Notable Collections

Beginning in 1945 with the acquisition of the Theodore Dreiser Papers, the Penn Libraries has maintained collecting strengths in modern American manuscripts. Recent acquisitions including the Gotham Book Mart Collection, have added depth and breadth. This page provides an overview of major collections of interest to students and scholars in American studies.

Renowned artist, writer, storyteller, children's book creator, and humanitarian Ashley Bryan created thousands of drawings, paintings, collages, and linoleum block prints over the course of his long and productive life. His archive, containing hundreds of original works documenting his career, was donated to the University of Pennsylvania Libraries in 2019.

The Francis Hopkinson collections include manuscript and printed music and other materials written and collected by this early graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and signer of the Declaration of Independence, and by other family members.

The Gotham Book Mart was a vital bookstore in the New York literary scene from its creation in 1920 to its closing in 2006. In 2008, after the closure of the bookstore, the Penn Libraries received the remaining stock of books, along with papers and other items from this landmark institution.

The prolific and once popular writer James T. Farrell (1904-1979) is perhaps best known for his Studs Lonigan trilogy. Collections in the Kislak Center include Farrell's substantial surviving papers; a near-comprehensive group of his publications, including translations; and material about and from him in other collections.