In case you need any technological trivia, the first computer was created at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Electrical Engineering. You can also find video and audio recordings of its events online. Nearby, Penn’s writing center, Kelly Writers House, is open to the public and hosts a number of literary-themed exhibits, book clubs, and readings. Another great local bookstore is Hakim’s, which is considered the city’s first African American bookstore and specializes in African American history as well as great selections of children’s literature and memoirs and biographies. The store opened in 1971 focused on history books to provide students and residents context behind the war, a space for anyone who needs to step away from the present moment, hence the “Our” in the store’s name. During the Vietnam War, the campus was full of political demonstrations, with few places to escape the political debates. House of Our Own Books has endless nooks to explore, and the history behind the store is just as incredible. While the beloved Penn Book Center closed for good, wedged between a row of Penn fraternity houses you will find a beautiful Victorian overflowing with books-from floor to ceiling and lining every staircase and hallway. You can easily walk away with a gem for $2. Also, they have a great sister secondhand bookstore around the corner (hence the Book Corner name) that offers books, records, and more, and every purchase helps the public library system. The Library is also at the heart of the city, right near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Academy of Natural Sciences, and a stunning example of Beaux-Arts architecture. The Library also features some incredible special collections, including one of the largest collections of children’s literature in the country, the world’s largest collection of orchestral music, and over 130,000 maps from around the world, most of which can now be viewed online. ![]() Within its walls, you’ll find a first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, early works of Charles Dickens (and even his stuffed raven, Grip!), and drawings by Beatrix Potter. Better known as the Free Library or Central Library to locals, this is the main building of the Free Library of Philadelphia system, with over 50 branches throughout the region. No better place to start a book-focused weekend than at the Parkway Central Library. ![]() Fields once said, “I once spent a year in Philadelphia, I think it was on a Sunday.” While a weekend may be difficult to take everything in both old and new in the city, there’s more than enough to take in on a city meant for walking-thanks to a compact city center and plenty of bike lanes if you choose to use the city’s bike-share program. It shouldn’t be surprising that the birthplace of the United States would have strong literary roots the City of Brotherhood is not only a haven of historical landmarks but continues to inspire a new generation of talent, from a wide-range of independent bookstores, a great public library system, and a strong network of book publishers, literary magazines, and nonprofit educational institutions, including Mighty Writers, Quirk Books, Running Press, PS Books, Matter Press, and Painted Bride Quarterly.
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