New York Mercantile Library
40°45′22.93″N 73°58′38.23″W / 40.7563694°N 73.9772861°W
The Center for Fiction, originally called the New York Mercantile Library, is a
The center, which is one of 17 remaining membership libraries in the United States, three of which are in New York City,[2] maintains a large circulating library of 20th and 21st century fiction, in addition to many stored volumes of 19th century fiction. It also stocks non-fiction volumes on subjects related to literature.[3] It maintains a Reading Room, operates a curated independent bookstore primarily featuring works of fiction, rents space to writers at low cost, and presents literary programs to the public.[4] The organization also awards the annual Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.
Mercantile Library
1820–1853
The foundation of the Mercantile Library Association was instigated by the New York
The association's first subscription circulating library, which had 700 volumes[7] in rented rooms at 49 Fulton Street in Manhattan, was open to most of the general public, but only merchant clerks were allowed to vote for and be officers in the association.[8] By the year 1826, the financial "prospects brightened to the extent that the officers hired a suite of rooms in the Harpers building on Cliff Street, and starting the reading room, which has continued to be an important part of the institution in all its successive homes."[1] In 1830, the library moved to a new building designed by architect Seth Geer, called Clinton Hall, at Nassau and Beekman Streets,[9] which the Clinton Hall Association, made up of prominent members of the Mercantile Library Association, had raised funds to construct.[8] Frequent lectures were presented by the library,[10] including by Ralph Waldo Emerson [11] and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.[12]
In addition to reading materials, as of the 1850s the association owned "a cabinet of minerals and shells, a collection of revolutionary medals, miscellaneous coins, various paintings, statue of the 'Dancing Girl Reposing', Minerva, and a bust of Philip Stone.[13]
1854–1960s
By 1853, the association had over 4,000 members
Membership during this period reached at least 12,000, while the library itself amassed 120,000 volumes, making it the largest circulating library in the United States at the time.[8] By 1872 the library contained works of biography; history, geography and travels; literature; mathematics; medical science; mental and moral science; natural sciences; political science; the arts; and theology.[16] However, because the library did not stay open late at night, its services were not generally available to the working class, a deficit which was remedied when the Cooper Union opened a block east on Astor Place: its reading room was open until 10 p.m.[17]
In 1891, requiring more space, the association tore down the opera house and replaced it with an 11-story building designed by
1970s–2000s
Membership in the library declined through the following decades, and the library sold off parts of its collection in the 1970s. "In 1971 the theological collection was sold, in 1977 the foreign language collection was sold."
In 1998, the ground floor of the building was renovated by Beyer Blinder Belle.[7] The library – colloquially known as "The Merc" – had considered moving to a new location in 2008,[22][23] but subsequently decided to remain at its historic Midtown Manhattan location.
Center for Fiction, 2005–present
Since 2005 known as The Center for Fiction,[1] the organization presents a diverse program of free or low-cost public events, featuring over 100 authors, translators, and critics each year. The Center also offers reading groups and writing workshops.
In May 2018, the organization announced that it would be moving its headquarters to a new building in
Awards
The Center for Fiction bestows a number of awards annually:
- The First Novel Prize is awarded to the best debut novel of the year. First awarded in 2006, the winner receives $15,000 with each shortlisted author receiving $1,000.
- The Center for Fiction Medal of Editorial Excellence honors the work of an editor, publisher, or agent who over the course of his or her career has discovered, nurtured and championed writers of fiction in the United States.
- The Center for Fiction Lifetime of Excellence in Fiction Award honors a writer who, through their exceptional body of work, has significantly shaped our culture and perspective. The award is not given annually; rather, it is bestowed upon an author at the discretion of The Center for Fiction Board of Directors. Winners have included Wole Soyinka (2022), Kazuo Ishiguro (2021), and Toni Morrison (2018).
- The Center for Fiction On Screen Award recognizes adaptations of works of fiction for film or television and is awarded to both the creators of the adaptation and the author of the original work.
Additionally, The Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellowships grant 9 New York City early-career writers with a $5,000 stipend, editorial mentorship and networking opportunities with publishing professionals, membership to The Center's Writers Studio, two public readings, publication in an anthology, and more over the course of a year.
See also
- Mercantile Library (disambiguation)
- Mercantile Library Association (Boston, Massachusetts)
- New York Public Library
- Astor Library Building
References
Notes
- ^ a b c Tomassi, Noreen. "A History of the Center for Fiction". The Center for Fiction. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- New York Times(Limited access)
- ^ "Collection" at the Center for Fiction website. Accessed: November 1, 2010
- ^ a b c "Mission & History" at the Center for Fiction website Accessed: November 1, 2010
- ^ a b Burrows & Wallace, p. 498
- ^ For additional context, see: List of libraries in 19th-century New York City
- ^ New York Times(Limited access)
- ^ a b c d e f g Pascu
- ^ See
- Perris, William. Maps of the City of New-York 1852 Vol. 1 (Perris & Browne, 1852), Plate 6. Online at The New York Public Library Digital Collections website, Image ID 1270004. (Today the Temple Court Building and Annex, a later landmark, occupies the site.)
- An advertisement for the included Clinton Hotel: New-York Evening Post (December 17, 1830), p. 3 col. 2
- For the architect, and the origin of the hall's name, a report on the cornerstone ceremony which notes that “a short time previous to the meeting [to plan for a new building], the melancholy tidings had been announced to our citizens, that the Governor of the State – the patriot and public-spirited Clinton had closed his mortal career…[This prompted] a determination that the edifice which was about to be founded should be honored with his illustrious name.” New York Spectator (July 24, 1829), p. 2 (section headed “Tuesday, July 21, 1829”)
- Perris, William. Maps of the City of New-York 1852 Vol. 1 (Perris & Browne, 1852), Plate 6. Online at The New York Public Library Digital Collections website, Image ID 1270004. (Today the
- New York Timeswebsite
- New York Times(February 17, 1852)
- New York Times(October 28, 1853)
- OL 6937678M
- ^ Burrows & Wallace, p.733
- New York Times(June 1, 1854)
- ^ "Synopsis of the Classified Index", Second Supplement to the Catalogue of Books, NY: Mercantile Library Association, 1872
- ^ Burrows & Wallace, p.782
- ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5.
- ^ See
- “In and About the City,” The New York Times (June 17, 1890)
- “Fine Library Quarters,” The New York Times (May 22, 1891)
- “The Mercantile Library,” The New York Times (November 10, 1891)
- New York Times(Limited access)
- ^ a b Libbey, Peter (May 4, 2018) "New Brooklyn Home of Center for Fiction to Open in 2019" The New York Times (Limited access)
- New York Times(Limited access)
- New York TimesCity Room blog (Limited access)
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-195-11634-8.
- Pascu, Elaine Weber. "Mercantile Library Association" in ISBN 0300055366., p. 750–751
Further reading
- Issued by the Mercantile Library
- Annual report 1836, 1917, etc.; 1843
- Constitution, by-laws and regulations of the Mercantile Library Association of the City of New York, Baker, Godwin & Co., 1855, OL 25580842M
- Constitution, 1870
- Catalogues
- Catalogue of the books belonging to the Mercantile Library Association of the City of New-York. 1825.
- Systematic Catalogue of Books in the Collection of the Mercantile Library Association of the City of New York. 1837.
- 1844
- 1856
- Catalogue of Books in the Mercantile Library of the City of New York. New York, F.T. Taylor. 1866.
- 1869
- 1872
- About the Mercantile Library
- E. Porter Belden (1850). "Literature, Science, and Taste: Mercantile Library Association". New York, Past, Present, and Future (3rd ed.). NY: Prall, Lewis & Co.
- "Literary Institutions: Mercantile Library Association". Stranger's Hand-Book for the City of New York. New York: C.S. Francis & Co. 1854. OCLC 8067569.
- Edward Edwards (1859), "Libraries of the United States", Memoirs of Libraries, vol. 2, London, p. 198+
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "Mercantile Library", Redfield's Traveler's Guide to the City of New York, New York: J.S. Redfield, 1871
- Scribner’s Monthly, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 353–67
- Public Libraries in the USA, Washington DC, 1876, pp. 928–931
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - James Grant Wilson, ed. (1893), "Libraries of New York: Mercantile Library", Memorial History of the City of New York, vol. 4, New York History Co., pp. 99–102
- "Mercantile Library". King's Handbook of New York City (2nd ed.). Moses King. 1893.
- New York Library Club (1902). "Mercantile Library Association of New York". Libraries of Greater New York. NY.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Augst, Thomas (1998), "The Business of Reading in Nineteenth Century America: The New York Mercantile Library", S2CID 143866981
- Larry T. Nix (2007), "Cultural Record Keepers: The New York Mercantile Library and Its Home Delivery Service", S2CID 162125198
External links
- Official website
- Center for Fiction's channel on YouTube