Joie du Livre: FABS Newsletter for June 2025

Image source: medium.com

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

-“Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” (1899)

William Butler Yeats, he of the romantically floppy bowties, was born on 13 June, 1865.

Here is the news from FABS for June:

The Book Club of Washington has issued a public statement condemning the attempted federal dismantling of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and urging immediate action to defend libraries. With Washington’s State Library facing the loss of $3.9 million in annual funding, the statement outlines what’s at stake — from eBooks to Braille access, rural broadband, and tribal library services. The Club invites fellow bibliophiles to learn more and join them in speaking out.

Full statement here: https://www.bookclubofwashington.org/support-wa-libraries

FABS has new officers, elected at the Annual Meeting in April. Gretchen Hause is our new Chair, Sharon Gee is Vice Chair, Howard Schwartz is Treasurer, and Paul Heyde is Secretary. Collectively they are members of The Book Club of California, The Caxton Club, The Grolier Club, Northern Ohio Bibliophilic Society, The Philobiblon Club, The Roxburghe Club and The Zamorano Club! Congratulations to all, with heartfelt thanks for your dedication to FABS and its mission of bookish fellowship.

June Blogging: If you didn’t see it last month, check out our new blog post by Kathy Roberts, highlighting examples of Japonism in of nineteenth-century miniature cloth publisher’s bindings. Kathy provides a mini-tutorial on the craze for Japanese-inspired design and shows how it was applied in her collection of exquisite tiny tomes, often presented as gifts. The photos alone are worth the click! If you or someone else in your club would like to blog about a collection, please contact Jennifer at info@fabsocieties.org.

The Grolier Club Spring Sale continues until June 15. To order books, click here and be sure to enter promo code GROLIERSPRING at checkout. To order by phone, call (800) 621-2736 and mention promo code GROLIERSPRING.

Does your club have news to share, or are you a club member with big news? Would you like to blog about your collection? Please contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

Here's our list of June bookish events from FABS member societies:

June 2: Playwright and director Carol J. Verburg will speak about Edward Gorey’s adventures in the theatre world. Even his ardent fans may not be aware that Gorey directed The Beastly Baby, The Doubtful Guest, The Curious Sofa and dozens of unpublished texts on stages from Cape Cod to Los Angeles. (The Book Club of California)

June 9: The Oscar Lewis Awards of The Book Club of California were established in 1994, recognizing contributions to the Book Arts and Western History. The festivities are open to all on Zoom. (The Book Club of California)

June 9 (one-time date change): FABS Bindings Group welcomes Karen Hanmer at 7:30pm EST on Zoom to discuss the Biblio Tech models, reverse-engineered historic or modern binding structures. (Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org)

June 9: FABS Handpress Era Group will meet at 7:30pm EST on Zoom for an hour of talk about printed items before 1800. Dr. Eugene Flamm will speak on “Putative Provenance: Martin Lister as a Bibliophilic Iterist” regarding a volume perhaps given by Lister to the Earl of Portland, with additional discussion of two Earls of Essex. (Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org)

June 13: Joseph Hone will discuss The Book Forger, his brilliantly-reviewed account of how two young booksellers unmasked the forgeries of Thomas J. Wise using new methods of forensic analysis, and rocked the literary world. (The Caxton Club)

June 16: If you love San Francisco, don’t miss historian Roberty Cherny’s talk on writing the history of the city, with emphasis on the 1930s. In particular he will discuss the Coit Tower Murals and other New Deal murals in the city. (The Book Club of California)

June 19: The FABS 19^th Century Zoom Group meets for convivial conversation about all things bookish and 19^th century! You are invited. Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

June 24: Join the FABS Living With Books group for congenial discussion of the challenges and pleasures of home libraries. Contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org

Stay tuned to the FABS Calendar, as more events are sure to be posted soon.