The Rosenbach is one of the world’s great libraries containing literature of the British Isles. In this brand-new, permanent exhibition, you’re invited to explore highlights from the Rosenbach while you cozy up with a book next to the gallery’s fireplace and enjoy your favorite work of literature! Authors and topics featured in the Treasures gallery include Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Phillis Wheatley, Ignatius Sancho, the African diaspora, Oscar Wilde and LGBTQ literature, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes, Lewis Carroll, Bram Stoker and Dracula, and, of course, James Joyce and Ulysses. This immersive, welcoming gallery will take you on a literary voyage to the British Isles and introduce you to some of the Rosenbach’s thought-provoking treasures, with a few surprises along the way.

Admission to the Treasures exhibition is included with your ticket to the historic house tour, or as a special ticket paired with a visit to our garden. Secure your ticket here. We look forward to welcoming you soon!

A man with a blue blazer and glasses gestures at an exhibit while leading a large group of people through a gallery space with green walls and plexiglass display boxes. — Dr. Alexander Ames guides a public tour of Rosenbach’s new Treasures Gallery. Photo by Mark Garvin.

A man wearing a dark sweatshirt looks down into a plexiglass display containing several paper documents. — A visitor in the Treasures Gallery looking at a display of works by Phillis Wheatley and Ignatius Sancho. Photo by Mark Garvin.

A visitor in the Treasures Gallery looking at a display of works by Phillis Wheatley and Ignatius Sancho. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Select collection items currently on display

This Treasures gallery is the first of three permanent exhibitions the Rosenbach will create. The second Gallery will open on June 14, 2025. Each is designed to showcase a themed selection of works from the museum’s singular collection. The items below are currently on display in the Treasures from the Rosenbach’s Collection: Literature of Great Britain & Ireland gallery along with several other celebrated works. All collection photos by John Flak.