Folger Shakespeare Library Appoints Aaron T. Pratt as Mellon Curator

Pratt arrives in Washington from the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has held the position of Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Curator of Early Books and Manuscripts since 2017. Greg Prickman, the Eric Weinmann Librarian at the Folger, noted that the appointment aims to bridge deep bibliographic research with broader public discovery. Pratt brings an extensive background in early English literature and book history, including his recent high-profile work identifying John Milton’s annotated copy of Holinshed’s Chronicles.

Beyond his curatorial duties, Pratt maintains a robust academic profile as a lecturer at the Rare Book School and Vice President of the Bibliographical Society of America. His previous exhibition work, notably The Long Lives of Very Old Books, reflects his focus on treating early printed volumes as unique, evolving artifacts. At the Folger, he will manage a collection spanning the 1500s to the early 1700s, tasked with demonstrating the continued relevance of early modern materials in contemporary civic life.