1,500 Rare Sex Texts Donated to Library Company of Philadelphia

Founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, the Library Company of Philadelphia has been enriched by a donation of 1,500 rare books on sexuality from Charles E. Rosenberg, 89, an emeritus professor at Harvard University specializing in the history of science. This contribution builds on Rosenberg's earlier gifts totaling approximately 15,000 volumes related to the social dimensions of medicine. According to Rachel D’Agostino, the library’s curator of printed books, while the collection contains graphic materials, it is not meant to be pornographic. The texts provide valuable insights into historical views on sex and reproductive anatomy. Notably, the library is the oldest public rare book collection in the U.S. and previously functioned as the research division of the early American government before the establishment of the Library of Congress.