Norman Forgue Award. Sanford, Donn W. Miniature Book Society. 2000. Presented to Kalman L. Levitan [and to Miriam Owen Irwin].

Norman Forgue Award. Sanford, Donn W. Miniature Book Society. 2000. Presented to Kalman L. Levitan [and to Miriam Owen Irwin]. Complete with signed printed letter of award that reads "Dear Kal: I was so disappointed that you couldn't attend the recent MBS Conclave in Rutland, Vermont. I really wanted to be able to present to you personally the enclosed Norman Forgue Award for 2000. This honour, arguably the Society's most prestigious, was jointly awarded to you and Miriam Owen Irwin for your respectiveroles in launching theMiniature Book Society. You demonstrated great vision in erceiving the need for, and great leadership in helping to create, the Miniature Book Society. We are all the richer for it, and we sincerelyhope this expression of our appreciationwill serve as a constant reminder of all your MBS friends. You have been a mentor to many budding collectors, including me, and the collecting world is stronger and better educated because of your efforts....". Marbled paste-down endpaper. 5.5 x 6.5 mm. Original blue crushed niger morocco. Levitan spent 30 years active duty in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, retiring with the rank of Colonel. He was a member of the Department of Defense Armed Forces Chaplains Board and served nine years as Senior Jewish Chaplain as advisor on Jewish activities to the Chief of Air Force Chaplains. He was Founder and first Chairman of the Miniature Book Society of America. He was an active teacher of Judaism. He received his BA from Yeshiva University, Master of Hebrew Letters from the Jewish Institute of Religion and Doctor of Divinity from Hebrew Union College. He did graduate study at Harvard Law School and Columbia University. In addition he published his own miniature books and wrote and edited volumes about miniature books. In 1983 he was instrumental in bringing together the collectors and publishers from around the United States that eventually formed the basis for the Miniature Book Society. Elected the Society’s first “Chairman” he helped draft bylaws and began an informal newletters. As a child, Rabbi Levitan’s father gave him a pocket-sized Hebrew prayer book printed in Warsaw in 1903. That was the beginning of a 2,000 volume collection that David Bromer (Bromer Booksellers, Boston) said was considered one of the most important collections. It spanned five centuries and included many rare and precious volumes. Levitan died less than two years after receiving this award. 179 firsts2024