April Evening Program

Alice Parsons Millard (1873–1938) was largely self-educated. She was from a modest background, but she became an urbane, internationally known antiquarian bookseller when almost no women worked at the high end of the trade. This talk will focus on her beginnings in Chicago where she met and married George M. Millard, a notable bookseller and one of the founders of the Caxton Club. She was involved in the Arts and Crafts Movement and the Chicago Woman’s Club, and knew Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed two homes for her: one in Highland Park for her and George, and, much later, one for her in Pasadena. Although she later ran her business in Pasadena, California, her intellectual roots were in Chicago.

Michèle V. Cloonan is Professor and Dean Emerita in the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons University, USA, where she continues to advise doctoral students and conduct research. Prior to that she was associate professor and chair in the Department of Information Studies at UCLA. Before she became a professor, she was a librarian at the Newberry Library, Brown University, and Smith College. She has been a leader in LIS education and is a former president of the Association for Library & Information Science Education.

Register today.

Reception 5:30 PM CT. Presentation 6:30. Hot buffet dinner with vegetarian options to follow. Club members: remember to bring your Caxton badge.

Book discount

Attendees will receive a coupon for a 35% discount for copies of Becoming Alice Millard purchased through the publisher, Bloomsbury.

Book raffle

Registrants will have the opportunity to purchase $10 raffle tickets for the chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Becoming Alice Millard, list price $135. Pre-purchased tickets will be provided at the event and winner will be announced. Tickets will not be sold at the event.

Transportation to the Union League Club at 65 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago.

The Union League Club is easily accessible through many public transportation methods. Additionally, the following options are available for those who wish to travel by cab or car.

The Union League Club front desk offers a connection to cab service through Curb. The desk will call cabs for members and all guests while allowing riders to remain inside until the cab arrives. No curb side wait. Cabs will accept all payment forms, following the payment procedures you experience with a street-hailed cab.

If you are traveling by car, the Union League Club offers valet parking for Caxton events at $35.00. You must register and prepay in advance through the Caxton Club.

Spot Hero is an independent parking option, generally offering spots at the 318 S. Federal Street garage adjacent to the Union League Club. You may reserve and pay for a guaranteed parking spot through the Spot Hero app or website (spothero.com).

May Midday Program

From the aptly named Wynkyn de Worde to creators of Zines, Adam Smyth unspools the story of books by illuminating the lives of eighteen fascinating characters. Entertaining, enlightening, engaging, and alliterative, his book puts a fresh perspective on some familiar names while introducing others you may not be familiar with.

Did Benjamin Franklin eat paper in order to increase the amount of fiber in his diet? Did William Wildgoose lead a campaign to outlaw quill pens out of deference to his namesake? While those intriguing questions aren’t actually addressed in Smyth’s terrific book, he does use the broadest range of historical sources to revive and describe the sounds, the smells, and the atmosphere of the development of printing to reveal new perspectives on even the most well-trodden ground.

Smyth is a professor of English literature and the history of the book at Oxford’s Balliol College. He may seem familiar to regular midday program viewers, because other speakers have quoted him in their talks and because he is much in demand as a lecturer and learned guest in programs available online.

Make a little history of your own and register for the May Midday today!

Please forward this notice to anyone who may find it of interest.

Even if you can’t attend at the scheduled time, if you’re interested, please register. After the program, we’ll send an email to all registrants, asking if you’d like a link to the complete recording. That way you can see the program even if you couldn’t attend live, ran into technical issues, or simply wanted to watch it again.