EPISODE 32: ALEX AMES

BIG MAMA HEX - "BEST OF" EPISODES

In episode 32, I get a chance to interview a friend, an amazing contributor to the modern research landscape in Pennsylvania Dutch studies, Alexander Lawrence Ames. He is an intellectual historian, material culture scholar, and library and museum professional based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With interests in the religious and cultural history of early America, Ames’s research has explored the production and use of religious books and manuscripts in Pennsylvania and beyond, with a special focus on unlocking how the material construction of historic books and manuscripts impacted their dissemination, use, and preservation as cultural artifacts. Ames also studies the history of libraries, archives, and the art of ex-libris, having published several essays in these varied fields. Ames holds a B.S. in information media and an M.A. in public history from St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, Minnesota), as well as an M.A. in American material culture, an M.A. in history, and a Ph.D. in history of American civilization and museum studies from the University of Delaware. He works as Director of Outreach & Engagement at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, an historic house museum and special collections library affiliated with the Free Library of Philadelphia.*Correction: The theme music for Cloister Talk Season 4: Pathways in Pennsylvania German studies is the Kyrie from the Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania gave the first performance of the Mass in America in 1900. https://www.wordinwilderness.com