December 1, 2008
Dear Ticknor Society friends:
As 2008 draws to its close, some of you may have been wondering why you had not yet been asked to renew your membership this year. (And some of you may not!) The reason is actually quite an exciting one. As you probably all know by now, last spring the Society was incorporated in the State of Massachusetts as a non-profit and approved for tax-exempt status by the IRS. In the process of filing all of the paperwork, it became clear to the Board that life would be much simpler for our bookkeepers if our fiscal year followed a calendar year and so we changed it – and, keeping with the celebratory mood, decided to give everyone a few months free membership.
I hope you will agree with me that there really is something to celebrate in these developments. At seven years young, the Ticknor Society is a thriving and vibrant organization. We have a membership of over two hundred and annually gather six or seven times to enjoy our shared enthusiasm for all things bookish. This year’s events have so far included a marvelous introduction to the illustrated books at the Museum of Fine Arts by curator David Becker, a private curator’s tour of the Houghton exhibition, To Promote, To Learn, To Teach, To Please: Scientific Images in Early Modern Books, and another of our annually successful book-collectors round tables at the Boston Book Fair. Next up is a panel on December 10 that will feature three Ticknor Society members who have just published books, to be followed with be a print-making workshop in early February; another private tour, this one of the historic Harcourt Bindery, in late March (March 24); a jaunt to the library at the Peabody-Essex Museum (April 4); and a spring Annual Meeting with featured speaker, Robert Darnton, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and Director of the Harvard University Library.
It should be a source of shared pride to us all that we have such a stimulating agenda while keeping our annual dues so low. This would not be possible without the vast generosity of so many of our fellow members, who donate not just money, but great swathes of time and energy in organizing, hosting, and presenting our programs. That said, our resources are limited and it is hoped that, with our new non-profit status, members will be inclined to join in the celebration of our successes with a year-end tax-free donation to the Society – so that we can continue to expand our programs in even more exciting and varied ways.
Respectfully,
KN
Karen Nipps
President, Ex-officio