Curator Led Tour: Well Read, Well Loved, Well Used

The curators of Well Read are leading a tour of the exhibition at the Parkway Central Library on Tuesday, November 17, at 10 AM. It's part of a larger show from the Free Library of Philadelphia's Special Collections Division that runs from October 2, 2026, through April 17, 2027, so you've got plenty of time to see the rest on your own.

Well Read is all about the marks readers leave behind in their books. The exhibition gathers ownership inscriptions, handwritten annotations, old repairs, bookplates, and other modifications, and displays them alongside books, equipment, artwork, and specially curated items from the Rare Book Department and Special Collections. It's a look at the physical history of reading—the scribbles in the margins and the worn-down spines that turn a mass-produced object into something personal. The tour asks you to think about how you read a book and how, regardless of your habits, nearly every interaction leaves a trace that can be read to retell the stories of the people who read it before. It's a way of seeing each book as having its own story to tell.

The show is co-curated by Sophia Dahab of the Rare Books Department and framed by President and Director Kelly Richards, who says it invites visitors to discover how the collections bring individual experiences and Philadelphia's history to life. If you're into the way a book changes over time, this is exactly the kind of thing that makes the Rare Book Department worth visiting. The department also runs a 'First Wednesdays' series with extended evening hours, staff-led tours, and sneak peeks if you want to dig deeper.

The tour is free and takes place in the Dietrich Gallery, inside the Rare Book Department on the third floor of the Parkway Central Library at 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. It starts at 10 AM on Tuesday, November 17.