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Behind every great collection lies a
great story. That is the premise of the The Grolier Club
Collects, a selection of books, manuscripts and works on
paper drawn from the international membership of the Grolier
Club. Reflecting the breadth and quality of their varied
collecting interests, the exhibition encompasses medieval
manuscripts and early printed books as well as contemporary
literature; rarities ranging from Old Master drawings and
prints, to ninteenth and twentieth century posters, cartoons
and ephemera to livres d'artiste, children's books,
panoramas and photographs. Each object comes with a tale,
written by the collector, describing how and when the book,
manuscript, or print was acquired, under what circumtances,
how it fits into an overall collecting scheme and-most
importantly-why it is precious to the collector. These
unique objects illuminate the remarkable range of subjects
pursued by bibliophiles on an international stage and
provide proof that the collecting of books and prints in the
age of the internet is not only alive and well, but
thriving.
The Grolier Club Collects is a survey of collecting
today, as reflected in the interests of current Grolier
members. It is not a 'treasures' show of jewel-encrusted and
gilt-edged rarities, rather a collection of remarkable
objects chosen for their power to inspire. Included in this
diverse assemblage are a complete Roman Praetorian
gladitorial "diploma" dating to the third century A.D.; a
history of New York bound in Javanese shark-skin by Tiffany
& Co., a hand-written poetic valentine from Jack London
to a childhood sweetheart; Oscar Wilde's corrected
page-proofs for The Ballad of Reading Gaol; a 1762
diary of George Washington; a copy of the very first
Christmas card; Coryats Crudities, the first handbook
for European travelers; and Emily Dickinson's recipe for
coconut cake. Contemporary authors span Virginia Woolf to
Charles Bukowski, while drawings range from a luminescent
Odilon Redon Shakespeare illustration to an original cartoon
strip for Al Capp's "L'il Abner."
Beyond their personal interests, more than 3,000 Grolier
Club members over the course of 120 years have helped to
shape the history of book collecting as a field. Since 1884
the Club has sponsored over 500 exhibitions exploring topics
from Blake to Kipling, chess to murder mysteries, Japanese
prints to Art Nouveau posters. Most of these exhibitions
have been accompanied by catalogues, many of which have
become standard reference works-on Whistler, Dürer,
Mayan writing, as well as the renowned "Grolier 100" series
of bibliographies in English and American literature,
science, and medicine.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a
fully
illustrated catalogue
designed by Jerry Kelly, with an introductory essay by
curators T. Peter Kraus and Eric Holzenberg. The 192-page catalogue
will be available at a cost of $45.00. In addition, a free
public symposium
featuring "Some Approaches to Book Collecting" by Grolier
Club members will be held at the Club on Tuesday, January
14, 2003, from 5-7 pm.
LOCATION AND TIMES: The Grolier Club Collects will be
on view at the Grolier Club from 10 December 2002-1 February
2003, with the exception of Dec. 24-26 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1,
when the Grolier Club will close in observance of the
Christmas and New Year's holidays. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10
AM - 5 PM. Open to the public free of charge.
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