Book Club | The Rosenbach Book Club, in Partnership with Abbotsford: The Home of Sir Walter Scott | Virtual

All Program Dates

July 12, 2026 | 2:00pm - 3:30pm ET | 7:00pm - 8:30pm GMT

August 9, 2026 | 2:00pm - 3:30pm ET | 7:00pm - 8:30pm GMT

September 13, 2026 | 2:00pm - 3:30pm ET | 7:00pm - 8:30pm GMT

Registration

Admission for this book club is $20 per session or $60 for the entire series. Members receive exclusive discounts on our programs and courses. Not a member? Learn more.

Please check your spam folder for your email confirmation. If you have questions, please call (215) 732-1600 or email rsvp@rosenbach.org.

This program is for those 18 and older.

Scholarships may be available for this program. Please email Alex Ames, Curator & Senior Director of Collections Engagement, at alames@rosenbach.org to inquire.

Register for the Entire Series

Register for Session 1: Sir Walter Scott - The Antiquary (7/12)

Register for Session 2: Sarah Maine - Women of the Dunes (8/9)

Register for Session 3: Susan Fletcher - Coragg (The Highland Witch) (9/13)

Description

Season Theme: Imagining National Histories and Identities

Join the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Abbotsford: The Home of Sir Walter Scott, in the Scottish Lowlands for a transatlantic book club experience! As the United States commemorates 250 years of independence and we mark 210 years since the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s historical novel The Antiquary, the book club will consider how national identity has been formed and reforged via history, literature, and culture in both Scotland the U.S. Held via Zoom, each virtual book club session will include presentations of rare materials from the Rosenbach and Abbotsford collections. Read fascinating works of literature and make new friends on both sides of the Atlantic!

Session 1 — Sunday, July 12: Sir Walter Scott, The Antiquary

Published in 1816, The Antiquary centers on Jonathan Oldbuck, an amateur historian, archaeologist, and collector of items with uncertain antiquity. Focused on social life and local traditions, The Antiquary is significant for its deep exploration of how nations remember their past. It argues that true heritage lies not in relics alone, but in people, stories, and moral understanding

Session 2 — Sunday, August 9: Sarah Maine, Women of the Dunes

Women of the Dunes is a historical novel set on the wild, Western coastline of Scotland, told through two interwoven timelines, the 17th century and the present day. The novel explores themes of female resilience, superstition, isolation, and buried histories. By connecting past and present, Sarah Maine emphasizes the importance of recovering lost female narratives and confronting historical injustices that still resonate today.

Session 3 — Sunday, September 13: Susan Fletcher, Corrag: A Novel (alternate title: The Highland Witch)

Told through the voice of Corrag, a young woman imprisoned and condemned as a witch, this historical novel set in late 17th-century Scotland, centered on the Glencoe Massacre of 1692. The novel highlig...