THE UNIVERSITY CLUB, DECEMBER 4TH-5TH
The Capital Rare Book Fair will return for its Winter Edition from December 4th to 5th. The fair will bring together thousands of books, maps, prints and historic documents on a range of topics and at different price points.
Opening Hours:
4 pm- 8 pm: Friday: Opening Night Party: $60
Includes beer, wine and canapes
10 am – 6 pm: Saturday
Tickets: $15 ($10 for students, under 16s free).
About
THE VENUE
Established in 1904 simply as the University Club, its first president was then Secretary of War and future United States President William Howard Taft. In 1936, it merged with the Racquet Club of Washington, and moved to its current location at 1135 Sixteenth Street NW, approximately three blocks north of the White House.
During these ensuing years, the Club was a favorite residence for many Members of Congress. Tip O'Neill preferred the old card room on the third floor and nothing pleased him more than relieving his House colleague, Richard Nixon, of his monies at the poker table. It was a social gathering place for Justices Warren and Black during the era of the Warren Court.
The University Club attracts members and guests from both the national and international communities. Members' professions range through the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, including clergy and foreign nationals. Many members democratically participate in the active committee process and regularly attend the Club social events. With warm fellowship among members, well appointed facilities, and family-friendly ambiance "the mansion on Sixteenth Street" continues as a popular meeting place and retreat for members and guests in our vibrant nation's capital.
Getting There
By Metro
From Farragut West (Orange & Blue Lines)
- Exit Farragut West Station on the 17th Street end.
- Once outside, you will be at the corner of 17th & I Street, head East for two blocks until you get to 16th Street.
- Turn Left and go 2 ½ blocks, passing K and L Streets.
- The University Club is the 3rd building on your right after L Street
From Farragut North (Red Line)
- Exit L Street
- You will be on L & 17th Street, head East on L Street.
- Once you get to 16th Street, cross the street and head left.
- The University Club will be on your right after you pass the Russian Ambassador's Residence.
Valet Parking
Overnight valet parking is available at the Club 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Self Parking
Members can also park on the street or use the following underground parking garages:
Fannie Mae Building 1100 15th Street NW
1730 M Street NW
1101 17th Street NW
EXHIBITORS
Back in Time Rare Books
Brenner's Collectable Books
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Christopher's Rare Books
Jeffrey Bergman Books
Jeffrey S. Bergman
19 Tate Road
Flemington, NJ 08822
Bookguy2@aol.com
(201) 647-1055
Michael Weintraub, Inc.
New York, NY
Richard Mori Books
Tennyson Williams, Books and Fine Art
209 Parkway Drive Parkway Building, Second Floor Williamsburg, VA 23185 twbooks1@cox.net
(757) 378-5400
Wonder Book
1306 West Patrick St
Frederick, MD 21703
(301) 694-5955
FEATURED TALKS
The Dawn of the Modern Presidency, 3 pm
In this roundtable, presidential descendants Hugh Taft-Morales (great-grandson of William Howard Taft), Tweed Roosevelt (great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt), and Massee McKinley (descendant of William McKinley and Grover Cleveland) offer a unique insider's perspective on the leaders who reshaped modern America. The speakers will explore the human side of the executive branch, discussing their ancestors’ private lives, leadership strengths, personal flaws, and enduring political legacies. They will evaluate how these three presidents continue to influence contemporary American politics.
Tickets include entry to the fair.
About the Speakers:
Hugh Taft-Morales retired in 2025 from a career in education and religious humanism. Hugh taught philosophy and history for twenty-five years in Washington, D. C. at St. Albans School and the Edmund Burke School. He left teaching, enrolled in the Humanist Institute, and was certified as an Ethical Culture Leader by the American Ethical Union (AEU) in 2010. For fifteen years he served as Leader of the Philadelphia Ethical Society and the Baltimore Ethical Society. He held various positions in his clergy group, the National Leaders Council, and in the American Ethical Union.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Taft-Morales graduated with a B.A. cum laude in American History from Yale University in 1979. He moved to Washington and worked for a year on Capitol Hill. In 1986 he was awarded an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Kent at Canterbury, England. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife, Maureen. They have three wonderful adult children – Sean, Maya, and Justin – who all live in the District of Columbia. Hugh's hobbies include yoga, writing poetry, and singing and playing guitar.
Tweed Roosevelt, University Professor and Chairman of the Theodore Roosevelt Institute at Long Island University, is the great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, a member of one of the most respected families in the United States. Tweed Roosevelt led the effort to award President Theodore Roosevelt the Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States' highest military honor. President Bill Clinton formally awarded the Medal posthumously, in 2001. The award is prominently displayed in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, adjacent to the Oval Office. Tweed Roosevelt has taught at Harvard University and Columbia University's School of Business. He holds a BA from Harvard College, an MBA. from Columbia University, and a Doctorate of Humane Letters.
Massee McKinley is a descendant of President Grover Cleveland and a relative of President William McKinley. He is Director of Marketing and Brand Engagement at Long Island University, Co-Founder of The Society of Presidential Descendants, and an avid collector of presidential autographs.
Thomas Jefferson, Power and America at 250, 2 pm
A discovery at a university library led to new insights how the third president of the United States understood political power, a new edition of Jefferson’s Manual, and updates to the rules of Congress. Washington and Lee University Professor Brian Alexander tells the story of his book, Jefferson’s Manual of Parliamentary Practice, what it means for political power, and what he has learned speaking about Thomas Jefferson over the past year in the celebration of 250 years of American independence.
Brian Alexander Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University, where he teaches courses in American politics and international relations, combining nearly twenty years professional experience in government and politics with research and academic study. He is also director of W&L’s Washington Term, an experiential learning program offered to students in Washington, DC, each Spring Term. Brian’s research is focused on the U.S. Congress and areas such as legislative norms, parliamentary procedure, and interest groups. In 2020, he served in a fellowship at the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello for his work on Thomas Jefferson’s Manual of Parliamentary Practice. In 2021, he published a book on the U.S. Congress, A Social Theory of Congress: Legislative Norms in the Twenty-First Century, the first new book on the topic in over 15 years. His current research is focused on the nature of political power in democratic systems and the role of interest groups, parties, and social movements.