Behind the Bookcase: Dracula, The Enduring Monster
8The Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia is a dream come true for bibliophiles, history lovers, and anyone who wants to learn more about their favorite book.
The museum offers many educational programs to the public, including Behind the Bookcase presentations; a guided tour through one of their many curated books in their massive collection.
During the tour, which is held in October, a small group gathers for a deep dive into one of the most influential gothic horror masterpieces of all time. Dracula: the Enduring Monster offers fans a chance to hold the first edition novel, read the author's handwritten and typed notes while writing, and glance at the earliest authorized illustration of the novel's antagonist.
The novel, written by Bram Stoker over the course of seven years, is still influential and read by worldwide audiences more than a century later.
The library is home to Stoker's original notes and 100 pages of outlines, early ideas for the novel, the author's research from folklore, and early editions of the novel. Fans can touch and feel the first edition hardcover and see Stoker's signed autograph up close and personal.
They can also peruse through the first paperback containing the earliest authorized illustration of Dracula that Stoker was able to see before he died.
Behind the Bookcase: Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'
Visitors who sign up for the event are guided past a number of bookshelves, containing 400,000 rare books, manuscripts, and art.
The Sunstein Senior Manager of Programs at the Rosenbach, Edward G. Pettit, lives for this. He's the tour host and narrator for this journey through one of the most influential works in literary history.
"They can handle the notes, we pass them around. The first edition is signed by Stoker. It is a great exploration of the conception and development of a novel that people are still reading today 125 years after it was published."
It's an unforgettable experience for these fans of the novel, and anyone who recognizes the influential work of a vampire that endures in pop culture to this day.
"This is what connects you about talking about literature," Pettit says. "The books are original editions, the manuscripts you're holding are the same ones the author wrote. That thrill never goes away. You're not just talking about notes in a book, you're showing them yourself. It's literary history."
Behind the Bookcase is just one of the many programs on offer at the Rosenbach.
You can join them for personally guided tours, cocktail hours, reading courses and much more from the depths of their fantastic collection of rare books and manuscripts.
For more events, please visit https://rosenbach.org/
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