

Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Welcome to the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. The Athenaeum was established in 1814 as a subscription library, at a time when the free public library system did not exist and collections of books, available for reading or research, were still mostly limited to institutions, schools or colleges.
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia nurtures curiosity in members and neighbors, strengthening community through learning and discourse.
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is one of 16 membership libraries that collaborate through the Membership Libraries Group. Some, like the Charleston (est. 1748), New York Society (est. 1754), and Newport (est. 1741) libraries, date from the 18th Century.

Fictions of Consent: Slavery, Servitude, and Free Service in Early Modern England
Urvashi Chakravarty
2022 Speaker Series
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The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I
Lindsey Fitzharris
New Release Recommendations
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Empire of Ruins: American Culture, Photography, and the Spectacle of Destruction
Miles Orvell
Athenaeum Literary Award Winners
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Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever
Kareem Rosser

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019
Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
Staff Recommendations
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Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast
Joan Dejean

The Paradox of Urban Revitalization: Progress and Poverty in America's Postindustrial Era
Howard Gillette

The Guns of John Moses Browning: The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
Nathan Gorenstein
Athenaeum Authors
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The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power
Deirdre Mask
Athenaeum Book Club Picks
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The Correspondents: Six Women Writers on the Front Lines of World War II
Judith Mackrell
Member Favorites
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Revolutionary Conceptions: Women, Fertility, and Family Limitation in America, 1760-1820
Susan E. Klepp

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Heather McGhee

Delaware Naturalist Handbook
Speaker Suggestions
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Madam C. J. Walker's Gospel of Giving: Black Women's Philanthropy During Jim Crow
Tyrone McKinley Freeman
2021 Speaker Series
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Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own
Eddie S. Glaude

Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped Into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home
Richard Bell
2020 Speaker Series
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