The Caxton Club is a private social club and

bibliophilic Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

society founded in Chicago in 1895 to promote the

book arts Book arts may refer to: * Artist's books, works of art in the form of a book * Book illustration, illustration in a book * Book design, the art of designing a book * Bookbinding Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of c ...

and the

history of the book The history of books became an acknowledged academic discipline in the 1980s. Contributors to the discipline include specialists from the fields of textual scholarship, codicology, bibliography, philology, palaeography, art history, social hi ...

. To further its goals, the club holds monthly (September through June) dinner meetings and luncheons, sponsors bibliophile events (often in collaboration with the Newberry Library and with other regional institutions) and exhibitions, and publishes books, exhibition catalogs, and a monthly journal, ''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 club's name honors the fifteenth-century

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printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...

William Caxton. The Caxton Club flourished until World War I, after which its membership declined. The club was revived, however, and began to hold regular monthly meetings. The club was exclusively for men until 1976 when the first women were elected to membership. The Club published a number of fine editions in partnership with the

Lakeside Press Lakeside Press was a Chicago publishing imprint under which the RR Donnelley Company produced fine books as well as mail order catalogs, telephone directories, encyclopedias, and advertising. The Press was best known for its high quality editions ...

of Chicago. The Club gives out scholarships and grants to students and researchers in the

Notable members

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 Poetr ...

– author, poet * Francis Fisher Browne – editor *

Lee Pierce Butler Lee Pierce Butler (December 19, 1884 – March 28, 1953) was a professor at the University of Chicago Graduate Library School. He was one of the first to use the term " library science" (along with S. R. Ranganathan), by which he meant the scient ...

– bibliographer, librarian, professor *

Alexander Wilson Drake Alexander Wilson Drake (1843–1916) was an American artist, collector and critic. Biography Drake was born near Westfield, New Jersey., the son of Isaac Payne Drake (1818–1900) and Charlotte Osborne Drake (1817–1903). He studied wood en ...

– 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 East Asian, American, and Middle Eastern Art. In 1906, Freer donated his extensive co ...

– art collector, industrialist, philanthropist * Michael Gorman – librarian * Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden – book collector and scholar *

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 – 25th

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Illinois, and candidate for the Republican presidential nominations in

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

and

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

* William Mulliken – Olympic swimmer *

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. Then ...

– author and artist * Carl B. Roden – librarian *

Ralph Fletcher Seymour Ralph Fletcher Seymour (March 18, 1876 – January 1, 1966) was an American artist, author, and publisher of the late nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. Though long based in Chicago, he was also noted for his work in the American Southwes ...

– artist, author, publisher *

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 * Robert Wedgeworth – librarian and executive * Frank Lloyd Wright – architect

References

External links

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

History

Notable members

See also

References

Further reading

External links