Stuart Rose has been a collector of rare books and manuscripts for more than 30 years. The 52 works on display at the Folger encompass science, religion, philosophy, literature, and history. Among notable works:
- An Egyptian Book of the Dead from the first century BCE
- A first edition of Nicolaus Copernicus’ “De revolutionibus” (1543), which first proposed the heliocentric view of our planetary system
- A first edition of the most notorious banned book of the 17th century: Galileo Galilei’s “Dialogo,” which defended Copernicus’ view of the solar system and was inscribed by Galileo himself
- A first trade edition of “Winnie-the-Pooh,” inscribed by author A. A. Milne to his son
- J.R.R. Tolkien’s page proofs, corrected in his hand, for “The Lord of the Rings”
- An advance press copy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech
- A section of the Apollo 11 flight plan that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had with them on the moon
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Rose said he has roughly 3,000 books in his personal, high-end collection but is pleased to have narrowed the choices with Folger guidance.
“We felt these 50 books fit in the most with the Folger and would also be the books the public most wanted to see,” he said. “It’s a wide range of books, going from an early edition of the Gutenberg Bible to a first edition of ‘Don Quixote’ and a special edition of ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’ I try to buy at the very high-end, the best that’s out there that you can buy in today’s world.”
Organizers stressed the importance of wanting the exhibition to recreate the feeling of being in Stuart and Mimi’s library.
“To stand in Stuart and Mimi Rose’s private library is electric,” said Greg Prickman, the Eric Weinmann Librarian and Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Folger, in a news release. “An immense range of time periods and topics are all around you, and each object you encounter feels more incredible than the last. So as a part of transferring that experience to the Folger, we wanted to enable each visitor to choose their own path. Each work showcased offers visitors the opportunity to connect with people and places across many eras of human history.”
Organizers also said the gallery walls are adorned with bespoke wallpaper that illustrates some of the authors in the exhibition. A companion digital guide can be found at folger.edu/rose-collection. Details about each object are available in a full-color exhibition guide that Stuart and Mimi have made available. A fully illustrated 272-page catalog offers provenance details and overviews of each work featured in the exhibition.
“I always felt a personal attachment to the exhibition halls,” said Rose, who served on the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Board of Governors for 10 years. “I felt like I had a big input in those exhibition halls being built in the first place. and the things on display at the Folger are unbelievable. You can only see them at the Folger. So, I felt if I were going to put my books anywhere it was going to be the first major exhibition at the Folger (since its renovation).”
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
According to the Folger, Rose advocated for adding more space to display the Folger’s vast collection of early modern European materials when he was on the Board. In recognition of his advocacy and support of the renovation project, the hall in which the special exhibitions gallery is located bears his name: The Stuart and Mimi Rose Rare Book and Manuscript Exhibition Hall. In addition to the gallery for special exhibitions, the Rose Hall includes a gallery for smaller, focused exhibitions and a gallery where signature objects from the Folger’s collection can be viewed.
“Stuart maintains that books and manuscripts need to be seen and experienced in order to be enjoyed,” said Folger Director Michael Witmore, in a press statement. “He understood what showcasing the Folger’s collection would mean for public access, and through his generosity, everyone who passes through the Folger’s doors will be able to see a range of items from the Folger’s collection. And in these first months we are open, visitors will also be able to take in the magnificent items in the collection that Stuart and Mimi built.”
Best known for their major gift in 2015 to the Rose Music Center at the Heights, the covered amphitheater that bears their name, Stuart and Mimi, recipients of the 2018 Governor’s Award for the Arts in the category of Arts Patron, also greatly contributed to the refurbishment of the Dayton Art Institute’s auditorium and construction of the theater inside the Miami Valley School. In addition, they previously loaned pieces from their personal collection to the Dayton Art Institute and the University of Dayton. In 2014, a UD exhibit showcased an original typed draft of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” a first edition of Plato’s complete books in Greek, and a first edition of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species.”
The Folger Shakespeare Library reopened to the public on June 21. Rose hopes his collection encourages an exciting sense of discovery while reiterating the breadth of diversity within his love of the arts.
“Some collectors don’t want to share — they just want to hoard,” Rose said. “I’m one of those collectors that feel, and the Folger is a library that feels, that books were meant to be shown to people. When people see these books for the first time there’s a special feeling. They’ve read them before but they’ve never seen what they really look like in first edition, how the author wanted them presented. I feel there is almost a responsibility for me and libraries to show them and not hide them away. I’m a diverse person and this collection is not tied to one interest but many.”
“Imprints in Time” continues through Jan. 5, 2025. For additional information, visit folger.edu.
To view the catalog in the Folger shop, visit shop.folger.edu.
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Credit: CONTRIBUTED
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