Edwin Wolf II (December 6, 1911 – February 20, 1991)[1] was an American librarian and collector who was one of Philadelphia’s most prominent bookmen during the 20th century.[2] [3]
Biography edit
Education and career edit
Wolf attended the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia then enrolled at the Bedales School in Hampshire, England.
He then returned to Philadelphia to work with A. S. W. Rosenbach, the bookseller and bibliophile who attained a worldwide reputation. at his rare book firm, the Rosenbach Company.
Wolf joined the United States Army during World War II (1943–1946), and was stationed in Europe where he participated in the recovery of ancient and rare books plundered and hidden by the Nazis. His training at Camp Ritchie's Military Intelligence Training Center places him among the ranks of nearly 20,000 other Ritchie Boys.
In 1952 Wolf joined the Library Company of Philadelphia as a consultant and advisor. Over the decades he was instrumental in morphing the Library Company into an active research library. He ultimately became Chief Executive Officer and was named Librarian of the Library Company.
He established a reputation as a scholar, published numerous articles and exhibition catalogues, and fostered collaborative projects with other Philadelphia historical institutions, including the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the American Philosophical Society. [4] He became President of the Friends of the University of Pennsylvania Library in 1947.
He was President of the Bibliographical Society of America from 1966-1967.
Personal life edit
Edwin Wolf II married Margaret “Peggy” Gimbel Dannenbaum in 1934. Together they had three children, Ellen, Anthony and Mary. Margaret died in a car accident in 1964. In 1965 he married Mary Paxson Matthews.
Awards and recognition edit
Wolf's contributions were recognized by the 1981 Philadelphia Award,[5] established by Edward Bok and given each year to a citizen of the Philadelphia region who, during the preceding year, acted and served on behalf of the best interests of the community.
Selected bibliography edit
- Wolf, Edwin. The Book Culture of a Colonial American City: Philadelphia Books, Bookmen, and Booksellers. Oxford, Oxfordshire, England: Clarendon Press, 1988.
- Wolf, Edwin. At the Instance of Benjamin Franklin: A Brief History of the Library Company of Philadelphia, 1731–1976. The Library Company of Phil, 1976.
- Wolf, Edwin, and John Francis Fleming. Rosenbach: a biography. Cleveland: World, 1960.
External Links edit
- The professional and personal papers of Edwin Wolf, 2nd Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
- Edwin Wolf collection of American Jewish historical documents Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
References edit
- ^ "Edwin Wolf II Papers, 1940-1984". dla.library.upenn.edu.
- ^ Edwin Wolf 2d, 79, Rare-Books specialist: [obituary (obit)]. New York Times. 1991 Feb 22 1991/02/22/.
- ^ "Wolf II, Edwin". Oxford Reference.
- ^ Knoles, T. “Edwin Wolf, 2nd - In Memoriam.” Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 109 (1999): 271–77.
- ^ "Recipients – The Philadelphia Award".