Glencairn Museum: Publications

Publications can be purchased at Glencairn Museum for the amounts indicated below. Phone orders can be taken by the New Church Bookstore at Bryn Athyn Cathedral (267-502-4980, 900 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, PA, 19009).

Embracing the Sacred: The Story of Glencairn Museum
DVD with 30-minute documentary film plus special features
Copyright 2007 Glencairn Museum
$9.95

Text from the DVD cover (click here to see the DVD cover in Adobe Acrobat format):

Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, was founded as a religious community in the late 19th century by members of a Christian denomination known as the New Church. It is home to some of the area's most remarkable architecture, buildings that reflect the religious faith and vision of Bryn Athyn's earliest residents. Once the private home of the Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn family, Glencairn, now part of the Academy of the New Church, serves as a museum of religious art and history, honoring the spiritual traditions of people through the ages.

Embracing the Sacred: The Story of Glencairn Museum features spectacular aerial photography of Glencairn, Bryn Athyn Cathedral, and Cairnwood, rare archival footage, and historic photographs.

This visually rich documentary film (30 minutes) introduces the viewer to

The life of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) and the founding of the New Church
The establishment of the Academy's schools and museum in the 1870s
The founding of Bryn Athyn in the 1890s
The design and construction of Glencairn (1928-1939) and Bryn Athyn Cathedral (dedicated in 1919)
The remarkable art collection assembled by Raymond Pitcairn (1885-1966) in the 1920s and 30s.

Special Features on the DVD:

An interview with Lachlan Pitcairn (son of Raymond and Mildred)
The Glencairn Horns (a brass quintet drawn from members of the Philadelphia Orchestra)
Glencairn's annual Medieval Faire

"Bravo, bravo! I love it! I learned a lot; very concise history. Felt like a PBS special!" - J. Kenneth Leap

Comments from members of a local historical society:

"Great film. Well done. Outstanding photography. Overall, a most informative and inspirational story of the Pitcairns, their lives, their beliefs, their family values and their dedication to family, church, education and to their country."

"This video has deepened my understanding and knowledge of Bryn Athyn as well as the 'New Church' for which it was built and preserved."

"Impressed with the dedication to craftsmanship. Impressed with bringing religious beliefs into every facet of daily life."

Glencairn: The Story of a Home
E. Bruce Glenn
The Academy of the New Church, 1990, 192 pp.
$24.95 Hardcover

"Even the casual visitor senses the pervasive sphere of a religious faith, expressed in the integrity of design and workmanship and in the symbolic decoration throughout the building" (from the introduction). In 192 pages filled with over 80 stunning color photographs especially produced for this book, as well as many historic black and whites, the story of Glencairn unfolds, from its conception by Raymond Pitcairn, through 40 years as a family home, to its current use as the museum of the Academy of the New Church.
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"Swedenborg: A Biography," by Jane K. Williams-Hogan
The Academy of the New Church, 1988

This biographical sketch of Emanuel Swedenborg is from the anthology Swedenborg and His Influence. It is divided into the following sections: "Background," "Early Life," "Studies Abroad," "Search for a Career," "The Philosopher," "The Revelator," "Swedenborg's Public Mission," and "Swedenborg's Mission in the Spiritual World." A chronology of Swedenborg's life and a bibliography of his works is included as an appendix.

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