A. S. W. Rosenbach

Who was A. S. W. Rosenbach?

Abraham Simon Wolf Rosenbach was an avid American collector, scholar, and seller of rare books and manuscripts.

Abraham was the youngest of the eight children of Morris Rosenbach and Isabella H. Polock, who were married on November 11, 1857. As a child, Abraham spent much time in the shop of his maternal uncle, Moses Polock, a well-known and somewhat eccentric antiquarian bookseller. Polock's famous shop was located at 406 Commerce Street in Philadelphia. Abraham got his start collecting while a freshman in college at the University of Pennsylvania. His company, simply called the Rosenbach Company, went on to help assemble the extensive collections of the Huntington Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He also worked for private clients such as J. P. Morgan, Lessing Rosenwald, and Harry Elkins Widener. He published several articles and even books in order to reinforce the interest in rare books and manuscripts.

Rosenbach is credited with popularizing the collecting of American literature at a time when only European literature was considered collectable. He also advanced the idea of book collecting as a means of investment.