Join the Rare Book Department for extended evening hours on the first Wednesday of every month. Our October event is all about “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe’s poetic masterpiece, and will give guests a chance to view the manuscript up close.

Wednesday, October 1, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Free Library of Philadelphia Rare Book Department
1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Free
In-person
RSVP info: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/153146
More info: https://libwww.freelibrary.org/locations/departments/rare-book-department

In the early 1970s, Colonel Richard Gimbel and his wife Julia donated their matchless collection of Edgar Allan Poe to the Free Library of Philadelphia. Among the rarities in that gift was the only known copy of Poe’s iconic poem, “The Raven,” written in his own handwriting and signed by the poet.

The poem, which was first published on January 29, 1845, remains today one of the most famous poems ever written. Over the past 180 years, it has been reprinted, illustrated, parodied, and recited countless times, and it continues to inspire generations of artists.

This open house gives visitors the opportunity to view the manuscript copy of “The Raven” alongside printed editions of the poem, and other works it has inspired, from the 19th through 21st centuries.