CHICAGO - FEBRUARY 4, 2008 - The Newberry Library welcomes the public to The Caxton Club/Newberry Library 2008 Symposium on the Book, Rare Books and the Common Good. On Saturday, April 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., six leading scholars will explore the role of American rare books and special collections libraries in the digital age.
"The role of libraries - and in particular rare books libraries - is facing massive change over the next 20 years," said Steve Tomashefsky, co-chairman of the Caxton Club symposium committee. "This symposium will tackle questions relating to cost, use and preservation of our common intellectual heritage."
The morning program begins with noted authors Daniel Meyer of the University of Chicago Library and Edward Tenner of Princeton University, along with Christie's expert Francis Wahlgren, well known from his appearances on Antiques Road Show. Each will offer perspectives on the power of our printed and manuscript heritage to stimulate both scholarship and public discourse; the value of books on paper in an increasingly digital world; and the rationale for libraries, especially in America, to collect books that are, deliberately or by historical accident, rare and expensive.
In the afternoon, the speakers will be joined by Mark Dimunation of the Library of Congress, Richard Kuhta of the Folger Shakespeare Library and Joel Silver of Indiana University's Lilly Library in a roundtable discussion moderated by Alice Shreyer of the University of Chicago Library on where rare books will stand in a hierarchy of public priorities for the 21st century.
The Symposium is free and open to the public, however seating is limited and advance registration is required. For details, visit www.caxtonclub.org to register or call (312) 255-3700.
SESSION I: American Perspectives
9:00 a.m., The Newberry Library
Daniel Meyer (University of Chicago Library)
"Building a Metropolitan Collection: Rare Books and Manuscripts in Chicago Cultural Institutions"
Chicago history offers an interesting paradigm for the place of rare books in American life. Mr. Meyer has studied the collecting history of the city and will set the scene for the more future-oriented talks that follow with an account of Chicago's intertwined civic and institutional ambitions.
Edward Tenner (Princeton University)
"Treasures and Tools, Creating Rarity"
Professor Tenner will describe his research into the role of collectors in expanding the frontiers of scholarship, especially in his own field, the history of technology. He will argue that in the age of the Web, the uniqueness and physical features of each printed book become more rather than less important.
Francis Wahlgren (Christie's)
"Dealers Going, Going, Gone: Has the Auction House Replaced the Antiquarian Dealer?"
Mr. Wahlgren, well known from his appearances on Antiques Road Show, points out that the role of the auctioneer has changed radically, moving in recent years from a removed and exclusive realm to a more retail approach. He asks the question: "Are Auction houses to blame for a decline of retail bookselling?"
SESSION II: The Problematics of Collecting
2:00 p.m., Alliance Française Auditorium
Panel discussion will include Mark Dimunation (Library of Congress), Richard Kuhta (The Folger Shakespeare Library), and Joel Silver (of Indiana University's Lilly Library) providing brief responses to the morning talks, and then join the morning speakers to discuss rare book collecting today. The audience will be invited to participate.
Venues
The morning session will be held in Ruggles Hall of the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton Street, Chicago. The afternoon session will be held at the Alliance Française de Chicago Auditorium,
54 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago.
ABOUT THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY
The Newberry Library, a preeminent humanities research and reference institution, is home to a world-class collection of books, manuscripts, maps, music, and other printed materials related to the history and culture of Western Europe and the Americas. The collections span many centuries. The Newberry offers research fellowships for scholars, exhibits based on its collections, and a broad array of programs and activities. The Newberry has been free and open to the public since 1887. Visit us online at www.newberry.org, and in person at 60 W. Walton Street, Chicago, Ill. 60610.
ABOUT THE CAXTON CLUB
The Caxton Club of Chicago was founded in 1895 by fifteen Chicago bibliophiles who desired to support the publication of fine books in the spirit of the prevailing Arts and Crafts Movement. They named the new organization the "Caxton Club" in honor of the first English printer, William Caxton. The founders were collectors, publishers, designers, and librarians. Their primary objective in forming the Caxton Club was to publish books of quality, both in content and design, primarily for their own personal libraries. They were following the lead of four other newly-formed book clubs: The Grolier Club in New York (1884), the Club of Odd Volumes in Boston (1886), the Rowfant Club in Cleveland (1892), and the Philobiblon Club in Philadelphia (1893).
Throughout its first century, the Caxton Club remained dedicated to its primary objective of publishing books. Sixty books and one print bear the Caxton Club device. They include numerous titles on each of the following subjects-Americana, printing history, literature, bibliomania, and bookbinding-as well as individual publications on ancient history, art history, and even opera. With a few exceptions, they were published in limited editions for sale to the members. Many are of exceptional design and have become scarce in the antiquarian book market.
The Caxton Club brings together a community of individuals who share a love of books and provides them a forum to learn about their history, production, and preservation; to heighten their appreciation of outstanding content, design and production; and to share in the joys of fine books. Many interesting and articulate speakers have stepped up to the Caxton Club rostrum. To name a few: J. Christian Bay; historians Daniel J. Boorstin and Bruce Catton; and columnists Robert Cromie and Lloyd Wendt; in addition to Caxtonians Paul M. Angle, Elmer Gertz, Kenneth Nebenzahl, Ralph Newman, and many others. Topics have been diverse, enlightening, and often amusing. They range from The Folger Library and Its Treasures, Negro Historians of the 19th Century, and The Emergence of Modern Design in Chicago to Why Collect Books? - An Evening with Viscount Eccles, Eugene Field-Bard, Bibliophile and Bon-Vivant, and Literary
Those interested in learning more about the history of the Caxton Club are referred to The Caxton Club 1895-1995-Celebrating A Century of the Book in Chicago, by Frank J. Piehl (Chicago: The Caxton Club, 1995), available from Oak Knoll Books, 414 Delaware Street, New Castle, Delaware 19720.