The Collection was the creation of the financier Carl H. Pforzheimer (1879-1957), who took a special interest in the lives and works of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and his contemporaries, including his second wife, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, her parents, William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, and such friends and fellow writers as Lord Byron, Claire Clairmont, Teresa Guiccioli, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, Leigh Hunt, Thomas Love Peacock, Horace Smith, and Edward John Trelawny. Learn more about this division.
About the Division
Visiting the Collection
Can researchers access the collection without an appointment?
Due to the nature of this collection, we advise researchers to contact the division at pforzheimer@nypl.org before visiting the Schwarzman Building.
Are research appointments required to access the collection onsite?
Yes. Please request an appointment through your Special Collections Account or contact us by email at pforzheimer@nypl.org.
What else do researchers need to know about accessing the collection?
Most Pforzheimer Collection materials are described in the Online Catalog or in the Archives Portal.
Who can researchers contact with further questions?
Please email us at pforzheimer@nypl.org with any additional queries.
Request a Class Visit
Our staff welcomes students and instructors to explore the collections and resources at our landmark 42nd Street building. We work with instructors to design sessions that use the Library’s remarkable collections to foster creative inquiry, cultivate critical thinking, and develop information literacy skills. Learn more.
Featured
-
Inside The New York Public Library
Step inside the Pforzheimer Collection with this video.
-
Digital Collections
Interact with digitized items from the Pforzheimer Collection.
-
From Our Blogs
Check out blog posts from the expert librarians of the Pforzheimer Collection.
Current Exhibitions
-
Byron: A Life in Motion
Through January 12, 2025Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
