, bookplates, drawings, etchings, fine press keepsakes, invitations, photographs, programs, and a scrapbook.

The collection includes material from most of Newton’s significant publications, with drafts, manuscripts, typescripts, and galley proofs of several of Newton’s books. It also documents many of his more ephemeral writings, including speeches and unpublished articles. He maintained files related to his book collecting activities, most notably a scrapbook full of invitations and clippings, and a portfolio documenting his 1931 speaking tour of California.

Correspondence includes both letters to and from Newton, and has been accumulated from a variety of sources and donors. Particularly prominent in the correspondence series are Moncure Biddle, William Elkins, Charles Osgood, and Gabriel Wells, all close friends of Newton. The correspondence sheds light on Philadelphia bibliophilic society in the early twentieth-century, including the collectors’ work on various library boards (including the Free Library) and professional societies and honors, particularly the Philadelphia Award.

Other items of interest in the collection include the full run of Newton’s Christmas keepsakes (produced 1907-1939, with a posthumous tribute issued by the Library of Congress in 1940) and rare bibliographies of Newton’s now-dispersed library. The Newton collection also includes several hundred published volumes, the bulk of which were written or partially written by Newton and include specially bound editions of his keepsakes for his private library. The published volumes have been cataloged and housed separately and can be found in the Library’s public catalog.

The collection is arranged in five series: I. Book collecting activities; II. Book manuscripts and other writings; III. Correspondence; IV. Personal records; and V. E. Swift Newton papers.

The first and second series are arranged alphabetically by title.

The third series, Correspondence, is arranged by source, beginning with Newton's general file of correspondence and historical family letters and then arranged alphabetically by source. Within each file, correspondence is arranged chronologically.

The fourth and fifth series are arranged alphabetically by title.

Several hundred published volumes donated as part of the A. Edward Newton collection have been cataloged individually and are findable in the Library's main catalog.

Publication Information:

Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department, November 2014

Finding Aid Author:

Finding aid prepared by Caitlin Goodman

Access Restrictions:

This collection is open to researchers by appointment. Please contact the Rare Book Department at 215-686-5416 for access.

Use Restrictions:

The right of access to material does not imply the right of publication. Permission for reprinting, reproduction, or extensive quotation from the rare books, manuscripts, prints, or drawings must be obtained through written application, stating the use to be made of the material. The reader bears the responsibility for any possible infringement of copyright laws in the publication of such material. A reproduction fee may be charged depending on the use of the material.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

This collection was accumulated through various sources, with the bulk of the collection donated by E. Swift Newton in 1954.

Additional donors, particularly of correspondence, include A. Edward Newton himself, along with John Ashhurst, Owen and Peyton Biddle, William Elkins, Charles Osgood, Charles Sessler, and Mabel Zahn. A small number of items were purchased from dealers. For more information on specific acquisitions, please contact the Rare Book Department.

Arizona Historical Society: Newton collection, 1935-1938.

Library of Congress: A. Edward Newton collection, 1922-1964 (2002554270).

Newberry Library: A. Edward Newton letters, 1928-1937 (Midwest.MS.170).

University of California Berkeley, Bancroft Library: A. Edward Newton papers, 1927-1940 (BANC MSS 87/171 Z).

University of Denver: A. Edward Newton papers, 1919-1941.

• Bernard Quaritch (Firm).
• Free Library of Philadelphia.

• Auction catalogs
• Bibliographies
• Bookplates
• Correspondence
• Diaries
• Galley proofs
• Keepsakes (books)
• Manuscripts
• Photographs
• Scrapbooks

• Ashhurst, John, 1865-1932
• Biddle, Moncure, 1882-
• Carson, Hampton L. (Hampton Lawrence), 1852-1929
• Chrystal, G. (George), 1851-1911
• Currie, Barton, 1877-1962
• Dudley, E. Lawrence (Edward Lawrence), 1879-
• Edelheim, Carl
• Elkins, William McIntire, 1882-1947
• Lewis, John Frederick, 1860-1932.
• Lucas, E. V. (Edward Verrall), 1868-1938
• Morley, Christopher, 1890-1957
• Newton, Babette
• Newton, E. Swift (Edward Swift)
• Osgood, Charles Grosvenor, 1871-1964
• Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952
• Sargent, George H. (George Henry), 1867-1931
• Tregaskis, Eve
• Tregaskis, Hugh
• Tregaskis, James, 1850-1926
• Wells, Gabriel, 1862-1946

• Bibliomania
• Bibliophilia
• Book collecting
• Exhibitions