The club was founded on January 29, 1887, with the following intention: The objects shall be to promote an interest in, and a love for whatever will tend to make literature attractive as given in the form of printed and illustrated volumes, to mutually assist in making researches and collections of first and rare editions, and to promote elegance in the production of Odd Volumes.The 1888 published constitution of the club states that:Its objects shall be, the promotion of Literary and Artistic tastes, the Study of the Arts as applied to Booke-Making, the establishment and maintenance of a Reference Library, and Exhibits of a special or instructive character. The term
odd is an eighteenth-century usage meaning
various or
unmatched. By extension, each member of the club is an odd volume. The Sette of Odd Volumes, an English bibliophile dining-club founded in 1878, was the inspiration for the organization. George Clulow, President of the Sette of Odd Volumes, London, suggested the name
The Club of Odd Volumes. The club began primarily as a dinner club, complementing established social clubs like the
Somerset Club,
Algonquin Club,
Union Club, and
Harvard Club. The group conducts lectures, meets regularly for dinners and lunches, collects and publishes books, and develops literary exhibits. The club is controversial in the bibliographical and bibliophilic community, as it is one of only two remaining major book collecting clubs in the United States that exclude women. Women are regularly invited to lecture on their areas of expertise to the club but they cannot join the club. ==Building==