The Grolier Club – New York, New York - Atlas Obscura
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The Grolier Club

Manhattan, New York

The oldest bibliophilia club in America, with exhibitions on historic books and graphic arts. 

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The first-floor exhibition space got a makeover in 2018. Courtesy Michael Moran
The first-floor exhibition space got a makeover in 2018. Courtesy Michael Moran
Rare Book Room of the Grolier Club Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
Rare Book Room of the Grolier Club Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
The first floor of the Grolier Club, during the "Evermore" Poe exhibition, before the renovation. Allison (Atlas Obscura User)
The exhibition space now shows off some of the collection's books, too. Courtesy Michael Moran
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Established in 1884, the stately Grolier Club is a center for the celebration of the beauty and art of books.

As the oldest bibliophilia club in America, the private club has been in its current home on the Upper East Side since 1917 and regularly hosts free, public exhibitions on the literary arts, with past shows focusing on wunderkammers, microscopes, and symbolism, always concentrating on books as art objects. The exhibition hall was made over in 2018 to include state-of-the-art storage and to show off some of the texts in the rare book collection, which line the walls of the floor above.

The Grolier Club also holds a 100,000-volume research library packed with texts on the literary arts, such as bookbinding, illustration, and catalogues from exhibitions and auctions. The collection has a strong Francophile bent, and its name is a tribute to Jean Grolier de Servières, a 16th century French bibliophile and collector. 

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