Judaica & Rosenbachiana
Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach formed a highly important collection of early American Judaica. He gave the bulk of this collection to the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) in 1931. Nonetheless, significant Judaica remain at the Rosenbach, including several Hebrew incunabula, the Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695 (the first with a map of the Exodus), and the first Hebrew grammar printed in the United States (1731). Correspondence in the Rosenbachiana collection documents family members’ participation in organizations ranging from Philadelphia’s Congregation Mikveh Israel to the AJHS and the American Friends of the Hebrew University.
The Rosenbachiana collection encompasses books written by or owned by Philip and A.S.W. Rosenbach, a limited amount of family materials, including papers and photographs, and the archives of the Rosenbach Company, which the brothers ran from 1903-1953. The archives’ stock files, purchase and sales records, correspondence, and financial records, supplemented by a collection of 13,000 book auction and bookseller catalogs, are an important resource for tracing the formation and dispersal of many important collections, and for the study of the American antiquarian book trade in the 20th century.
Collection Highlights
A visit with Doctor R
Going, going, gone! Rare book auction , Hotel Plaza, New York, December 8, 1938
Materials Relating to the Pow-Wow Club
Monogrammed Lap Robe, Cigarette Box, and Promotional Pamphlet
Portrait of Joseph Gratz
Portrait of Rebecca Gratz
Service for the two first nights of Passover
The Bologna Pentateuch, 1482
Related Posts
Housekeeping: Installment 3 in An Ongoing Discussion of Collections Stewardship at the Rosenbach
In this series, Curator and Senior Director of Collections, Judith M. Guston, will provide The Rosenbach’s Company with background and updates on the Collections Department’s strategic initiative to expand and improve the Rosenbach’s stewardship infrastructure. It’s been a busy summer here in the Collections Department! In early June, we installed our exhibition, 18 Reasons to …
The House Tour, the Orientation Gallery, and the beginnings of Abraham and Philip Rosenbach
I am greatly looking forward to the time when visitors can return to The Rosenbach and enjoy the remarkable tours our guides provide of the historic house that was the home of Phillip and Abraham Rosenbach in the last two years of their lives. Giving a tour is one of my greatest pleasures. Starting in …
Women Breaking Barriers: Objects from The Rosenbach Collection Presented in Celebration of Alice Dunbar-Nelson
The following objects were selected by The Rosenbach’s Collections Department staff as examples from across our collections of women who broke barriers in their eras, cultures, and professions. They changed the world around them and became role models for those who followed in their footsteps. Amy Lowell (1874-1924), typed letter signed to A. Edward …
The Rosenbach Family in the 1926 Epidemic
In March of 1926, the Rosenbach brothers had made it. Abe was traveling back and forth to England for high profile and wealthy clients, brokering deals for some of the rarest and most historically important books in the Western Hemisphere. Phil ran the retail side of the business, managing two stores filled with highly provenanced …
Celebrate the Holidays at The Rosenbach
The recent first snowfall of the season on Delancey Place has us thinking warm thoughts about the upcoming holidays. This year, we hope you’ll share in our end-of-year celebrations, with a variety of programs that highlight the festive spirit, no matter how you celebrate. It’s hard to think of the holidays without thinking of Charles …
At table with the Rosenbach brothers
This blog post was written by Andrew White Dealers and collectors in rare and lovely things, the founding brothers of the Rosenbach had a profound connection to their Jewish heritage—reflected particularly in the collecting and scholarly pursuits of the younger brother, Dr. Abraham Rosenbach. Dr. Rosenbach was president of the New York Jewish Historical Society …
Bibliomanes and Biblioklepts
“I have known men to hazard their fortunes, go long journeys halfway about the world, forget friendships, even lie, cheat, and steal, all for the gain of a book.”–A.S.W. Rosenbach, Books and Bidders: The Adventures of a Bibliophile (1927) In January of this year, the book world was shocked by a daring theft from a rare …
Dr. Rosenbach and the songs of Robert Burns
This guest post is an excerpt of “Dr. Rosenbach, Robert Burns, and The Interleaved Scots Musical Museum: Song Collection and Bibliophilia” by Steve Newman, Associate Professor of literature at Temple University. It’s always exciting for us to read about the discoveries made by researchers! To make an appointment in our reading room, click here. Robert Burns devoted …
The Unpublishable Memoirs
Dr. Rosenbach became famous for selling the best books at the highest prices, but how does one amass a great collection when one doesn’t have the money to play the game? The clever but unscrupulous protagonist of Dr. R’s first book,The Unpublishable Memoirs, has a simple solution: clever cons and sly stealing. The Unpublishable Memoirs …
A Rosenbach Murder Mystery
Dr. Rosenbach’s book-dealing prowess not only earned him an extensive clientele, an amazing personal collection, and the chance to publish about his exploits, but his widespread fame also gave him a star turn as the victim in a 1930 murder mystery. The Yorkshire Moorland Mystery (a.k.a The Yorkshire Moorland Murder) by J.S. Fletcher revolves around …