Bibliophilic Organizations in the United States

Book lovers and book collectors aren't all loners. There are a number of membership and social clubs dedicated to bibliophily.

General Organizations

• The Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), a federation of bibliophilic organizations, whose individual members constitute FABS. Organizes and annual book tour and symposium. (Book tour in NYC for 2004; St. Louis for 2005.) (List of clubs and a short history of FABS.)
  
• Fine Press Book Association, the FPBA is transatlantic organization, with North American and UK sections, geared principally towards those who produce or collect modern fine press books.
• "Book Clubs in America" (unsigned article on AB Bookman site). This discusses older bibliophile societies and their publications, as part of a discussion of publishers like the Book of the Month Club.
  

Regional organizations

There have been many regional bibliophilic societies. Many have lasted a few decades and then died, like the Carteret Club of Newark, NJ. This list is based on that list maintained by the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies.

• Aldus Society (Columbus, OH)
• Ampersand Club (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
• Baltimore Bibliophiles
• John Russell Barlett Society (Providence, RI) (no website)
• Bixby Club (St. Louis, MO) (no website)
• Book Club of California (San Francisco, CA)
• Caxton Club (Chicago, Il)
• Colophon Club (Berkeley, CA) (no website)
• Delaware Bibliophiles (no website)
• Book Club of Detroit
• Grolier Club of New York. The oldest continuously operating book club in North America, founded in 1884.
• Florida Bibliophile Society
• Fontaneda Society (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
  
• Pittsburgh Bibliophiles (offline as of June 2004; Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh description)
• Long Island Book Collectors (old site no longer valid: http://www.woram.com/LIBC)
• Bibliophile Society of Rochester (Rochester, NY) (hosted on the Rochester Area Booksellers Association website)
• Rowfant Club (Cleveland, OH) (no website)
  
• Roxburghe Club of San Francisco (no website)
• Sacramento Book Collectors Club (no website)
• Book Club of Texas (official website www.bookclubtexas.org offline as of 10/2004; other description is here)
• Tichnor Society (Cambridge, MA)
• Book Club of Washington (Seattle, WA)
  
• Washington Rare Book Group (Washington, DC and region)
• Zamarano Club (Los Angeles, CA)
  

International organizations

• The Ottawa Book Collectors (Canada)
  
• International Book Collectors Association (offline 10/2004)

© 2004 Paul W. Romaine 

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