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Book Club

News – Announcing the launch of the Chester Beatty Library Members’ Book Club

We are delighted to announce an exciting new feature of the membership programme. Over the coming months we will choose a number of interesting titles which will complement themes and items from the Chester Beatty Library collection.

"The Hare with Amber Eyes" by Edmund de Waal

Saturday 18th August at 11.30am

***Join us for tea, coffee and biscuits before our Book Club meeting

The Hare with Amber Eyes is a family memoir by British ceramicist Edmund de Waal. He tells the story of his family the Ephrussi, who were once a very wealthy European Jewish banking dynasty centered in Odessa, Vienna and Paris, peers of the Rothschild family. The Ephrussi lost almost everything in 1938 when their property was "Aryanized" by Nazis.

After the war the family never recovered most of the their extensive property including priceless artwork, but an easily hidden collection of 264 Japanese netsuke miniature sculptures was miraculously saved, tucked away inside the mattress of a loyal maid during the war years. The collection was passed down as inheritance through five generations providing a common thread to tell the story of the Ephrussi fortunes from 1871 to 2009.

The book is available in the Chester Beatty Library gift shop and Members will receive a 10% discount on purchases.

Netsuke and Inro: “From Fashion Fobs to Coveted Collectibles”
Saturday 18th August at 2pm

We will enjoy a talk on Japanese inro, netsuke and other luxurious objects explored for their function and as markers of wealth with Ruth Starr, Lecturer, Arts of Japan, Trinity College Dublin.

For further information about the Chester Beatty Library Members' Book Club please contact Mary Dowling on (01) 407 0759.