$50 Gift Certificate & Coffee beans from Hobbs Coffee Shop, one signed copy of The Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom, and 6 passes to the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. 

The Dark Archives: In Dark Archives, Megan Rosenbloom seeks out the historic and scientific truths behind the practice of binding books in this most intimate covering. Dozens of such books live on in the world’s most famous libraries and museums. Dark Archives exhumes their origins and brings to life the doctors, murderers, and indigents whose lives are sewn together in this disquieting collection. Along the way, Rosenbloom tells the story of how her team of scientists, curators, and librarians test rumored anthropodermic books, untangling the myths around their creation and reckoning with the ethics of their custodianship.

A librarian and journalist, Rosenbloom is a member of The Order of the Good Death and a cofounder of their Death Salon, a community that encourages conversations, scholarship, and art about mortality and mourning. In Dark Archives, captivating and macabre in all the right ways, she has crafted a narrative that is equal parts detective work, academic intrigue, history, and medical curiosity: a book as rare and thrilling as its subject.

Eastern State Penitentiary- Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Known for its grand architecture and strict discipline, this was the world's first true "penitentiary," a prison designed to inspire penitence, or true regret, in the hearts of prisoners. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells held nearly 85,000 people over its long history, including bank robber "Slick Willie" Sutton and "Scarface" Al Capone.

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site is located at 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, just five blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The penitentiary is currently open for daytime tours every day from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. We are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Admission includes “The Voices of Eastern State" Audio Tour, narrated by actor Steve Buscemi; a Guide-Led Tour and Discussion; Hands-On History experiences; critically-acclaimed artist installations; and award-winning exhibits.