News

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The Caxton Club Marks Black History Month with Caxtonian Book Review, a Program, and an Initiative

Irvin J. Hunt Reviews African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song, edited by Kevin Young. Click here to read the review.

A recent program sponsored by the Caxton Club and the Chicago Jewish Historical Society featured Andrew Feiler’s presentation on his book, A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America. Click here to watch the presentation.

Artist, designer, and letterpress printer, Ben Blount was part of a group of book binders and book artists asked to create a book or binding inspired by the 101 entries included in Chicago by the Book. “Inspired by the Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalogue entry … ‘Wish Book’ examines our desires for the American Dream (a home, a full bank account, and a good education) in contrast to the inequality inherent in the American system.” – Ben Blount . Read a profile of Ben Blount written by Martha Chiplis in the August 2019 Caxtonian.

In January sixty years ago, the Caxton Club sent members a small keepsake book, Seed Corn, written and illustrated by John Averill. Back then, additional copies were available for four dollars each. While we no longer have copies to sell, we’d like to share the images below. Click the images to see larger versions. We hope you’ll enjoy them.

CABS-Minnesota is committed to diversity in the antiquarian and rare book trade. CABS-Minnesota has established the Diverse Voices Fellowship to build a cohort of five fellows who have a strong interest in learning more about the antiquarian book trade and have found themselves isolated in or distanced from the trade by reason of race, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, and/or income. The fellowship will offer a program of professional and career development designed around fellows’ interests.

For more information, visit https://www.bookseminars.com/fellowship.php. Electronic applications due December 10, 2021.

Caxton Club Announces 2021-22 Book Arts Grant Recipients

Five new recipients have been added to our grants list: Grant for a School of the Art Institute of Chicago Undergraduate – Tania Luo;

Graduate students: Keren Alfred and Madison Bennett – University of Iowa Center for the Book; Anna Lee Cai and Nestor Kok – School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The video is available at http://www.chicagojewishhistory.org. Scroll to Programs on the homepage and locate the October 10 program.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Caxton Club has adopted a book through the Smithsonian Libraries’ Adopt-a-Book Program: The African presence in México: from Yanga to the present. Chicago: Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, c2006.

https://siarchives.si.edu/history/tale-two-sisters

The Caxton Club joins other Stewards of the Hungerford Deed and recognizes the Smithsonian Institution’s 175th anniversary.

The Hungerford Deed, 1787

https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/blog/enchanting-pop-book-celebrating-weird-tales-heads-auction

Artist’s books will be auctioned 8/28/21. Attend a preview reception 8/26. More info at caxtonclub.org.

Hannah Batsel's artist's book, Weirder Than Fiction

Copies of Chicago by the Book are on sale for $11.00 each plus tax and shipping. You must use promo code CAXTON. Sale ends September 10, 2021. 

Click to order from University of Chicago Press.

The William Morris Society in the United States organized online exhibitions, programs, and videos for International Kelmscott Press Day. Caxtonians Jill Gage, Cait Coker, and Caroline Szylowicz spoke on video. See more at links.