Exclusive Tour of NY's Oldest Book Club
Delight in the art of the book in this exclusive tour of the Grolier Club, a society of collectors, scholars, booksellers, designers, and artists dedicated to celebrating books and those who love them. We’ll visit both the public galleries and members-only spaces, guided by board member Eve Kahn and other Grolierites.
In your visit to the recently renovated century-old building, you’ll have a chance to ask true experts your most pressing questions about the world of books, view members’ rare and private collections on display, and be surprised by truly unusual artifacts and rooms—including a 19th-century Dutch Colonial-style tavern.
The private club has been in its current home on the Upper East Side since 1917, and holds a 100,000-volume research library in addition to its spaces for public exhibitions about the literary arts, with past shows focusing on wunderkammers, microscopes, micro-books, and rare bindings--always concentrating on the book as object, whether historical artifact or work of art.
The Grolier Club is America's oldest and largest society for bibliophiles and enthusiasts in the graphic arts. Named for Jean Grolier (1489 or 90-1565), the Renaissance collector renowned for sharing his library with friends, the club’s objective is to foster “the study, collecting, and appreciation of books and works on paper.” Keep an eye out for a blowfish, evidence of book collectors’ misdeeds, and a secret passageway.
Hi. I'm Eve Kahn, a member of the Atlas Obscura community.
I’m a historian and journalist, former Antiques columnist for The New York Times (2008-2016), and a member of the Grolier Club’s board. These days I write often about forgotten circa-1900 women innovators—the artist Mary Rogers Williams (1857-1907) is the topic of my new book from Wesleyan University Press—and I also help run the Victorian Society New York. My topics for Atlas Obscura articles have included Nazi board games, celebrity pill bottles, American plantations’ ceiling fans, and ancient Jewish graffiti.
For questions about this experience, please contact me directly through Airbnb.
ADA-compliant entryway is available.
There are 10 spots available on this experience.
Guests ages 6 and up can attend.
Any experience can be canceled and fully refunded within 24 hours of purchase. See cancellation policy.
