“Buffalo….who knew” that The Grosvenor [pronounced Grov-ner] room at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, situated on “Literary Row” in downtown Buffalo, houses an incredible, rare collection of 500,000 titles of unique and varied materials that highlight local history, genealogy, maps, music and rare books?The collection came about, principally, because of Seth Grosvenor (1786-1857) who was the the chief benefactor, and because of a merger between the Grosvenor Research Library and the Buffalo Public Library in 1953.
The collection holds titles of local, national and international impact, including Mark Twain’s original manuscript of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Shakespeare’s First Folio, the complete Audubon Birds of America elephant folio, the “Milestones of Science” Collection of 197 first editions of the world’s most significant scientific discoveries, an anti-slavery collection, and other manuscripts and archives. And, it continues to grow.
Listen as we discuss the history, evolution and present-day activities of this important WNY asset with Heather Gring, Rare Book Curator.
^ Photos by Heather Gring…