About this Event
A Secret Gilded Age Library Rooted in 17th-Century New York. A secret library belongs to the Holland Society of New York, a historical and genealogical society founded in 1885 that documents the legacy of North America's earliest Dutch settlers. Sarah Bogart Cooney, the society's Executive Director, will lecture on its Grotius Collection of books, tucked away at Columbia University. The tomes were purchased in 1890 by Robert Barnwell Roosevelt, a Holland Society member and ex-Minister to the Hague, from Bom and Bom Book Dealers in Amsterdam. The collection is rich in first editions, including 17th-century publications by the eminent Elzevir dynasty of printers. Since 1901, the books have been on deposit in Columbia's Rare Book and Manuscript Library: a ghost collection with no presence in Columbia's library catalogue. Recent efforts by the Holland Society and Columbia librarians have brought new exposure to this collection, and collaboration has begun to rescue them from "the oblivion of their present situation."
Registration
If you are a Grolier Club member, please register yourself and your guests via the Club website. Do not register via Eventbrite.
Support
We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For over 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings, and would like to support that tradition, and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.
Accessibility
An ADA-compliant lift from street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.
A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting in order to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.
Environment
The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00
