May 1, 2009

Part three of a three part series

George W. Childs was the founder of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, a prominent Philadelphia newspaper, and a close friend to Anthony J. Drexel. Childs moved to Philadelphia at the age of fourteen to work for a bookseller and later became a partner in the publishing firm of R. E. Petersen & Company and then with the publisher J.P. Lippincott. Childs was a long time supporter of Drexel Institute and served on its board from its founding to his death.

The books that Childs left to the Drexel library include histories of Philadelphia, which taken together provide an important account of the development of the city from its founding. Also included in the collection is general history and history of art, multiple volumes on the history of printing and travel literature.

To learn more about this collection and to see specific books, contact the archives at archives@drexel.edu. For more information about George W. Childs, please see the finding aid for the Childs scrapbooks collection.