The Caxton Club is a private social club and bibliophilic society founded in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1895 to promote the

book arts Book arts may refer to: * Artist's book, a work of art in the form of a book * Book design, the art of designing a book * Book illustration, illustration in a book * Bookbinding Bookbinding is the process of building a book, usually in codex ...

and the

history of the book The history of books begins with the History of writing, invention of writing, as well as other inventions such as paper and printing; this history continues all the way to the modern-day business of book printing. The earliest knowledge society h ...

. To further its goals, the club hosts monthly events, collaborates with institutions like the

Newberry Library The Newberry Library is an independent research library, specializing in the humanities. It is located in Chicago, Illinois, and has been free and open to the public since 1887. The Newberry's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of our wo ...

, and publishes works including ''The Caxtonian.'' The Caxton Club is a member club of the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies.

History

The Caxton Club was founded in 1895 by a group of fifteen bibliophiles to support the publication of fine books in the style of the then-new

Arts and Crafts Movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

. The club's name honors the fifteenth-century English printer

William Caxton William Caxton () was an English merchant, diplomat and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into Kingdom of England, England in 1476, and as a Printer (publishing), printer to be the first English retailer ...

. The founders included John Vance Cheney, Edward E. Ayer, Martin A. Ryerson, James Ellsworth, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Washington Irving Way and Chauncey L. Williams (of Way & Williams). In 1976, women began to be admitted as members of the Caxton Club, departing from the era's common

gentlemen's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...

s practices. Mary Beth Beal is notable for being the Caxton Club’s first female President in 1985-1986. In 1995 the Caxton Club centenary was celebrated with publication of ''The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago'' which has been characterized as a "significant addition to the history of American bibliophily." The Club published several fine editions in partnership with the Lakeside Press of Chicago. The Club awards scholarships and grants to students and researchers in the

Notable members

* Sydney E. Berger—educator, librarian, rare books expert * Thomas Kimball Brooker - book collector, businessman *

Gwendolyn Brooks Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poet ...

– author, poet * Francis Fisher Browne – editor * Lee Pierce Butler – bibliographer, librarian, professor * Michèle V. Cloonan - librarian, professor * John Y. Cole - founding director of the

Center for the Book The Library of Congress's Center for the Book was founded in 1977 by Daniel J. Boorstin, the Librarian of Congress, to promote literacy, libraries, and reading and an understanding of the history and heritage of American literature. The Cent ...

at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Charles Deering Charles Deering (July 31, 1852 – February 5, 1927) was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist. He was an executive of the agricultural machinery company founded by his father that became International Harvester. Charles's ...

- businessman, art collector, philanthropist * Robert B. Downs - librarian, author * Alexander Wilson Drake – artist, collector, critic * James Ellsworth – banker, industrialist *

Charles Lang Freer Charles Lang Freer (February 25, 1854 – September 25, 1919) was an American industrialist, art collector, and patron. He is known for his large collection of Asian art, East Asian, Visual art of the United States, American, and Middle Eastern a ...

– art collector, industrialist, philanthropist * Michael Gorman – librarian * Frederic Goudy - printer, artist and type designer *

Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf A ...

– book collector and scholar * Nancy Gwinn - director Smithsonian Libraries * Theodore Wesley Koch - librarian, translator *

Henry Eduard Legler Henry Eduard Legler (June 22, 1861 – September 13, 1917) was an Italian American journalist, politician, and librarian. Born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, His birth name was given as Enrico, Legler emigrated with his parents to the United St ...

– activist, librarian *

Frank Orren Lowden Frank Orren Lowden (January 26, 1861 – March 20, 1943) was an American Republican Party politician who served as the 25th Governor of Illinois and as a United States Representative from Illinois. He was also a candidate for the Republican pre ...

– 25th

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

IL, candidate Republican presidential nominations

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

* Beverly Lynch - librarian * William Mulliken – Olympic swimmer * Kenneth Nebenzahl - antiquarian book- and mapseller, author, supporter and benefactor of history of cartography. *

Audrey Niffenegger Audrey Niffenegger (born June 13, 1963) is an American writer, artist, and academic. Her debut novel, '' The Time Traveler's Wife'', published in 2003, was a bestseller. Biography Audrey Niffenegger was born in 1963 in South Haven, Michigan. At ...

– author and artist * Stanley Pargellis - Director of the Newberry Library, 1942 to 1962 * Lawrence Clark Powell -librarian * Sarah M. Pritchard – librarian * Carl B. Roden – librarian * Ralph Fletcher Seymour – artist, author, publisher * David Spadafora - historian, President,

Vincent Starrett Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett (; October 26, 1886 – January 5, 1974), known as Vincent Starrett, was a Canadian-born American writer, newspaperman, and bibliophile. Biography Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett was born above his grandfathe ...

– author and newspaperman * Peggy Sullivan - library historian, librarian * Robert Wedgeworth – librarian and executive *

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

– architect

Publications

In the course of its history, the Caxton Club has published formal publications and other printed pieces. These include ''The French Bookbinders of the Eighteenth Century,'' ''The Cowboy in American Literature by J. Frank Dobie,'' ''Tales for Bibliophiles.'' and ''Imaginary Books and Libraries.''Spargo, John Webster, Bruce Rogers, Caxton Club, and Pforzheimer Bruce Rogers Collection (Library of Congress). 1952. ''Imaginary Books and Libraries: An Essay in Lighter Vein.'' Chicago: Caxton Club. A complete listing of the publications is available here
club’s publications

References

External links

Official website
* ttps://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/1267 Caxton Club recordsat The Newberry {{Authority control 1895 establishments in Illinois American bibliophiles Clubs and societies in the United States Culture of Chicago Literary societies Organizations established in 1895 Clubs in Chicago Gentlemen's clubs in Illinois

History

Notable members

Publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links