Edwin Wolf II (December 6, 1911 – February 20, 1991)[1] was an American librarian and collector who was one of Philadelphia’s most prominent bookmen during the 20th century.[2][3]
Wolf attended theWilliam Penn Charter School in Philadelphia then enrolled at theBedales School inHampshire,England.
He then returned to Philadelphia to work withA. S. W. Rosenbach, the bookseller and bibliophile who attained a worldwide reputation. at his rare book firm, theRosenbach Company.
Wolf joined theUnited States Army duringWorld War II (1943–1946), and was stationed in Europe where he participated in the recovery of ancient and rare booksplundered and hidden by the Nazis.[4] His training at Camp Ritchie's Military Intelligence Training Center places him among the ranks of nearly 20,000 otherRitchie Boys.
In 1952 Wolf joined theLibrary Company of Philadelphia as a consultant and advisor. Over the decades he was instrumental in morphing the Library Company into an active research library. He ultimately became Chief Executive Officer and was named Librarian of the Library Company.
He established a reputation as a scholar, published numerous articles and exhibition catalogues, and fostered collaborative projects with otherPhiladelphia historical institutions, including theHistorical Society of Pennsylvania and the American Philosophical Society.[5] He became President of the Friends of the University of Pennsylvania Library in 1947.
He gave theA.S.W. Rosenbach Lectures in Bibliography in 1963.
He was President of theBibliographical Society of America from 1966-1967.
He was theLyell Lecturer in Bibliography in 1985-1986 and the augmented lectures were published asThe Book Culture of a Colonial American City: Philadelphia Books, Bookmen, and Booksellers.[6][7]
Edwin Wolf II married Margaret “Peggy” Gimbel Dannenbaum in 1934. Together they had three children, Ellen, Anthony and Mary. Margaret died in a car accident in 1964. In 1965 he married Mary Paxson Matthews.
Wolf's contributions were recognized by the 1981 Philadelphia Award,[8] established byEdward Bok and given each year to a citizen of the Philadelphia region who, during the preceding year, acted and served on behalf of the best interests of the community.
