The Great Literary Trip: Day 4

I'm back! Welcome to the day 4 recap.

Day 4

CITIES

Or, make that heading "city" singular. We spent all of our time in Philadelphia today. Today was a good day. So much so that I began calling this city, which I have been to only a handful of times, "Philly." Philly was kind to us today. We ate great food, walked some beautiful streets, and viewed hundreds of impressive books.

LIBRARIES

The Rosenbach

Located in Rittenhouse Square, the Rosenbach is an elegant 19th-century townhome filled with one of the greatest collections of manuscripts, first editions, artwork, and rare works of literature. The list of priceless items collected by the Rosenbach brothers in the 1900s is long: the original manuscripts of James Joyce's Ulysses, first edition Jane Austen books and Don Quixote, and Lewis Carroll's own copy of Alice in Wonderland. Dr. Rosenbach was "the Napoleon of the auction room," where he bartered and fought for priceless manuscripts to collect and supply to high-paying clients. I was quite honestly stunned and awed. I have been looking forward to this experience for a couple of months; however, my expectations were entirely exceeded.

I found all of my interests and loves intertwined and interconnected by the works and pieces amassed by the Rosenbach brothers. One of the first 17th-century, British theatre licenses that allowed women to officially act on the stage hangs on the wall of the first floor of the townhouse. I feel deeply connected to this item as an amateur actress and lover of theatre myself. Additionally, books that I've read and reread stood in their original forms and book slips on Dr. Rosenbach's shelves in his east and west libraries. The Rosenbachs also have a collection of newspapers, magazines, and publications, including copies of the New Yorker and the Saturday Evening Post where Dr. Rosenbach appeared with his famous collections.

Journalism, theatre, and literature: it was all there. I felt especially affirmed by this experience, as Dr. Rosenbach had a very similar start in the book world to me. Our tour guide began our day with a story. Dr. Rosenbach, the most literarily minded of the two brothers, began attending book auctions in Philadelphia alone when he was 10 years old. The first book he ever bid on and won was Reynard the Fox. His winning bid was $24; however, when he arrived to pick up his book, the auctioneer found out that Rosenbach only had $10 in his pocket. He still got the book and never stopped reading, chasing, and buying books.

When I was around 10 years old myself, I had a very similar experience; however, the closest place to a book auction in my life was none other than the Scholastic Book Fair that came to my elementary school once a year. I arrived at the counter with a big stack of books; however, I was, as I remember, $1.67 short. I walked out of the small, school library with all of the books I selected, and like Rosenbach, I have never stopped chasing books. They have never stopped chasing me.

University of Pennsylvania Libraries

I visited two libraries on UPenn's campus today: the Fisher Fine Arts Library and the Van Pelt Library. Both were beautiful, and I had a *grand* time climbing iron, winding staircases and digging through the deepest stacks of books that smelled like the 70s. (my favorite scent...)