A Walk Through “Quack, Quack, Quack…” with William H. Helfand

by Abby Tallmer

This author was lucky enough to gain an audience with William H. Helfand, the curator and collector behind The Grolier Club’s current exhibit, “Quack, Quack, Quack: The Sellers of Nostrums in Prints, Posters, Ephemera & Books.” The results of this talk follow below. “AT” refers to the interviewer, Abby Tallmer; “WHH” refers to the interviewee, Mr. Helfand.

AT : Why don’t you start by discussing The Grolier Club for AE Monthly readers who may not be familiar with it?

WHH: Absolutely. The Grolier Club is a private club in New York City that consists of book and print collectors, librarians, auctioneers, and other members of the rare book world. The club puts on 4 to 5 exhibits per year, each of which last for a couple of months. This exhibit was curated by me from my collection of printed materials on quackery. The next exhibit will be a group show: Grolier members will post or enter 1 to 2 pieces each from their own collections.

AT: Can you tell me a bit about your idea for this exhibit?

WHH: This exhibit is trying to trace an idea throughout the years, an intellectual history told through books and prints and other materials, if you will. The exhibit is anchored around (& limited by) what is in my collection. Because I have a lot of posters, advertising brochures, and illustrations, I included those as well as books and pamphlets and broadsides.