It’s April, everyone, and you know what that means – it’s National Poetry Month ! Each year, the Academy of American Poets "highlights the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets" by…
Now on view at the Rosenbach, Of Two Minds: Creative Couples in Art & History showcases the creations of romantic couples who inspired, instructed, or even assisted one another in making art or knowledge. In honor…
On February 7, we opened a new exhibition celebrating the art and achievements of romantic couples, from the powerful royalty of the 16th century to cinema stars of Old Hollywood to local artists creating together today. Of Two…
Greetings from Frozen Philadelphia! After a snowy beginning to the new year and a lot of single-digit temperatures, we're bundled up and back in the office. And as we shiver on our way to and from the museum, we're…
On January 1, 1818, the London publishing house Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones published a book titled Frankenstein , or The Modern Prometheus . The publication did not name its author, but the book had a…
I’ve never read Moby-Dick . I know! I work at the Rosenbach, where one of the world’s best collections of Herman Melville’s work resides, and I haven’t read his most famous book. I’ve admired his…
Since Frankenstein & Dracula: Gothic Monsters, Modern Science opened on Friday the 13th of October, I’ve fielded a few questions from surprised visitors: Dracula , really? It’s not difficult to see the…
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 tour, she was able to view a selection…
Rosh Hashanah —the celebration of the Jewish new year—begins at sundown on Wednesday night, September 20. Even those not celebrating the holiday may be preparing, as Philadelphia schools are closed Thursday and Friday .…
As the opening date for Frankenstein & Dracula approaches, we've been revisiting some of the strange ( and occasionally salacious ) stories from the lives of the Romantic authors whose dark and imaginative stories…
Little Pig Robinson , published in 1930, is the last book in Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit series , though it was one of the first to be written. In a letter from 1893, Potter described seeing a pig on a ship in the harbor at…
August is Family Fun Month , and the Free Library has some ideas for you and your family to celebrate together, library-style! Check it out: Enjoy Oval+ programs in the newly-reopened Right outside of the Parkway Central Library on Vine…
James Joyce is said to have told his acquaintance, artist and writer Frank Budgen, that he wanted his novel Ulysses to "give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city suddenly disappeared from the earth, it could be…
June 16 is observed around the world as a celebration of James Joyce and his epic Ulysses , a novel that has been called everything from masterfully moving to hilariously obscene. Nowhere in the United States is this global literary…
Crossposted to the Rosenblog . One of the first things you may see when you enter Clever Criminals and Daring Detectives is a wall of extremely odd words in bold typography: Peg tantrums. Tip the velvet. Potatoe trap. What could these…
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 detective tale. In celebration of our…
Since the early days of printing, readers have been gripped by real-life tales of highwaymen and murderers, the last words of executed criminals, and fictional detective stories which have long fascinated us. What has made this form of…
With the Democratic National Convention descending on the city next week, political partying and election events are taking over the town. Joining in on this moment for the city, the Free Library and the Rosenbach also have some…
Our literary Christmas is almost upon us: Philadelphia’s favorite bookish holiday— Bloomsday —arrives on Thursday, June 16, and we couldn’t be more excited! This annual event celebrates James Joyce’s…
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 . Adult companion books Twelve Years a…