Book Club of Detroit

In 1957 Charles S. Boesen taught a new Wayne University course entitled "History of the Book". Charles Boesen discussed with his students the idea of forming a book club so that people could come together with a shared interest in books. In the fall of 1957, before the first semester of the course concluded, the Book Club of Detroit was formed. A 1958-1959 Book Club of Detroit Yearbook wrote that the idea to form a book club "congealed into a realization on January 10, 1958". However, it is unclear when the first official meeting of the Book Club of Detroit was held. The inside of an invitation for the first meeting read: "We believe that there are more than enough Friends of the Book in Detroit to warrant the calling of an exploratory meeting with the view to establishing The Book Club of Detroit." The names C.E. Frazer Clark Jr., Fred Bott, Frank Laucomer, Donald Weeks, Leonard F. Bahr, Thomas R. Schlientz and Charles S. Boesen are on the invitation. The date and time on the notice were left blank. Through the work of Detroit artist and bibliophile William Bostick, the Scarab Club offered its space and facilities to the Book Club. The Scarab Club has been one of the various meeting places for the Club ever since. The second meeting on February 12, 1958 was held there. A constitution and by-laws were discussed, a membership fee of $5.00 was set, and nominations to the board were accepted. Charles S. Boesen was elected temporary chairman. A bibliographic committee and a design and collecting committee were planned to utilize the talents of the various members during the future of the Club. In the summer of 1958, the Board of Directors elected the first officers of the Book Club of Detroit. They were as follows: Franklin Laucomer, president; G. Flint Purdy, vice-president; and Charles Boesen, secretary-treasurer. Chairmen were also elected to the following committees: collectors, bibliographers, designers/printers, membership, publicity and public relations, constitution and by-laws and programs. Leonard Bahr and Norman Strouse, proprietors of two Detroit area private presses, also set the tone for the Book Club of Detroit in its early years. In 1958, through the work of William Bostick, the Book Club of Detroit became affiliated with the American Institute of Graphic Arts. This affiliation, however, was short-lived.