Events 2009

The John Russell Bartlett Society is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, and the schedule of events for the 2009/10 season will showcase the history of the organization and its ongoing role in promoting the book arts and book collecting in Rhode Island.

September 24 (Thursday) 6:00 PM - Tour of the AS220 Community Print Shop; on-site letterpress printing of a JRBS 25th Anniversary keepsake.  AS220 is a non-profit arts organization which owns several buildings in downtown Providence and maintains galleries, performance spaces, and cottage industries such as the darkroom and the print shop.

Please RSVP to Richard Ring:   rring@provlib.org.

October 15 (Thursday) 6:00 PM - Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport, RI.
John Kristensen, owner operator of Firefly Press of Boston, will reprise his J. Lieberman Memorial Lecture, "The Book [Broadside, Bookplate, Business Card & Birth Announcement] Beautiful."  This is a pre- APHA (American Printing History Association) meeting event.

October 16-18 (Friday to Sunday) - Redwood Library, Newport Public Library and Newport Art Museum: the American Printing History Association meeting Newport, Rhode Island.  See the APHA website for more information about the meeting.

November 12 (Thursday) 6:00 PM - John Carter Brown Library, Brown University.
Ira Unschuld, collector and first Stillwell Prize winner will discuss the development of his collection of early American finance and economics since winning the Stillwell Prize in 1985.

For the winter the JRBS is planning additional programs including a panel discussion on Replevin, a movie night featuring films about the book arts and collecting, and finally a reunion of Margaret Stillwell Prize winners.

AUGUST 2009:

OCCASIONAL NUGGETS FROM PROVIDENCE

The Special Collections division of the Providence Public Library announces the launch of Occasional Nuggets, a “modest but gratifying” serial publication of bookish interest. 

The first issue, hot off the press in Spring 2009, discusses a set of four Japanese fairy tales written by Lafcadio Hearn and printed in Tokyo between 1898-1904. The issue begins with a short introduction on Hearn’s life and career, reprints one of the tales, and includes bibliographical information and suggestions for further reading.

Occasional Nuggets will offer four (4) issues this year (spring, summer, winter, fall) for a subscription price of $15.00, which will cover only production costs. As the larger purpose of this publication is to promote the appreciation and support of the Special Collections at the Providence Public Library, donations are also actively solicited.  To this end, the final pages of each issue will list those donors who have provided support beyond the annual subscription price.  For further information, please contact Richard Ring:   rring@provlib.org.