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Bien, Julius, introduction [as president of the organization] : REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE CONSTITUTION GRAND LODGE I.O.B.B. 1882-1883

New York: No Publisher Listed, 1883

1st edition. Original paper wrappers. 8vo, 151 pages. Tables in back. Singerman S028, listing only 3 holdings of this volume in 2019 (B’nai B’rith Archives, NYPL, HUC), none at any Ivy League Institution nor at the AJHS.. The exchanges and reports are surprisingly critical of decisions made by others in the lodge, perhaps emphasizing the internal nature of this report and therefore the lack of surviving copies. Includes reports on all aspects of life in and decisions by the organization and its many chapters from across the country. A few examples would include the IOBB's Maimonides Library; documents detailing charges against people in the Lodge; members charging other members with "riotous and unbecoming conduct in the lodge-room, and in using profane, scurrilous and insulting language, both in writing and in speech, toward the Lodge and members thereof;" appeals of decisions to seize the books belonging to various branches; financial and statistical information etc. This was definitely not a publication meant for public consumption. B'nai B'rith is the oldest Jewish service organization in the world. Its mission is the security and continuity of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and combating antisemitism and bigotry. The organization has historic roots stem to the system of fraternal lodges, like the Freemasons (Wikipedia, 2018) . Structurally, the B'nai B'rith is organized on three levels: international, regional, and local. The international operation has since 1935 been known as the "Supreme Lodge." Prior to that time, it was the "Constitutional Grand Lodge. " Julius Bien (1826-1909) “was an American lithographer originally from Germany, as well as president of B’nai B’rith for more than three decades. He also produced a lithographed edition of John James Audubon's The Birds of America.” In Germany, Bien had “fought on the side of the liberals in the 1848 Revolution, and fled to New York in 1848 or 1849….[where he] began a lithography studio…. Bien's studio produced work in different qualities, indicating he was willing to take on any job—city views and maps, mechanical and architectural drawings and advertisements—but on the whole his work was ‘distinguished by its technical superiority and flexible manipulation of print media’. He worked for the federal government as well after the American Civil War, and was noted as a skilled printer of maps with ‘a new level of scientific accuracy’ (a 1902 map of Connecticut was praised as ‘all that could be desired’), winning many awards, and becoming a ‘prominent citizen of New York’ as well as the first president of the National Lithographers Association. From 1854 to 1857, and again from 1868 to 1900, he was president of B'nai B'rith, contributing substantially to its internationalization. In the late 1850s, Bien was sought out by John James Audubon's youngest son, John Woodhouse Audubon, to produce a new full-size edition of The Birds of America, an edition to be sold via subscription….the Bien edition remains an important publication: his illustrations ‘represent the highest standard chromolithography had achieved, and even now they stand as a landmark to the medium. Bien pushed against the limits of available technology with intuitive artistry in an effort to provide information and aesthetic pleasure to the mass audience of a democratic society’” (Wikipedia). SUBJECTS: Jews -- Periodicals. Jews -- United States -- Periodicals. Wear to spine,lacking bottom 1/4 of title page (which is an exact reproduction of the cover, which is fully intact) with loss only of publication info: "New York 1883." Good Condition Overall. Exceedingly rare and important. (AMR-57-5-D)

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