Grolier Club
The Grolier Club is a society of bibliophiles, founded in New York City in January, 1884, the oldest such club in North America. The club is named after Jean Grolier de Servières, Viscount d'Aguisy, Treasurer General of France, whose library was famous; his motto, "Io. Grolierii et amicorum" [of or belonging to Jean Grolier and his friends], suggested his generosity in sharing books[1]. The founders of the club were William L. Andrews, Theodore L. DeVinne, A. W. Drake, Albert Gallup, Robert Hoe, Brayton Ives, Samuel W. Martin, E. S. Mead, and Arthur B. Turnure. The Club's stated objective is "the literary study of the arts pertaining to the production of books, including the occasional publication of books designed to illustrate, promote and encourage these arts; and the acquisition, furnishing and maintenance of a suitable club building for the safekeeping of its property, wherein meetings, lectures and exhibitions shall take place from time to time...."[2] Perfection in the art of bookmaking is encouraged. E. D. French engraved the club's own bookplate as well as bookplates for many of its members.
The Grolier Club maintains a research library specializing in books, bibliography and bibliophily, printing (especially the history of printing and examples of fine printing), binding, illustration and bookselling. The Grolier Club has one of the more extensive collections of book auction and book seller catalogs in North America.[3] [4] [5] The Library has the archives of a number of prominent bibliophiles such as Sir Thomas Phillipps[6], and of bibliophile and print collecting groups, such as the Hroswitha Club of women book collectors[7] and the Society of Iconophiles[8].
The Grolier Club also has a program of public exhibitions from its collections.
The Grolier Club has had three locations since being founded in 1884. The Club's first home was rented. In 1890 the Grolier Club moved into a Romanesque Revival building at 29 East 32nd Street (which still survives as a designated landmark). Its current location, 47 East 60th Street has been its home since 1917; the building was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue.[9]
The Grolier Club is a member of the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies.[10]
List of presidents[11]
- Robert Hoe III (1884-1888)
- William Loring Andrews (1888-1892)
- Beverly Chew (1892-1896)
- Samuel Putnam Avery (1896-1900) Porträt: Medaille 1897 by Anton Scharff (1845-1903)
- Howard Mansfield (1900-1904)
- Theodore Low De Vinne (1904-1906)
- Edwin B. Holden (1906-1906) [sic]
- Richard Hoe Lawrence (1906-1908)
- William F. Havemeyer (1908-1912)
- Edward G. Kennedy (1912-1916)
- Arthur H. Scribner (1916-1920)
- Henry Watson Kent (1920-1924)
- William B. Osgood Field (1924-1928)
- Lucius Wilmerding (1928-1932)
- William B. Ivins, Jr. (1932-1935)
- Frederick Coykendall (1935-1939)
- Harry T. Peters (1939-1943)
- Edwin De T. Bechtel (1943-1947)
- Frederick B. Adams, Jr. (1947-1951)
- Irving S. Olds (1951-1955)
- Arthur A. Houghton (1955-1957)
- C. Waller Barret (1957-1961)
- Donald F. Hyde (1961-1965)
- Gordon N. Ray (1965-1969)
- Alfred H. Howell (1969-1973)
- Robert H. Taylor (1973-1975)
- Herman W. Liebert (1975-1978)
- Robert D. Graff (1978-1982)
- Frank S. Streeter (1982-
References
External links
- Grolier Club
- Journal of Library History, vol. 20 #2, Spring 1985, pp. 196-9, by Robert Nikirk [On the Grolier Club's bookplates]
- Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies
- ↑ Jean Grolier Biography
- ↑ The Grolier Club, Constitution, Article I, section 2. 2005 edition.
- ↑ Grolier Club Library Overview http://grolierclub.org/CollectionsOverview.htm
- ↑ Lasting Impressions: The Grolier Club Library (New York: Grolier Club, 2004) pp. 8-12.
- ↑ About The Grolier Club
- ↑ Phillipps
- ↑ http://www.grolierclub.org/LibraryAMC.HroswithaClub.htm named after Hroswitha of Gandersheim
- ↑ http://grolierclub.org/LibraryAMC.Iconophiles.htm
- ↑ About The Grolier Club
- ↑ FABS - Member Clubs
- ↑ A list of club presidents, complete to 1982, appeared in Members of the Grolier Club, 1884-1984 (New York: Grolier Club, 1986), pp. 149-150.