The Ticknor Society (is quite fantastic!)

Maryanne has often mentioned The Ticknor Society in passing as a bibliophile society to which she belongs. In my mind, this conjured up images of wood-paneled smoking rooms filled with tweed clad academics drinking cognac (which, admittedly, sounds pretty cool). But I really had no sense of what the society did.

Unsurprisingly, as I began to do research for this post I realized my mental conjuration wasn't quite accurate--but the Ticknor Society is no less wonderful! Rather than being a highly exclusive, mysterious society for wealthy book collectors, it is actually very accessible. Membership costs only $25 per year, so joining is a very affordable way to indulge your bibliophilia! Their website describes the society as "an organization of book collectors, booksellers, librarians, historians, archivists, conservators, printers, publishers, writers, and all lovers and readers of books. [They] are dedicated to the enjoyment, promotion, and support of books and book culture." Sign me up!

Most importantly, the Ticknor Society hosts six events every year (there are still five to come this year) in the Boston area! These events sound like a lot of fun to me... I wish I weren't so far away. Anyway, if you'd be interested in joining the Ticknor Society, their website can be found here. Below, I've copied their Calender of Events for 2010. That Scrabble Slam at the North Bennet Street School and the discussion on postage stamps sound especially tempting. You, dear reader, should go so that I may enjoy it vicariously.

P.S. The Ticknor Society's namesakes, George Ticknor and his daughter Anna Ticknor were very interesting and impressive people... to learn about them, click here and here.

Thursday, October 28, 2010, 6:30 PM (5:30 school tour for early arrivers)

First-Ever Ticknor Scrabble Slam!
North Bennet Street School, 39 North Bennet Street, North End, Boston, Board of Director’s Room.

Come join us for the first-ever Ticknor Scrabble Slam, to be held at the beautiful North Bennet School in the North End. Bring your Scrabble boards (and Scrabble dictionaries, if you have them). We'll have prizes for the high-point scorers. Kibitzers are welcome, too! The school is just a short walk from the Haymarket Orange and Green line station. We’ll also have special validated parking. Come early at 5:30 PM for a special guided tour of the school conducted by Marie Oedel. Marie is a board member of both the Ticknor Society and the North Bennet school. The School's craft shop will also be open. Complimentary pizza from Regina’s Pizzeria and wine and beer will be provided. The North Bennet Street School is an internationally renowned craft and trade school in Boston, and offers programs and workshops in woodworking, bookbinding, cabinet & furniture making. RSVP to ticknorinfo@gmail.com.

Saturday, November 13, 2010, 3:00 PM
Collector’s Roundtable, Boston Antiquarian Book Fair
Hynes Convention Center, Boston.

The Ticknor Society’s 9th annual collectors’ roundtable will take place on Saturday, November 13th at 3 PM during the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair at the Hynes Convention Center. Three New England collectors will share their collecting passions and adventures with audience questions, and bring some of their special books and other collectibles to show. Each panelist will speak briefly, and then take questions from the audience. Ticknor Society president Chris Morgan will moderate. The panelists will include:

Alan Tannenbaum, discussing his extensive collection of Lewis Carroll items
Alan Tannenbaum is a life-long collector. For the past 25+ years his focus has been on Lewis Carroll books and ephemera, with the obligatory voyage down the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland memorabilia. He is a ‘completist’, with practically none of the myriad collecting paths off limits. His extensive collection of rare, collectible, and popular culture qualifies him as an expert on the subject, and he regularly gives talks on Carrollian biographical and bibliographical topics. He is the immediate Past-President of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, a member of The Ticknor Society, and now a retired technologist of 33 years at IBM. He has built a library for his collection onto his 1770 house in Chelmsford, where he and his wife live.

Todd Pattison, discussing his collection of books bound by Benjamin Bradley
Todd Pattison collects books bound by Benjamin Bradley, a pioneering book binder who established one of the first cloth binderies in Boston in 1832. He bound many of the publications of Ticknor & Fields, and also did binding for numerous other publishers. At one point, he employed upwards of 80 people and the bindery was able to turn out 3000 bound volumes in a day. Mr. Pattison owns about 400 signed bindings by Bradley. Todd Pattison worked as a book conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts for twenty years. In September, 2010, he begins working at Widener Library as the Harvard College Library Collections Conservator. He studied bookbinding with Fred Jordan in western New York state in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and later studied with Hugo Peller and Edwin Heim in Ascona, Switzerland. He has an undergraduate degree in Art History from Nazareth College and an MLS from the University of Alabama.

Dan Johnson, discussing his collection of Frank Brinkley's works on Japan
Dan collects Brinkley's works in all their variations. He will describe the process of hand-coloring albumin photographs, and discuss the collotypes of Ogawa. Originally from Spokane, Dan as been collecting books for most of his life. Within the last ten years he has discovered the works of Captain Frank Brinkley and the folios of hand painted albumin photos of the people and scenes of Japan, along with wood blocks and other samples of Japanese goods. He lives in Bridgewater with his wife, Yulia.

Saturday, November 13, 2010, 6:00–8:00 PM
Special Joint Ticknor Society/Grolier Club Reception
Back Bay Hilton Hotel, Adams Room, 40 Dalton Street, Boston

Ticknor Society members attending the Boston Antiquarian Book Fair are cordially invited to attend a special joint reception, sponsored by the Grolier Club and the Ticknor Society, following the Saturday session at the Hynes Auditorium. Join Grolier Club President Eugene Flamm, Director Eric Holzenberg, and other Grolier Club members for an evening of drinks, hearty hors d’oeuvres, and book-chat. There's no charge, but please do RSVP to Grolier Club administrative assistant Maev Brennan: (212) 838-6690 ext. 7 or (917) 628-2797; mbrennan@grolierclub.org.

Saturday, November 13, 2010, 8:00 PM
Grolier Club Dinner and speech by Ticknor President Christopher Morgan on the topic,
Is the Physical Book in Danger?
Back Bay Hilton Hotel, 40 Dalton Street, Boston

Following the Grolier reception, Ticknor members are invited to attend a dinner at 8PM, featuring Ticknor President Chris Morgan discussing, "Is the Physical Book in Danger?" Will the Kindle do in the book? Stay tuned! The dinner fee is $80 per person. To reserve, please send a check made out to the Grolier Club, to The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022, to the attention of business manager Tammy Rubel.

Thursday, December 9, 2010, 6:30 PM
Michael Russem Discusses Postage Stamps By Type Designers
Boston Public Library, Orientation Room, Boston Public Library, Copley Square
Light refreshments will be served

Michael Russem, a book designer with Kat Ran Press in Cambridge, will discuss the many charming and little-known postage stamps designed by famous typeface designers. Eric Gill, Jan Van Krimpen, Hermann Zapf, and a handful of others created postage stamp lettering, calligraphy and graphic designs.