Grolier Club

The Grolier Club began on a winter evening in eighteen eighty-four when a group of nine men, including the notable printing press manufacturer Robert Hoe, gathered to address what they saw as a decline in the quality of American bookmaking. They felt the arts of typography and printing required reform, so they established this society to champion excellence in the craft of the book. They chose to name their organization after the sixteenth-century French official Jean Grolier, who became legendary among bibliophiles for his generous practice of sharing his personal library with his friends. The club adopted his motto, which translates to of or belonging to Jean Grolier and his friends, to symbolize their commitment to the communal appreciation of literary works.