Paul Gourary Information Collection on Festival Books, 1953-2002 (bulk 1975-2002)

OCLC ID No.
1009088800

Creator
Gourary, Paul, collector.

Title
Paul Gourary information collection on festival books, 1953-2002 (bulk 1975-2002).

Physical Description
1 carton.

General Note
Title devised by cataloger.

Biographical note
Paul Gourary was a New York City investment banker, patron of the arts, and book collector. He was elected to the Grolier Club in 1953 and served as member and chair of several committees, as vice-president (1974-1978), and as a member of the Council (1966-1981). He was elected and honorary membership in the club and died in January 2007. Among Mr. Gourary’s book collecting interests were European Festival Books, large, heavily illustrated publications created to memorialize splendid public occasions such as coronations. He also collected some prints illustrating such events.

Scope and Content note
The collection includes tear sheets of auction and dealer’s descriptions of books and prints offered for sale, accompanied by the occasional note or piece of correspondence as well as ca. 15 scholarly articles (ca. 1980-2000) on festival books with some correspondence from the authors.  There is also a folder of articles and correspondence on representations of “La Presentazione della Chinea,” a ceremony dating from the twelfth century at which the sovereigns of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies presented a white horse (la chinea) to the Pope, and correspondence and the exhibition entries from the Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s 1987 exhibition “Honor and Glory: Monumental Arches.” The collection maintained by Karl Kup of correspondence, dealers’ offers, articles and miscellaneous items reflecting his years as curator of the Spencer Collection of the New York Public Library (ca.1937 to 1968) also forms part of the collection.

Immediate source of acquisision
Marianne Gourary (Mrs. Paul), 2008.

Names
Gourary, Paul.
Kup, Karl, 1903-1981.
Grolier Club.
New York Public Library. Spencer Collection.

Subjects
Book collectors. New York (State). New York. 20^thcentury.
Festival books. Collectors and collecting.
Private libraries. New York (State). New York. 20^thcentury.

Occupation (as reflected in collection)
Book collectors. New York (State). New York. 20^th century.

Location
Grolier Club, 47 East 60^thStreet, New York, N.Y. 10022-1098