The Florida Bibliophile Society

The Florida Bibliophile Society has an exciting schedule of programs and events planned for 2014, considering we completed a great fall season of functions and presentations from excellent speakers. We started our season in September with George Haborak, long-standing member of the 'Kit' Marlowe Society, speaking on the Shakespeare authorship controversy. Then in October, FBS member Hal Youmans, a nationally renowned scholar on the War of 1812, gave a presentation on methodological errors in historical research of the historic conflict between the United States and Great Britain. And in November, Vice President Maureen Mulvihill, an established specialist on English and Irish women writers, gave a presentation entitled "Looking: Reading Frontispiece Portraits,
Selections From Rare Books, c1660-1800." The members then got into the spirit of the season with their Annual Holiday Party at a local eatery.

For the January 19 meeting Maureen Mulvihill has scheduled a Members’ Show and Tell, where members are encouraged to talk about a special book from their collection or some other book-related topic. FBS Treasurer Carl Mario Nudi, letterpress coordinator at the Tampa Book Arts Studio, will give a hands-on demonstration on February 16 on the extensive collection of printing artifacts in the collection of the University of Tampa. Then on March 8-10, members again will cover the check-in table at the annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair in St. Petersburg. This volunteer effort provides us with the opportunity to inform the public about the Florida Bibliophile Society, and to sign up new members. On March 23, Maureen has booked internationally known miniature book collector and FBS member Pat Pistner to speak about her rare books. A speaker for the April meeting has yet to be confirmed, but plans are in the works for the May banquet, where new officers are installed.

The Florida Bibliophile Society meets every third Sunday of the month, from September through May, and remember, everyone is welcome. So if you find yourself in the Tampa Bay region when a meeting is scheduled, please join us. Check our website to find out more about the FBS.