New York may have Edith Wharton, but Philadelphia has . a lot of libraries. Despite the apparent dearth of writerly genius (Kelly Writers House
notwithstanding), that's no reason not to grab your reading glasses and dust off your favorite bookmark.
Rosenbach Museum & Library
2008-2010 DeLancey Place
Tues, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wed, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Thu-Sun, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; $5-8
(215) 732-1600
www.rosenbach.org
Got rare books on the brain? Rosenbach can help. Home to manuscripts of James Joyce's Ulysses, Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers, the Rosenbach takes literature seriously. But the items on display don't stop at books. The museum also houses the world's largest collection of portrait miniatures painted in oil on metal and an assortment of original illustrations for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. If your interests run more towards kiddie lit, then the 10,000 drawings and manuscripts by acclaimed children's book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak are probably right up your alley. This is the stuff dreams are made of - unlike the site below, which is more interested in nightmares.
Edgar Allen Poe
National Historic Site
532 N. 7th St.
Wed-Sun, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., free
(215) 597-8780
www.nps.gov/edal
Forget The Exorcist, The Ring, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Saw. You may think they're scary, but the screams and slaughters of these modern-day fright-fests are nothing compared to the works of Edgar Allen Poe, the master of all things horror. Remember The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher? Required reading for middle school students . and we say we don't do corporal punishment. Into masochism? Visit his house, now a national historic site. If your blood doesn't curdle, maybe you're already dead.
Free Library of
Philadelphia
201 S. 40th St.
Mon, 12-8 p.m.; Tues, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wed, 12-8 p.m.; Thu-Fri, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat, 1-5 p.m.; free
(215) 685-7671
www.library.phila.gov
You've probably been eyeing the Free Library for a while now. Hell, it's located pretty freaking close to campus, you might as well check it out already. Besides, anything with the word free in it has "COLLEGE STUDENT" written all over it. We know it's tough to break out of that Rosengarten bubble, but brace yourself - this is worth it. There's also a bunch of other locations throughout the city, so if you're really looking for some real adventure, we have one to thing to say: L-I-B-R-A-R-Y.
Museum of the
American
Philosophical
Society
105 S. 5th St.
Fri-Sun, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
(215) 440-3400
www.amphilsoc.org
If you're anything like me and you've ever taken a philosophy course at Penn, you probably thought that it was less than stellar and that you still didn't know much about philosophy. Should you be looking to remedy that problem, the Museum of the America Philosophical Society is as good a place to start as any. Coming up this summer, they have an exhibition called "Undaunted: Five American Explorers, 1760-2007," which sounds more like an IMAX show than anything that has to do with philosophy. I wonder if Tom Hanks is narrating.
Library Company of Philadelphia
1314 Locust St.
Mon-Fri, 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., free
(215) 546-3181
www.librarycompany.org
So, we're getting to be a little redundant with this free library stuff, but it's the literary issue, so what do you expect? What distinguishes the Library Company from the countless other libraries we've showcased, is its emphasis on research. The collection is primarily composed of rare books, manuscripts and works of art on American society and culture from the 17th through 19th centuries. Unlike the Free Library, the Library Company is an independent entity so they're looking for some lovin'.
