The Newark Public Library has announced that Philip Roth has bequeathed his entire personal library to the Newark Public Library. The Philip Roth Personal Library, which has never been seen before by the public, will house over 3,500 volumes collected by Mr. Roth from 1950 to the present, many with his marginal notes and underlinings.

Mr. Roth has a strong personal connection to the Newark Public Library and to the City of Newark. The library played a significant role in Mr. Roth’s life, especially throughout his youth in the Weequahic community of Newark. Looking back, he describes himself as a “library-intoxicated” young man whose interest in reading and writing was formed at the library. It played a key role in his first novel, “Goodbye, Columbus,” as its protagonist worked there. Mr. Roth also conducted extensive research for his “American Trilogy” in the library’s New Jersey Room.

“My decision to locate my personal library in Newark and, specifically, in the Newark Public Library, was determined by a longstanding sense of gratitude to the city where I was born,” said Mr. Roth.

The Newark Public Library will house Mr. Roth’s personal library in a separate room on the second floor. Designed by architect Henry Myerberg, this space will capture the simplicity of Mr. Roth’s writing environment while creating a tangible sense of what it’s like to be a writer. It will have the feel of a library and a home, a place to experience books and a comfortable setting for study and seminar discussions.

“The Philip Roth Personal Library is an extraordinary gift that will touch vast numbers of people now and in the future. It will be an invaluable cultural and literary resource for the City of Newark and a beacon for students, scholars, educators and writers from around the world,” said Timothy Crist, President of the Board, Newark Public Library.

Visitors to the Philip Roth Personal Library will be able to use his books, but will not be able to check them out.