An image of fireworks from Alan St. Hill Brock's Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making (1922). Learn more about this book and historical firework illustrations at the Public Domain Review.

Happy Semiquincentennial, America! FABS member societies hail from eighteen US states plus D.C. Let's make it a goal to increase that to fifty and continue fostering our international connections. In The Republic of Books, everyone is a citizen!

Here is a link to Joie du Livre for this month. Feel free to share with your members.

https://www.fabsocieties.org/?na=view&id=69

Here is the news from FABS for July:

Thanks to Jolie Braun of the Aldus Society in Columbus OH, who joins Tamara Belts (President, Book Club of Washington) as a Joie du Livre volunteer, helping to ensure that this monthly newsletter reaches your in-box!

Our Tasmania correspondent, Mark Warner of the Book Collectors' Society of Australia, writes "Here’s an excellent reason for Bibliophiles to visit [NB if you are fond of Aristophanes, definitely click here]:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-21/mona-library-phrontisterion-david-walsh-opening/106824466

MONA is the Museum of Old & New Art in Hobart, privately funded by a successful gambler!"

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

FABS Member Society events for July. Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

July 13: FABS Handpress Era Zoom Group. “A 1474 Medical Dictionary and A Holy Card.” This month’s meeting will feature two speakers. Dr. Gene Flamm will discuss his copy of the first printed medical dictionary: Simon Genuensis [Cordo]. Synonyma medicinae sive Clavis sanationis. Padua: 1474. Then, Martha Driver, Ph.D., will present “A Holy Card and A Book of Hours: Tracking Provenance (with questions for the audience).” For a link, contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org.

July 13: "Digital Scriptorium: Towards a National Union Catalog of Premodern Manuscripts in North American Collections." Lynn Ransom of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies presents a new union catalogue launched in 2024 for premodern manuscripts in North America. (The Manuscript Society)

July 16: FABS 19th Century Zoom Group. Join this congenial group for conversation about all things bibliophilic and 19th-century! For a link, contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org.

July 20: FABS Bindings Group. Dr. Stephanie Stillo, Chief, Rare Books and Special Collection Division at the Library of Congress will share some recent acquisitions. The Library of Congress actively adds artists’ books, fine and design bindings, and other treasures to their collection. For a link, contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org.

July 23: "A Haggadah, A Collection, A Synagogue: The Harold Greenbaum Rare Book Collection." Congregation Mishkan Or, a Reform Jewish synagogue in Beachwood, OH, is the steward of an extraordinary collection of more than 200 rare volumes of Hebrew and other Jewish books from the 15th-20th centuries. Join librarian and archivist Jane Rothstein for a presentation on this collection and its treasures (NOBS)

July 27: “Celebrating People’s History.” In this virtual talk, designer, artist, and activist Josh MacPhee will discuss his work organizing and curating the “Celebrate People’s History” poster series. Established in 1998, the project aims to embody principles of democracy, inclusion, and group participation in the writing and interpretation of history. The series currently includes more than 200 posters documenting everyday people’s voices and experiences. (The Book Club of California)

July 28: FABS Living With Books Group. “Decorations in the Library and Reading Equipment.” Join host Reid Byers for another lively discussion about this month’s topics, (1) “Prints, Paintings, and Decorations in the Library” and (2) “Reading Equipment.” For a link, contact Jennifer Larson at info@fabsocieties.org.

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

Contact: Jennifer Larson, info@fabsocieties.org