Episode 6 | A Mother’s Grief, a University’s Library: How Eleanor Elkins Widener’s Loss on the Titanic Changed the Rare Book World.

A Conversation with Leslie A. Morris, Susan D. Block, and Sue E. Morris of Harvard University

Leslie A. Morris, Gore Vidal Curator of Modern Books & Manuscripts, Houghton Library, Harvard University.

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.  

Learn more about Widener Library and Houghton Library (Harvard’s special collections library where Leslie Morris is curator) here and here.

Amber Manning

I founded AmberCo. when I was five years old. Over the years, it has offered a variety of services from house cleaning, babysitting, car washing, travel planning, interior design and more. After college, I serendipitously fell into working for a web development company and I never looked back. I am happy that AmberCo. has finally settled on a mission that helps people in a meaningful way. I am also happy that some of the original services AmberCo. offered (cleaning and organizing) have carried through into its current iteration. I have been lucky enough to work for significant nonprofits such as the Sierra Club and the International Committee of the Red Cross and small local companies such as Hinkel Equipment Rental and Indars Stairs. My favorite part of working in technology is finding creative solutions for people and making their day to day work easier.

https://amberco.co
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Episode 7 | A Mother’s Grief, a University’s Library – How Eleanor Elkins Widener’s Loss on the Titanic Changed the Rare Book World (continued)

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Episode 5 | Titanic: The Rise of Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach. A Conversation with Judith M. Guston, Curator & Director of Collections at The Rosenbach