APS offices and the library reading room are closed December 23–January 1 for the holidays. Regular hours resume January 2. The APS museum is open December 26–29, 10 am–5 pm. 

Published Guides

Agriculture

Andrea J. Tucher, comp., Agriculture in America, 1622-1860: Printed Works in the Collections of the American Philosophical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia. New York: Garland Publishing, 1984.

 

American Philosophical Society

Edward C. Carter II’s “One Grand Pursuit”: A Brief History of the American Philosophical Society’s First 250 Years, 1743-1993 and Murphy D. Smith’s Oak from an Acorn: A History of the American Philosophical Society Library, 1770-1803.  Wilmington, Del: Scholarly Resources, 1976

 

Astronomy

Frederik Nebeker’s "Astronomy and the Geophysical Tradition in the United States in the Nineteenth Century: A Guide to Manuscript Sources in the Library of the American Philosophical Society." Library Publication No. 16. Philadelphia: APS, 1991 provides an overview of APS sources prior to 1991.

 

Charles Darwin Papers

Frederick Burkhardt and Sydney Smith, eds. A Calendar of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, 1821-1882. New York: Garland Publishing, 1985.

P. Thomas Carroll, ed. An Annotated Calendar of the Letters of Charles Darwin in the Library of the American Philosophical Society.  Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1976.

 

Education

Cornelia S. King. American Education, 1622-1860: Printed Works in the Collections of the American Philosophical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia.  New York: Garland Publishing, 1984

 

Electricity

Ellen (Gruenberg) Gartrell.  Electricity, Magnetism, and Animal Magnetism: A Checklist of Printed Sources, 1600-1850.  Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, (1975).

 

Folklore

Beth Carroll-Horrocks.  “Sources for the History of Folklore in the Manuscripts Department of the American Philosophical Society Library” (Unpublished, available in APS Library), 1989.

 

Printed Materials

Catalog of Books in the American Philosophical Society Library. 28 vols. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Corp., 1970

 

Manuscripts

Catalog of Manuscripts in the American Philosophical Society Library. 10 vols. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Corp., 1970

 

J. Stephen Catlett. A New Guide to the Collections in the Library of the American Philosophical Society.  Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 66s. Philadelphia : American Philosophical Society, 1987.

 

Linguistics

Beth Carroll-Horrocks. Sources for the History of Linguistics in the Manuscripts Department of the American Philosophical Society Library.  Introduction by Henry Hoenigswald. Philadelphia : American Philosophical Society, 1989

 

Medicine

J. Stephen Catlett, A Guide to Manuscript Sources in the History of Medicine in the American Philosophical Society Library.  Philadelphia : American Philosophical Society, 1987.  Updated by Beth Carroll Horrocks and Robert S. Cox, 1999

 

Molecular Biology

David Bearman, and John T. Edsall, eds. Archival Sources for the History of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: A Reference Guide and Report.  Philadelphia: APS, 1980.

 

Thomas Paine Collection

Hildegard Stephans. The Thomas Paine Collection of Richard Gimbel in the Library of the American Philosophical Society.  Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 1976.

Social Sciences

 

J. Stephen Catlett. “A Guide to Manuscript Sources on the Social and Behavioral Sciences in the American Philosophical Society Library.” 1985. Unpublished.

 

Travel Accounts


Darwin H. Stapleton. Accounts of European Science and Technology Written by American Travelers up to 1860. Library Publication No. 9. Philadelphia: APS, 1985.