A. S. W. Rosenbach

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dr. Abraham Simon Wolf Rosenbach (July 22, 1876 – July 1, 1952, in Philadelphia) was an avid collector and scholar of U.S. books and manuscripts.

Rosenbach got his start collecting while a freshman in college at the University of Pennsylvania. His company, simply called the Rosenbach Company, went on to help assemble the extensive collections of the Huntington Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He also worked for private clients such as J.P. Morgan, Lessing Rosewald and Harry Widener.

Rosenbach is credited with popularizing American literature at a time when only European literature was considered collectable. He also advanced the idea of book collecting as a means of investment.

Rosenbach's home was converted to the Rosenbach Museum & Library in 1954 to help preserve his personal collection of rare books. The townhouse also contains many rare fine and decorative arts collected by his brother, Philip Rosenbach.