The Rosenbach Podcast

Books are not just literary and historical artifacts; they can also be visual artworks. In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, renowned Philadelphia-based pop-up book artist Colette Fu introduces us to her art form and explains what inspires her to explore cross-cultural interactions by means of the pop-up book.

Museum and library exhibitions and collections have long been sources of public dialogue. Dr. Rosenbach and his brother and business partner Philip Rosenbach participated in one of the most ambitious exhibitions focused on rare books and documents in American history: the Freedom Train project of the 1940's, launched shortly after the end of the Second World War. The spirited public debate around equity, access, and narratives of American history inspired by the Freedom Train hold important insights for Americans today as we continue to consider how best to represent the origins and development of the nation. This episode of The Rosenbach Podcast shares the story of the Freedom Train and points listeners in the direction of other Rosenbach resources about telling inclusive stories from history.

Libraries, archives, museums, and the collections they contain are essential for the healthy functioning of democratic societies. Using the story of Dr. Rosenbach's charity book auction described in Episode 11 as a starting point, this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast features a conversation with Richard Ovenden, O.B.E., Bodley's Librarian at the University of Oxford. Our conversation explores cultural memory, information policy, and where our world may be headed with access to reliable information under threat. Mr. Ovenden discusses his new book, Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge (Harvard University Press, 2020), and what lessons history has to teach us about when libraries and archives come under attack.

As the Jewish people faced persecution under the Nazi regime, Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach, a prominent member of the Jewish American community, sprang into action to raise funds for refugees by means of a charity book auction held in New York. This episode of The Rosenbach Podcast reveals how Dr. Rosenbach activated his social and civic networks for a cause he believed in—and which other luminous figures in the American book world of the time lent their support.

Following in Dr. Rosenbach's footsteps, in this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, we will take our own trip to the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and speak with a Royal Collection Trust staff member about the work of the Library today. Rachel Scott of Royal Collection Trust shares her thought about the book Dr. Rosenbach's acquired from the Royal Library and tells us what it's like to work at Windsor Castle today.

The Rosenbach's collections include many objects with connections to European royalty. One such object is a book that was acquired as a gift from the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. In this episode, learn about this precious relic from a transatlantic voyage Dr. Rosenbach undertook in the 1920's.

Shortly before his death with the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic, Harry Elkins Widener visited the shop of Bernard Alfred Quaritch in London. The business continues to operate today and holds fascinating records of the Widener family's patronage so many years ago—as well as communications between Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach and Bernard Alfred Quaritch as news of the maritime disaster became known. In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, we will engage members of Quaritch's expert staff today to learn about the company's Titanic connections before turning to conversations about the state of the rare book trade today.

In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, a continuation of Episode 6, our team of experts from Harvard University continues to reflect on what Eleanor Elkins Widener's recovery from grief following the loss of family members onboard the R.M.S. Titanic reveals about the grief process—and how her construction of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library at Harvard might have aided that process. (Listen to Episode 6 before Episode 7; this episode is a continuation of the conversation begun in Episode 6.)

The loss of Harry Elkins Widener onboard the R.M.S. Titanic inspired his mother, Eleanor Elkins Widener, who survived the maritime disaster, to build a great library at Harvard University in her son's honor. She collaborated closely on the project with Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach—an endeavor that helped launch Dr. Rosenbach's career. In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, we will journey to Harvard University to learn more about the Widener Memorial Library, its collections, and the process by which it came to exist by speaking to a Harvard curator who works closely with books Harry Elkins Widener once owned. We will also speak with Harvard University experts in grief to gain insights about what inspired Eleanor Elkins Widener to create a library in her son's memory—and what her journey from anguish to triumph can teach us about healing from grief in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rosenbach is eternally linked to the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic by means of Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach's friendship with young Philadelphia book collector Harry Elkins Widener, who died onboard the ill-fated vessel. In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, the first in a four-part miniseries about the Titanic, join podcast host Dr. Alexander L. Ames and Rosenbach Curator & Director of Collections Judith M. Guston in the Rosenbach reading room to learn the basic details of The Rosenbach's Titanic and Widener family story, as the two view historic documents and rare books in the collection that record this tragic but pivotal episode in the lives of The Rosenbach's founders.

Books, historic documents, and other artifacts do not just record the past; they can inspire us to create a better future. In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, Philadelphia Poets Laureate Yolanda Wisher and Trapeta Mayson tell us about what objects in The Rosenbach's collection they find particularly inspirational for their own literary work. Wisher and Mayson, both of whom also serve on The Rosenbach's Board of Directors, share their thoughts about The Rosenbach, and what listeners should expect when they visit in person or engage in a virtual program. Both Mayson and Wisher read poems they've written, and the episode also features music recorded by these two multitalented, interdisciplinary artists—including selections from Mayson's album “This Is How We Get Through,” a collaboration with distinguished jazz artist Monnette Sudler.

The Rosenbach's collections draw researchers from around the world to visit our reading room and study books, manuscripts, and other objects. In this episode, recorded in the reading room, Elizabeth E. Fuller, the Librarian of The Rosenbach, introduces us to The Rosenbach's collections of rare books and manuscripts and shares a few of her favorite items in the collection. She also tells us about what it's like to be a Rosenbach researcher, and how anyone can visit the reading room to engage with our collection objects.

The Rosenbach holds internationally-significant collections of fine art, decorative art, and rare books, some of which reside in the beautiful parlor in the historic Rosenbach home. Yet all is not as it seems in this familiar space, which is filled with artifacts documenting the globally-diverse history of early America and the Philadelphia region in particular. In this episode, recorded in The Rosenbach's parlor, Rosenbach Curator & Director of Collections Judith M. Guston tells us about the history of The Rosenbach, the work of curators and other collections professionals, and what the artworks and artifacts on display in the parlor reveal about history and culture.

How can rare books and special collections like those held at The Rosenbach speak to modern-day American life? Why are material artifacts important in understanding our cultures' history and future? In the first episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, join host Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames for an evocative voyage into The Rosenbach's collections of American and British history and literature. Dr. Ames introduces books on The Rosenbach's shelves by famous authors Edna St. Vincent Millay and Sir Walter Scott to consider representations of gender and family in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, before reflecting on what the work of Edna St. Vincent Millay has to teach us about the economic and social labor of women—mothers in particular—as the United States grapples with the economic hardships laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. Celtic harp music featured in this episode was arranged, performed, and recorded by Dr. Ames.