Walt Whitman Birthplace Association will unveil the Feinstein Collection of 250 Whitman-related books donated by the Jeffrey S. Gould Foundation established by WWBA Trustee Jeffrey Gould.
The collection, which includes many rare books including first editions of “Leaves of Grass” and “November Boughs,” will become known as The Norman and Jeanette Gould Library, comprised of the Feinstein Collection.
The public is invited to join the Gould and Feinstein families at the celebratory launch of The Norman and Jeanette Gould Library on Thursday, April 26 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Walt Whitman Birthplace.
Jeanette and Norman Gould
The collection will be housed and preserved on the Walt Whitman Birthplace premises and it will be available to the public for scholarly research, historic documentation, and general appreciation of Whitman’s individual and collective writings. All usage of WWBA’s library collection is by appointment and under the supervision of Curator Richard Ryan to best preserve and maintain the books for generations to come. This acquisition increases the WWBA book collection by 8% to a total 1,800 volumes.
Marvin Feinstein was a lifelong book collector and bookseller who lived in Northport. His widow, Miriam, and sons David and Allen, wanted to keep his Whitman collection intact and approached the Whitman Association with the donation of 40 books and with the offer to donate half the value of the remaining collection of 250 books, appraised at approximately $20,000.
Miriam with a photo of her late husband Marvin, in front of the Feinstein family’s Whitman collection
The Association first appropriated funds to purchase ten books, but upon reviewing the items in the collection, decided to try and raise funds to purchase the entire collection. When Trustee Gould heard of the literary and historic significance of the collection, he generously offered to secure the collection with his donation.
The Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site is located at 246 Old Walt Whitman Road in Huntington Station.
The launch of The Norman and Jeanette Gould Library is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, visit www.waltwhitman.org. Those who wish to attend are asked to email an RSVP to events@waltwhitman.org.
