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Charles Dickens: the Inimitable Boz!

Date / Time

  • June 8, 2018
    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Beginning with his early works published under pseudonym “Boz” (he later impishly signed his letters “The Inimitable Boz”), Charles Dickens was a literary phenomenon in the 19th century, and his ubiquity continues with legions of readers all over the world. On June 9, 1870, the world was shocked to learn of his unexpected death. Join us as we celebrate his life and work with a look at manuscript pages from Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers, as well as original serial parts and first editions of his novels.

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Hands-On Tour: James Joyce & Irish Authors

Date / Time

  • June 15, 2018
    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

The Rosenbach celebrates Bloomsday on June 16, so as a warm-up, we’ll break out some of the other notable Irish authors from our collections. Along with James Joyce’s handwritten manuscript of his modernist masterpiece Ulysses, we’ll also read and handle works by Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, and more! These Irish authors have connections and influences extending from Thomas Jefferson and Moby-Dick to the present day.

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Hands-On Tour: 19th Century Gay Lives, or, Love Revealed

Date / Time

  • June 1, 2018
    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Bold, cautious, resolved, ambivalent, and sometimes all of the above, gay men of the 19th century strove for authentic identities in art, literature, and love. In this Hands-on Tour, we’ll look at the rise and fall of Oscar Wilde, follow John Addington Symonds path from self-acceptance to advocacy, fraternize with Walt Whitman and Herman Melville, and see the first use of the word homosexual in an English publication.

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Shakespeare: Twelfth Night Discussion

Date / Time

  • July 19, 2018
    6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Join us for a discussion of Shakespeare’s comic masterpiece Twelfth Night. The following week, we’ll meet-up at Clark Park in West Philadelphia to see its free production of the play. We will also come together the first Saturday of every month at the Rosenbach to read aloud one of Shakespeare’s plays.

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Shakespeare Free Read-Aloud Group: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Date / Time

  • August 4, 2018
    1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Reading Shakespeare plays aloud not only offers a communal way to enjoy these great works but promotes a deeper understanding of Shakespeare’s poetry and wordplay. No acting experience is required to participate—just bring your voice!

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Bibliococktails: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Date / Time

  • August 10, 2018
    6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The Bibliococktails series celebrates great literature and great libations. Held almost every second Friday, programs include light refreshments, themed cocktails provided by Quaker City Mercantile, and a rotation of activities such as readings, music, and games. 21 and up.

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Hands-On Tour: Dracula

Date / Time

  • May 25, 2018
    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Get up close and personal with Bram Stoker’s handwritten notes (character and chapter outlines, chronologies, and more!) for Dracula as Rosenbach staff explore what it takes to create an enduring monster.

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Sold Out! Hands-On Tour: Love Letters

Date / Time

  • May 18, 2018
    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Join us for this rare peek into some of the most personal and emotional writing in our collections. From the aching yearnings of poet John Keats to the dying wishes of a Civil War solider, the Rosenbach is home to a variety of love letters. Spend an hour getting up-close and personal with a variety of treasures, including correspondence from Marlene Dietrich to Mercedes De Acosta and handwritten pages from James Joyce’s Ulysses.

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Hands-On Tour: Lewis Carroll

Date / Time

  • May 11, 2018
    3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Mathematician and cleric Charles Lutwidge Dodgson published children’s books under the pen name Lewis Carroll. This tour will explore both the man and the author, drawing on letters from Dodgson to his publishers, original drawings by John Tenniel (the illustrator of the Alice books) photographs of children taken by Carroll, and, of course, copies of his books.

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