The Ticknor Society

On Tuesday, March 4, 2014, at the Houghton Library, Harvard University, we were treated to a presentation by Karen Nipps about Lydia Bailey. Karen is a former Ticknor Society President. She discussed her new book, Lydia Bailey: A Checklist of Her Imprints, part of the Penn State Series in the History of the Book. Lydia Bailey was a leading printer in Philadelphia in the early nineteenth century. Karen's monograph is the first about a woman printer during the hand press period.

On Thursday, March 27, we had our first cyber-meeting in the form of a Ticknor Webinar, conducted live from the Rare Book School by Ticknor Society member Jeremy Dibbell. In 2013, Jeremy spoke to the Ticknor Society about database options for cataloging book and artifact collections. In 2009, he also gave us a curator's guided tour of the Massachusetts Historical Society's exhibit, "Gluttons for Books: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Their Libraries."

On Saturday, April 12, we traveled to Jaffrey, New Hampshire to visit Robert Stephenson, and enjoyed a tour of his remarkable collection of Antarctica books and artifacts. Robert's collection includes personal belongings of several pioneering Antarctic explorers, rare photographs, and copies of such rarities as Shackleton's South Polar Times, printed on a printing press carried on the expedition! We also visited David Godine’s book warehouse.

On Thursday, May 29, the Ticknor Society held their annual meeting at the American Meteorological Society's beautiful Bulfinch-designed building on Beacon Hill in Boston. Ticknor members had an opportunity to tour the building and the library. Jinny Nathans, the librarian and curator of the American Meteorological Society, welcomed us. Marie Oedel was our host for the evening. Our thanks go to Marie and her husband Dick for preparing the wonderful refreshments. During the business meeting, President Scott Guthery gave a report of the past year’s events, and Janet Steins gave the Treasurer's Report. Board member Alan Tannenbaum next presented two Lewis-Carroll-related gifts to outgoing Membership Secretary Heather Cole on behalf of the Society, in recognition of her hard work. Scott Guthrey next gave his forecast for the coming season, and announced that Ticknor members would receive copies of the Ticknor Society’s beautiful new edition of The Enemies of Books, featuring a new introduction by Janet Steins and new illustrations. This is the Society’s first full-length book production, and it was a marvelous keepsake of the evening.  The book is a classic nineteenth-century discussion of the many enemies of books. Following the business meeting, the featured speaker was Tom Horrocks, a President ex-officio, founder, and Past President of the Ticknor Society. His address was based on his recently-published book, Lincoln's Campaign Biographies, which argues for the importance of the many biographies of Lincoln that appeared before his first election, giving voters detailed background about Lincoln at a time when it was thought unseemly for candidates to campaign actively. After Tom's address, signed copies of his book went on sale, with all proceeds going to the Ticknor Society.  After the meeting, there was a Dutch Treat Dinner at Lala Rokh Restaurant on Beacon Hill.

In Scott Guthrey’s apt summary, “It was a sparkling evening in so many dimensions: historic venue, treats and libations, organization-building, featured address, not to mention an oh-so-tasty dinner.”