Did you know that the Free Library of Philadelphia has an extensive collection of rare books and literary artifacts, from a Shakespeare folio owned by the poet John Milton to Charles Dickens’ pet raven? They’re tucked away in the Rare Book Department, located on the Parkway Central Library’s third floor.
The collection is formed mostly of donations by private collectors, along with items the library has purchased using its endowment, explained Allison Freyermuth, the department’s head librarian.
Hey Philly spoke with Freyermuth to learn more about the department, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
This interview has been condensed.
How did the Free Library’s Rare Book Department start?
“The Free Library was given the actual library of a rare book collector, who was also a trustee of the library. His name was William McIntire Elkins. That gift was the catalyst to create a Rare Book Department.”
A Book of Hours — a kind of prayer book — from the Free Library’s collection. (Asha Prihar/City Cast Philly)
Which items in the department are visitors drawn to?
“Researchers … come from all over the world to use our collections.
“We get a lot of researchers looking at our medieval manuscripts. We get a lot of interest in our Pennsylvania German collection for genealogical purposes. We even have a really small James Bond collection. That collection got a lot of use when there was someone writing a book called ‘The Real James Bond.’”
Do you have any favorite pieces, or a favorite collection?
“We have a collection of cuneiform tablets. Cuneiform is the first writing system, [which] was invented by the Sumerians. We have about 3,000 of those tablets, which is a very large collection for a public library.
“As far as individual pieces go … we have a witch confession from Salem, Massachusetts, from 1692 from a young woman named Abigail Hobbs. It's a manuscript transcript of her trial, where she's accused of being a witch, and she confesses. At the very end — she's illiterate — there's just like a shaky X by her name. It’s kind of gruesome, but it’s interesting.”
Two of the Free Library’s thousands of cuneiform tablets. (Asha Prihar/City Cast Philly)
📚 Want to learn more about the Rare Book Department? There’s a daily 11 a.m. tour, plus an additional evening tour with a special focus on the first Wednesday of each month. The topic for the tour on April 3 at 6 p.m. is cuneiform tablets and ancient writing systems.
