Colonel William A. Phillips

The Caxton Club is a private social club and bibliophilic society founded in Chicago in 1895 to promote the book arts and the history of the book. 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.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] The Caxton Club is a member club of the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies.^[9]

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.^[10] The club's name honors the fifteenth-century English printer William Caxton.^[11] 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).^[12]

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.^[11]

In 1995 the Caxton Club centenary was celebrated with publication of The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago ^[13] which has been characterized as a "significant addition to the history of American bibliophily."^[14]

The Club published several fine editions in partnership with the Lakeside Press of Chicago.^[15]

The Club awards scholarships and grants to students and researchers in the book arts.^[16]

Notable members

Gwendolyn Brooks – author, poet^[11]
Francis Fisher Browne – editor^[17]
Lee Pierce Butler – bibliographer, librarian, professor^[18]
Michèle V. Cloonan - librarian, professor
Charles Deering - businessman, art collector, philanthropist
Robert B. Downs, librarian, author^[19]
Alexander Wilson Drake – artist, collector, critic^[20]
James Ellsworth – banker, industrialist^[21]
Charles Lang Freer – art collector, industrialist, philanthropist^[22]
Michael Gorman – librarian^[23]
Frederic Goudy, printer, artist and type designer^[24]
Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden – book collector and scholar^[25]
Theodore Wesley Koch, librarian, translator^[26]

Henry Eduard Legler – activist, librarian^[27]
Frank Orren Lowden – 25th governor of Illinois, United States representative IL, candidate Republican presidential nominations 1920, 1928^[28]
Beverly Lynch, librarian^[29]

William Mulliken – Olympic swimmer^[30]
Audrey Niffenegger – author and artist^[31]
Sarah M. Pritchard – librarian ^[32]
Carl B. Roden – librarian^[33]
Ralph Fletcher Seymour – artist, author, publisher^[34]
David Spadafora, historian, President, Newberry Library^[35]
Vincent Starrett – author and newspaperman^[36]
Peggy Sullivan, library historian, librarian^[37]
Robert Wedgeworth – librarian and executive^[31]
Frank Lloyd Wright – architect^[38]

Publications

In the course of its history, the Caxton Club has published formal publications and other printed pieces. Following is a complete listing of the club’s publications.

References

^ "The Caxton Club". Chicago Daily Tribune. December 8, 1895.
^ "Officers". Caxton Club. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
^ "Meetings & Speakers Schedule". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "Bibliophile Events". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "Exhibitions". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Johnson, Dirk (February 20, 2011). "Book Lovers Fear Dim Future for Notes in the Margins". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
^ "Publications". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "Caxtonian". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies Member Clubs". Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
^ Gehl, Paul. "Book Arts". Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c "History". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Piehl, Frank (1995). The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago Chicago: Caxton Club. p. 14-15
^ Piehl, Frank (1995). The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago Chicago: Caxton Club.
^ Holzenberg, Eric J. “The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago. Frank J. Piehl, Bruce McKittrick.” The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 90, no. 3 (1996): 379–81.
^ Hutner, Martin (2004). A Century for the Century: Fine Printed Books from 1900 to 1999. Grolier Club. ISBN 9781567922202., p. XXXVII
^ "Caxton Club - Grants".
^ Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 239. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Richardson, John (February 2000). "Butler, Lee Pierce". American National Biography Online. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
^ "Robert B. Downs, 87, Librarian and Author". The New York Times. 26 February 1991.
^ Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 530. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 579. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 669. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Caxtonian XXI (6)
^ Shaw, Paul. "An appreciation of Frederic W. Goudy as a type designer". Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^ The Caxton Club Yearbook 1965 104, and Yearbook 1971 Supplement
^ "Guide to the Theodore Wesley Koch (1871-1941) Papers". Northwestern University. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
^ The Caxton Club Year Book 1971 112
^ "Books We Finished XV: The Caxton Club Revels Auction, December 20, 2013" (PDF). Caxton Club. p. [16]. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
^ "Lynch, Beverly P. (1936-) - The American Library Association Archives". archives.library.illinois.edu.
^ "Caxton Club Directory". Retrieved August 4, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "New Members Admitted During 2010–2011" (PDF). The Caxtonian. 19 (8): 5. August 2011.
^ Dean of Libraries Sarah Pritchard plans to retire in 2022 Longtime dean led transformation of library services Northwestern Now, October 13, 2021.
^ The Caxton Club Yearbook 1971 115
^ Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 1699. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Johnson, Steve (June 14, 2017). "The Newberry Library set to undergo $11 million renovation". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
^ "Caxtonian Footnotes" (PDF). The Caxtonian. 22 (5): 12. May 2014.
^ "Peggy Sullivan Named ALA Honorary Member in 2008. No. 7.4.2008. 110". Librarian. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012.
^ Twombly, Robert (1979). Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture. New York: Wiley. p. 33. ISBN 0-471-85797-1.

External links

[1] "The Caxton Club". Chicago Daily Tribune. December 8, 1895.

[2] "Officers". Caxton Club. Retrieved February 24, 2024.

[3] "Meetings & Speakers Schedule". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[4] "Bibliophile Events". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[5] "Exhibitions". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[6] Johnson, Dirk (February 20, 2011). "Book Lovers Fear Dim Future for Notes in the Margins". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2011.

[7] "Publications". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[8] "Caxtonian". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[9] "Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies Member Clubs". Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.

[10] Gehl, Paul. "Book Arts". Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[History-11] "History". Caxton Club. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[12] Piehl, Frank (1995). The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago Chicago: Caxton Club. p. 14-15

[13] Piehl, Frank (1995). The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago Chicago: Caxton Club.

[14] Holzenberg, Eric J. “The Caxton Club, 1895–1995: Celebrating a Century of the Book in Chicago. Frank J. Piehl, Bruce McKittrick.” The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 90, no. 3 (1996): 379–81.

[15] Hutner, Martin (2004). A Century for the Century: Fine Printed Books from 1900 to 1999. Grolier Club. ISBN 9781567922202., p. XXXVII

[16] "Caxton Club - Grants".

[17] Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 239. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[18] Richardson, John (February 2000). "Butler, Lee Pierce". American National Biography Online. Retrieved March 29, 2010.

[19] "Robert B. Downs, 87, Librarian and Author". The New York Times. 26 February 1991.

[20] Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 530. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[21] Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 579. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[22] Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 669. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[23] Caxtonian XXI (6)

[Shaw_on_Goudy-24] Shaw, Paul. "An appreciation of Frederic W. Goudy as a type designer". Retrieved July 12, 2015.

[25] The Caxton Club Yearbook 1965 104, and Yearbook 1971 Supplement

[northwestern-26] "Guide to the Theodore Wesley Koch (1871-1941) Papers". Northwestern University. Retrieved 18 February 2016.

[27] The Caxton Club Year Book 1971 112

[28] "Books We Finished XV: The Caxton Club Revels Auction, December 20, 2013" (PDF). Caxton Club. p. [16]. Retrieved December 14, 2013.

[illinois.edu-29] "Lynch, Beverly P. (1936-) - The American Library Association Archives". archives.library.illinois.edu.

[30] "Caxton Club Directory". Retrieved August 4, 2014.

[Caxtonian2011Aug-31] "New Members Admitted During 2010–2011" (PDF). The Caxtonian. 19 (8): 5. August 2011.

[32] Dean of Libraries Sarah Pritchard plans to retire in 2022 Longtime dean led transformation of library services Northwestern Now, October 13, 2021.

[33] The Caxton Club Yearbook 1971 115

[34] Marquis, Albert Nelson, ed. (1908). Who's Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women of the United States: 1908–1909 (PDF). Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company. p. 1699. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[35] Johnson, Steve (June 14, 2017). "The Newberry Library set to undergo $11 million renovation". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 October 2018.

[Caxtonian2014May-36] "Caxtonian Footnotes" (PDF). The Caxtonian. 22 (5): 12. May 2014.

[honorary-37] "Peggy Sullivan Named ALA Honorary Member in 2008. No. 7.4.2008. 110". Librarian. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012.

[38] Twombly, Robert (1979). Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture. New York: Wiley. p. 33. ISBN 0-471-85797-1.

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