The Club was founded in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1869. It normally had up to 15 active members. Membership was by invitation only, and the number of members ranged from about 14 to 24 over the years.
The Club met about seven times per year from late fall through spring. Meetings consisted of a fine dinner hosted by one member, and a paper presented aloud by another member. Following the reading of the paper, the host called upon each member in turn to comment on the paper. The reader got time for "rebuttals," if any, and then everyone went home.
This format remained unchanged throughout the existence of the Club, which met regularly from 1869 until early 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic halted gatherings. Papers covered a wide range of interests. Unfortunately the Club did not archive the 1450-odd papers that were presented during its first 139 years, but the purpose of this blog was to do so beginning with the 2008-2009 season. We have also posted some older papers contributed from the personal records of members.
Paper titles were circulated to members in notices of meetings, so presenters tended to create obscure titles to prevent prior research by their audience for the purpose of delivering erudite commentary. On this blog, we preserve the original title and add a subtitle that more clearly identifies the subject.
The Club met about seven times per year from late fall through spring. Meetings consisted of a fine dinner hosted by one member, and a paper presented aloud by another member. Following the reading of the paper, the host called upon each member in turn to comment on the paper. The reader got time for "rebuttals," if any, and then everyone went home.
This format remained unchanged throughout the existence of the Club, which met regularly from 1869 until early 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic halted gatherings. Papers covered a wide range of interests. Unfortunately the Club did not archive the 1450-odd papers that were presented during its first 139 years, but the purpose of this blog was to do so beginning with the 2008-2009 season. We have also posted some older papers contributed from the personal records of members.
Paper titles were circulated to members in notices of meetings, so presenters tended to create obscure titles to prevent prior research by their audience for the purpose of delivering erudite commentary. On this blog, we preserve the original title and add a subtitle that more clearly identifies the subject.
