Caxton Club upcoming events

Zoom – Gabriel Swift on A Triple Volley of Musketry: Curating & Collecting American Independence (11/13/2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

November Midday Program

January 3. Princeton, New Jersey. They take the field. One side wearing blue uniforms. The other red. A victory today . . . but the series isn’t over. There will be more contests.

Is this the famous first intercollegiate football game ever played? Nope.

This contest took place nearly a hundred years before Princeton squared off against Rutgers, and while the combatants may have brought bands along, there were no cheerleaders nor hotdog vendors present.

It was 1777 and it was a battle in a war that was made inevitable by the printing press. Newspapers led to incendiary pamphlets which led to a Declaration, whose rare original Dunlap prints are among the most precious of American documents.

Gabriel Swift, Librarian for Early American Collections at Princeton University, will reveal a stunning collection of materials drawn from the library’s exhibition Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton & the American Revolution. His program will focus on traditional and new modes of celebrating, curating, and collecting on the theme of American independence.

Though he isn’t a loyalist, Gabriel does root for a team that wears red (well, crimson & cream), having been graduated from Indiana University, where he also was awarded an MA in history and an MLS.

Why not show your colors by registering today for this online presentation and Q&A? We make a confident Declaration that it will be a fast-paced, informative, and entertaining hour!

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.

Aimee Lee on Hanji’s Midwestern Migration (11/19/2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 23:30:00 GMT

November Evening Program

After Aimee Lee first learned to make paper in Chicago in 2003, she became curious about the legacy of Korean papermaking. She learned to make hanji in Korea on a Fulbright fellowship (2008–2009) and returned to the US to build the first hanji studio in North America in Cleveland, and pen the first English-language book devoted wholly to hanji, Hanji Unfurled (The Legacy Press, 2012). Her 2021 Fulbright senior scholarship focused on making bamboo screens, the vital tool necessary to make hanji. This focus on the precarity of toolmakers in the field led to her second book, As Good as Our Tools (The Legacy Press, 2025). In this talk, Lee will share the arc of her career from Chicago to Korea to Ohio, and how the Midwest has shaped the possibilities for hand papermaking today.

Aimee Lee is a papermaking artist and culture bearer who advocates for Korean papermaking practices.

Reception 5:30 PM CT. Presentation 6:30. Dinner to follow. Registration includes menu choice of chicken or vegetarian entree. Club members: remember to bring your Caxton badge.

Book purchase

Registering for the program will allow you the opportunity to purchase copies of books (shown above ) for pick up on the night of the program. Books will not be offered for sale the night of the program.

Hanji Unfurled: $29.50

As Good as Our Tools: $39.00

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).

David Pearson on Bookbindings: An Illustrated History (12/18/2026)

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

December Midday Program

Well, it turns out that you can judge a book by its cover. At least if you’ve got the Bodleian Library’s collection at your disposal and you are a highly respected book historian with a list of publications longer than a Faulkner sentence.

David Pearson’s stunning new work, BOOKBINDINGS: An Illustrated History [2026, Bodleian Library Publishing] explores the subject from the birth of the codex through the rebirth of craft binding.

His talk will be as generously illustrated as the covers he features on screen, so according to the formula P > 31.63² × W, the program will be worth more than … well you know.

David is trilingual, speaking English, American, and Librarian. So though he’ll be joining us from South Cambridgeshire, his lively and fast-paced talk will be sure to resonate with everyone.

For those in the Chicago area, this will be the sole midday program that is followed by a meal at the Union League Club. We’ll watch the program on a big screen that features a terrific sound system and then adjourn to an optional luncheon. And not just any luncheon. It’s the holiday extravaganza that features a lavish buffet, strolling carolers, a room with a really high ceiling, a huge fireplace blazing with imagination, plenty of silverware, and lively conversation at the table.

So whether you’re joining us online or in person, you’re bound to enjoy the December midday. Register today!

Live attendance and optional Carolers Luncheon

View Zoom program on eighth floor, Steel Room, Union League Club. Presentation begins at 12:00 PM CT. Optional $80 buffet lunch with carving station, wide selection of food and deserts, Christmas carolers, and a holiday toast. A chance to dine and linger with fellow Caxtonians. Reservations and pre-payment required by 12:00 p.m. 12/15/26.

Zoom presentation is free and open to all.

Zoom begins at 12:00PM CT/1:00 PM ET. Preregistration required via website.

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

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.

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.