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Philadelphia
Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries |
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PACSCL
Presents:
Philadelphia was the publishing and bookselling center of the new nation, and the neighborhood around Independence Hall and Washington Square has been the center of these activities for almost three centuries. This compact walking tour (less than 1 mile without the southern loop; 1.5 miles with loop) includes optional stops at at five special collections libraries, two museums, a bookshop in the Philadelphia tradition, and a look at a number of buildings connected with Philadelphia printing, publishing, and bookselling.
Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence just two blocks away at Graff House, was also a book collector whose library formed the nucleus of the Library of Congress.
The American Philosophical Society, the nation's oldest and most
prestigious learned society, has an international membership that
includes about 100 Nobel Laureates. Founded by Benjamin Franklin
in 1743 to promote knowledge in the sciences and humanities, it
concentrates on the history of science and American History up to
the Civil War -- through research, symposia, library resources,
and community service. It is the oldest continuously-operating publisher
of scientific works in the country. Changing exhibits.
The Curtis Center, Sixth and Walnut
Streets, northwest corner
Walk into the Center's lobby and admire the 15' by 40' "Dream Garden" mural. This mosaic, said to be the last and favorite work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, produced from a Maxfield Parrish oil painting, consists of 100,000 glass pieces in 260 color tones. Millionaire Cyrus Curtis believed art should be available to all, so when, in the late 1990's, the mural's owners tried to sell and remove it from public view, Philadelphians raised an outcry. 
Walk through the Center's 6-story atrium (and former printing well) to Seventh and Walnut.
The Pennsylvania Bible Society The first English language Bible in America was printed a few blocks north on Market Street in 1782, but the plaque is on The Bible House at this address. The Bible Society, in 1812, published the first Bible printed from Stereotype plates, a less expensive printing process, and produced over 17,000 Bibles from these plates. The Society has been at the Walnut Street address since 1853, and sells Bibles in 67 languages.
About Washington Square and Publisher's Row: Washington Square, originally called "Southeast Square", was one of five squares laid out by William Penn. The site served as a potter's field for yellow fever victims, a prison, and a Quaker Meeting house. Around the 1820's, it was planted as an arboretum of 400 trees of 50 varieties and renamed to celebrate the upcoming centenary of Washington's Birthday. Publisher's Row began in 1785 with Matthew Carey's Lea & Febiger firm. Until 1840, Philadelphia rivaled New York as a publishing center, and controlled the inland Southern and Western fiction markets. Both cities relied on coastal and river navigation to reach readers, which is why we have Spring and Fall lists but no Winter lists since icy rivers blocked transport. N. W. Ayer & Son Building. 210 W. Washington Square.
If the building is open, enter the lobby to see additional decorative elements, including the avian sculpture pictured below.
W. B. Saunders Publishing (220 W. Washington Square) In 1888, Walter Burns Saunders founded a small publishing company with the goal of producing the finest quality medical books in the world. He sought out leading authorities as authors and worked to streamline the book production process without sacrificing quality in order to bring the latest in medical information to practitioners as quickly as possible. Today, W.B. Saunders is part of Harcourt Health Sciences and is headquartered around the corner, in the Curtis Building.
Quaker farmer Wilmer Atkinson founded The Farm Journal in 1877. By 1997, when it was sold to the Tribune Company, it was one of the oldest and most respected agricultural trade journals, with a circulation of over 600,000. This handsome brick building in the Colonial style was built on the site of the Orange Street Friends' Meeting House.
"Morley's Inn," S. Washington Square Christopher Darlington Morley (1890-1957) reached the pinnacle of his popularity as a writer in the 1930's and '40's. Best known for his novel Kitty Foyle (the film version of which earned Ginger Rogers an Oscar for Best Actress), he was, in fact, quintessentially versatile. Erudite and witty, he probed every literary genre and exhibited a style of substance and facility. Though he is perhaps best remembered as a novelist and literary columnist, he is also remembered as a dramatist, essayist, editor, especially in connection with the Book-of-the-Month Club and anthologist of two editions of Bartlett's Quotations, and one of the founders of the Saturday Review of Literature. A great fan of Arthur Conan-Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, he was the founder of the well-known Baker Street Irregulars. Morley's poetry which he wrote in free verse and rhymed had a 17th century lilt to it. His Translations from the Chinese (1932) is considered some of his best poetry. Then again, his poetry was transduced into lyrics in collaboration with such song writers as Jerome Kern. His collection of essays on walks in Philadelphia is still in print at Christopher Morley's Philadelphia. Christopher Morley was a graduate of nearby Haverford College (another PACSCL member library), and the Haverford College Library holds a comprehensive collection of Morley's works.
Lea & Febiger, 600 S. Washington Square This attractive building was the last Philadelphia home of a firm that was a force in the U.S. publishing world for more than 200 years. It was founded in 1785 by Matthew Carey, who as a youth served his first printing apprenticeship with Benjamin Franklin in France. He opened his first Philadelphia venture with funding from the Marquis de Lafayette. His innovations included the first use of Greek type in the US,the first use of outside proofreaders, the first book fair, the first U.S. booksellers' association, the establishment of the U.S. reputation of such authors as Sir Walter Scott, as well as a number of advances in book distribution and promotion. In this latter he was abetted by the efforts of his colorful agent, Mason Locke "Parson" Weems, whose influence on the reputation of George Washington will never be fully eradicated. Carey carried on an extensive correspondence with political and intellectual figures of the day, was active in the establishment the Hibernian Society and other efforts for the relief of poor Irishmen, and made a director of the Bank of Pennsylvania. When he died in 1839, his funeral was the largest seen in Philadelphia to that time. The firm has undergone many changes of names over two centuries: Carey, Stewart & Co.; M. Carey & Son; M. Carey & Sons; Carey & Lea; Carey, Lea & Carey; Carey, Lea &Blanchard; Lea & Blanchard; Blanchard & Lea; Henry C. Lea; Henry C. Lea's Sons & Co., Lea Bros & Co. and finally Lea & Febiger. Optional southern loop: Mother Bethel Church, Brinbridge Street Bookstores, Presbyterian Historical Society
Mother Bethel Church Mother Bethel A.M.E. church was founded by free black Richard Allen in 1794. Allen, with Absalom Jones and others, had founded of America's first African American social organization, the Free African Society, in 1787. Jones and Allen each founded an African American church after St. George's Methodist Church, where Allen had been a preacher, instituted segregated seating. When the yellow fever struck Philadelphia in 1793, African Americans were thought to be immune, and the Free African Society worked tirelessly for the relief of Philadelphia's stricken white residents. When Mathew Carey repeated rumors that African Americans were exploiting the white victims in his A short account of the malignant fever, lately prevalent in Philadelphia: with a statement of the proceedings that took place on the subject in different parts of the United States , Jones and Allen responded with A narrative of the proceedings of the black People, during the late awful calamity in Philadelphia, in 1793; and a refutation of some censures, thrown upon them in some late publications. Today Mother Bethel has a flourishing congregation. A museum in the church's lower level celebrates the life and work of its founders. The present Romanesque Revival building was constructed 1889-1890.
From Mother Bethel Church, continue south to South Street (1 block), then turn left and walk 1 block east
Billed as Philadelphia's largest used book store, the Book Trader offers an eclectic combination of fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as records. Although this Philadelphia institution moved to Old City (7 north 2nd Street) in early 2004, additional bookstores can be found one block to the south, in the 500 to 700 blocks of Bainbridge Street.
From the Book Trader, turn north on Fifth Street and walk one block north to Lombard Street, then turn right and enter the Presbyterian Historical Society.
Founded in 1852, the Society's library contains over 200,000 volumes and 20,000,000 manuscripts. These represent official records, personal papers, books and images documenting the history of the church and the Reformed tradition in America. There is an exhibition hall where the visitor finds ephemera, books, letters, and other items relating to the church's history.
Lippincott Building
One of its many headquarters buildings can be seen on the east side of Washington Square -- and today, as Lippincott, Williams and Williams, it remains a leading publisher of professional health information for physicians, nurses, specialized clinicians and students. Its world headquarters are right around the corner from its Washington Square home, in the 500 block of Walnut Street.
Private subscription libraries predated our public libraries. Founded in 1814, this member-supported library -- a National Historic Landmark building in the Italian Revival style -- is furnished with early 19th-century American fine and decorative arts, and its library collections concentrate on architectural and design history prior to 1940. Visitors are welcome to the first-floor gallery. Make an appointment to tour the second floor and see the building's stunning reading rooms with 24-foot ceilings. From the Athenaeum, cross Sixth Street and continue north past the Curtis Building to its twin, the Public Ledger Building.
Enter the lobby to see its handsome barrel vaulting and its eight-foot statue of Benjamin Franklin, then proceed to the right to see the Lights of Liberty headquarters on the Chestnut Street side. You may want to stop and make a reservation for this popular tour while here. The Public Ledger was an early pioneer in the use of Richard Hoe's rotary press (1846) and the Bullock-Hoe web press (1868).
This branch opened in February 2001 to serve five neighborhoods including Chinatown. It has two special collections. Chinese Interest includes over 3000 Chinese language items including books, videos, newspapers, Shakespeare, a large martial arts fiction collection, and children's classics such as Madeline. The Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and Transgender collection has over 2000 items. Programs offered at the Library include Chinese Web class, Calligraphy class, Chess Club, and several book clubs. It is a dynamic multi-cultural and multi-generational community center.
Across the street from the library is the Atwater Kent Museum of the History of Philadelphia. Housed in the original home of the Franklin Institute, the museum has a small but fascinating collection of historic artifacts and a permanent exhibit of Norman Rockwell's art. The museum would be of interest to children over seven years old. Open daily, 10am - 5 pm, except Tuesday (Side Trip: Down the street from the library, on Sansom Street, is Jeweler's Row, with more diamonds per square foot than a post-Oscar party.)
On the southwest corner is a recreation of the Graff House, in which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Turn right on Market Street, and continue east three blocks to Franklin Court
Even over 200 years after his death, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is probably America's most famous printer, though he was as adept as a writer as he was successful as a printer. His best-known productions are the newspaper the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard's Almanac, noted for its aphorisms penned by Franklin but in its time a useful, practical almanac. Franklin was also printer to the government of Pennsylvania and set up partnerships in other cities, all of which brought him considerable wealth and freed him to engage in public service. On Market Street are restorations of five buildings, one containing a working reproduction of a printing press and bindery, where you can see 18th century printing and bookmaking in action. There is also the restored office of The Aurora and General Advertiser, the newspaper published by Benjamin Franklin Bache, Franklin's grandson. In the Court itself are steel-frame silhouettes of Franklin's house (demolished in 1812) and his print shop. Through portals one can view archeological remains that include the privy, and underground is a museum devoted to Franklin. The Court was designed by architect Robert Venturi.
This concludes PACSCL's book-lover's tour of the historic district. Developed by the PACSCL Walking Tour Group: Janet Evans (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society), Roy Goodman (American Philosophical Society), Charles Greifenstein (College of Physicians of Philadelphia), Judith Robison (Rosenbach Museum & Library). Web page creation and additional photography by Laura Blanchard. |
American
Philosophical Society (A PACSCL member library)
Farm
Journal Building (230 W. Washington Square) 
The
Book Trader
The
Presbyterian Historical Society (a PACSCL member library)
J.B.
Lippincott has had many homes since its beginning in 1792 as a bookstall
on Market Street -- not surprising, since at one point it was the
largest distributor of books in the world, shipping a mind-boggling
ten tons of books a day.
Athenaeum
of Philadelphia (a PACSCL member library)
Replacing
an 1867 Second Empire building designed by John McArthur, Jr., the
Public Ledger Building housed what was arguably Philadelphia's premier
newspaper at the turn of the century. Prior to its demise in 1942,
the Public Ledger was considered by the ladies and gentlemen
of the Main Line, of Chestnut Hill, and Rittenhouse Square to be
"the only newspaper any lady or gentleman should read." 
The
Chemical Heritage Foundation seeks to strengthen understanding of
the chemical sciences and technologies. It encourages able students
to concentrate their studies in these sciences and industries, and
instills in chemical scientists and engineeers a greater pride in
their heritage and their contributions to society. Housed in the
First National Bank Building, original structure built in 1865.
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