Thousands of rare books, manuscripts, and works of art—some famous and some rarely seen—live within the walls of The Rosenbach, and each one has a story to tell. Institutions like The Rosenbach are more than just repositories of history; they provide a space for people to come together and make sense of their shared futures.
The Rosenbach Podcast is made possible by The Evelyn Toll Family Foundation.
Episode 12 | The Case for Libraries and Museums in a Troubled World: A Discussion with Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian at the University of Oxford
Libraries, archives, museums, and the collections they contain are essential for the healthy functioning of democratic societies…
Episode 11 | The Refugees – The Activism of Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach on the Eve of World War Two
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…
Episode 10 | The View from Windsor: A Conversation about Rare Books and Stewarding National Heritage with Rachel Scott of Royal Collection Trust
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…
Episode 9 | A Royal Relic: Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach Receives a Gift from Great Britain’s King George V
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…
Episode 8 | The Quaritch Connection: A Conversation with London Booksellers at Bernard Quaritch Ltd. About Their Titanic Connection, and the Rare Book Trade Today
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…
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)
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…
Episode 6 | A Mother’s Grief, a University’s Library: How Eleanor Elkins Widener’s Loss on the Titanic Changed the Rare Book World.
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…
Episode 5 | Titanic: The Rise of Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach. A Conversation with Judith M. Guston, Curator & Director of Collections at The Rosenbach
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…
Episode 4 | Artifacts of Inspiration: Authorship, Activism, and the Archive. A Conversation with Philadelphia Poets Laureate Trapeta Mayson and Yolanda Wisher
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.
Episode 3 | Live from the Reading Room: Studying Rare Books and Manuscripts with Elizabeth E. Fuller, Librarian of The Rosenbach
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…
Episode 2 | Parlor Talk: Exploring the History and Collections of The Rosenbach with Judith M. Guston, Curator & Director of Collections at The Rosenbach
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…
Episode 1 | The Celtic Muse: Afternoon Tea, Scones, and Celtic Harp with Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames
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…