1983
March 7
Pre-opening “Talk of the Town” profile about Chartwell Booksellers appears in The New Yorker.
April 11
Chartwell Booksellers officially opens its doors in the arcade at Park Avenue Plaza.
April 20
Gala opening night reception.
August 1
First Singular Editions window display series features original signed photographs by Eugene Atget, Brassai, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Clarence Sinclair Bull, Edward Hurrell and W. Eugene Smith.
October 19
First in-store author appearance: New Yorker cartoonist Edward Koren signs his new collection, Caution Small Ensembles.
November 29
First in-store reading: Mark Helprin reads from his new novel, A Winter’s Tale.
December 1
Trains Unlimited, a holiday exhibition of model trains opens, presented in conjunction with Bookbinder’s Trains Unlimited.
1984
February 28
Byzantium opens, an exhibition of paintings by David Finn, celebrating the publication of a new limited edition of William Butler Yeats’ poem, Byzantium.
May 7
Portrait of the Dance, an exhibition of photographs by Frederic Ohringer, opens with a benefit reception for the New York City Ballet.
September 12
Skidmore, Owings & Merril: Architecture and Urbanism 1973-1983 opens, an exhibition of original architectural models by the renowned firm that designed the Park Avenue Plaza building.
October 1
Churchill at Chartwell, the first formal exhibition of rare Churchilliana at Chartwell Booksellers, opens with a publication party for Churchill and Roosevelt: The Complete Correspondence.
October 24
Body Double, a new film by Brian DePalma, premieres with an afterparty at Chartwell Booksellers.
December 6
Reception and wine tasting celebrate the publication of The Book of California Wine.
1985
January 9
The Golden Age of Movie Posters opens, an exhibition of rare original movie posters.
May 15
Times Square at Chartwell opens, an exhibition featuring the Times Square photographs of Lou Stoumen and a selection of original Broadway caricatures by Al Hirschfeld.
June 15
Scripophily opens, an exhibition of rare, antique stock and bond certificates.
September 1
Portraits and Photojournalism opens, an exhibition of original prints by photographers Giselle Freund, W. Eugene Smith and Frederic Ohringer.
December 8
Holiday Tea at Three is inaugurated, a series of holiday tea dances featuring music by Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
1986
March 1
A Visit with Norman Rockwell and Boys’ Life Magazine opens, an exhibition of original paintings by Norman Rockwell, celebrating the centennial of his birth.
March 26
Masullo opens, an exhibition of mixed media book constructions by the artist Andrew Masullo.
April 1
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers is inaugurated with the novel, In Country, by Bobbie Ann Mason.
Guest Reader: Elizabeth McGovern.
May 28
Reception catered by the master chef, Antoine Bouterin, celebrates the publication of his cookbook Cooking with Antoine at Le Perigord.
June 9
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents Waking the Dead, by Scott Spencer.
Guest Reader: Judd Nelson, with Matthew Penn and Ava Haddad.
June 30
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents Slaves of New York, by Tama Janowitz.
Guest Reader: Caitlin Clarke, with Tom Cayler.
July 1
Artists Observed opens, an exhibition of portraits by photographer Harvey Stein.
October 1
Mountains and Climbers opens, a celebration of mountain climbing in books and original photographs by Galen Rowell.
November 3
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents Drunk with Love, by Ellen Gilchrist.
Guest Readers: Brooke Adams and David Alan Grier.
December 1
Trains Unlimited opens, a new holiday exhibition of vintage model trains.
December 8
The second season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, with performances by Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
December 12
Reception for Martin Gilbert celebrates the publication of The Road to Victory, the seventh volume of his official Winston Churchill biography.
1987
February 1
Choreographers and Modern Dancers opens, an exhibition of portraits by photographer Peggy Jarrell Kaplan.
March 3
Kafka’s Grave and Other Stories opens, an exhibition of photographs by Paul Ickovic celebrating the publication of his new book.
March 23
The entire exhibition of 19 Ickovic prints is sold to one customer.
April 27
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents Fast Lanes, by Jayne Anne Phillips. Guest Reader: Kate Nelligan.
July 15
Dog Days opens, an exhibition of street photography by Richard Sandler.
August 3
Always Elvis opens, an exhibition of photographs by Marilyn Miller commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth.
September 17
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents Storming the Magic Kingdom, by John Taylor.
Guest Readers: Stanley P. Gold, Irwin L. Jacobs and Robert B. Hodes.
September 29
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents That Night, by Alice McDermott.
Guest Reader: Judith Ivey, with Elizabeth Berridge.
October 5
Portraits of the 50’s opens, an exhibition of photographs by Sanford Roth.
December 1
Third season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, with performances by Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
1988
February 1
A Romance with Sheet Music opens, an exhibition of classic sheet music covers from the collection of David K. Varnay.
April 4
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents To Dwell in Peace, by Daniel Berrigan.
Guest Readers: Martin Sheen and Edward Herrmann, with Daniel Berrigan.
April 11
John Held, Jr.: The Early Prints opens, an exhibition of original woodblock and linoleum prints by John Held, Jr.
September 1
Rebuilding the House that Ruth Built opens, an exhibition of Yankee Stadium photographs by Ross Lewis.
September 30
Gordon’s bookshop moves its motor book inventory to Chartwell Booksellers, along with its prized motor bookman, Michael Coyle.
December 3
Fourth season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, “A Fletcher Henderson Celebration,” with music by Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
1989
February 5
Pianist Bobby Pratt inaugurates daily lunch hour piano performances at Park Avenue Plaza.
February 27
The Fine Press Book opens, an exhibition of the handmade book arts.
June 17
Saturday Afternoon Tea Dances at Park Avenue Plaza are inaugurated, with music by Frank Vignola’s Hot Club Quintet.
September 12
Painted Ballparks opens, an exhibition of baseball prints.
October 16
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents The Passion by Jeanette Winterson.
Guest Reader: Kate Nelligan, with Frank Whaley.
November 8
Reception for Martin Gilbert celebrates the publication of The Second World War: A Complete History.
November 15
Eudora in Photographs opens, an exhibition of writer Eudora Welty’s photographic art.
December 2
Fifth season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, featuring tributes by Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks to five great dance band and their leaders: Duke Ellington, Jean Goldkette, Fletcher Henderson, Paul Howard and Paul Whiteman.
December 12
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents “An Evening with Winston Churchill – Readings from his Speeches and Early Writings.”
Guest Readers: Alec Baldwin and Daniel Gerroll.
1990
March 12
The Wood Engravings of Michael McCurdy opens, an exhibition featuring original woodblocks and book illustrations.
October 30
Film Goddesses: Rare Movie Posters from the Motion Picture Arts Gallery opens.
November 29
Reception for David Fromkin, in conjunction with the International Churchill Society, celebrates the publication of A Peace to End All Peace: The Making of the Modern Middle East 1914-1922.
December 1
Sixth season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, “Toasting Buck Clayton,” with performances by The Buck Clayton Swing Band.
1991
April 18
Jazz Photographs from the Frank Driggs Collection opens, the first exhibition of jazz photographs at Chartwell Booksellers, and the debut for Chartwell’s arcade gallery space.
May 29
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents A Soldier of the Great War, by Mark Helprin.
Guest Reader: Donald Moffat.
June 3
Two Bookmen opens, an exhibition featuring the photographs of Oscar Shoenfeld and the book arts of Leslie Katz and the Eakins Press.
June 17
Paul Ickovic: Photographs opens, the debut exhibition for Chartwell’s upper mezzanine gallery space.
October 30
Reception for Martin Gilbert celebrates the publication of Churchill: A Life, his one-volume biography of Winston Churchill.
November 14
Reception for Robert O’Meally celebrates the publication of Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday.
December 7
Seventh season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, featuring performances by The Buck Clayton Swing Band and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
Buck Clayton dies at home, following his band’s appearance at Park Avenue Plaza.
1992
January 25
The New York Times Sunday Style Page publishes “Tea’s Free, Music’s Hot: Wouldn’t Any Fix Trot?” an article about Saturday Afternoon Tea Dances at Chartwell Booksellers.
June 15
Where the World Meets the Sky: Photographs of Ladakh and Tibet opens in the mezzanine gallery, an exhibition of photographs by Ellen Kaplowitz.
June 17
Baseball: The Perfect Game opens in the arcade gallery, an exhibition of photographs by Danielle Weil.
July 27
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents 1959, by Thulani Davis, in a benefit for the Bookstore Relief Fund of Los Angeles.
Guest Readers: Gregory Hines, George C. Wolfe, Tonya Pinkins and Keith David.
November 25
More Jazz Photographs from the Frank Driggs Collection opens in the arcade gallery.
December 1
Reception for Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill celebrates the publication of her book, Classic English Interiors.
December 5
Eighth season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, “Toasting Andy Razaf on the publication of Black and Blue: The Life and Lyrics of Andy Razaf, with performances by Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
December 8
Harold Roth: New York Photographs 1939-1950 opens in the mezzanine gallery.
December 14
Reception celebrates the publication of Black and Blue: The Life and Lyrics of Andy Razaf, by Barry Singer, featuring performances by Bobby Short and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
1993
February 24
Reception for Arthur Schlesinger and Fabian Bachrach celebrates the publication of Photography by Bachrach: 125 Years of American Portraiture.
April 20
Open house celebrates the Tenth Anniversary of Chartwell Booksellers.
May 1
Paris in the Twenties opens, an exhibition of “Newsreel Portraits” created from vintage newsreel footage.
December 4
Ninth season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, featuring performances by Panama Francis and the Savoy Sultans.
1994
April 26
Henry Kissinger celebrates the publication of his book, Diplomacy.
At our cocktail reception, Dr. Kissinger speaks on the subject of “Diplomacy and Winston Churchill.” As fate would have it, the event falls on the night before Richard Nixon’s funeral, where Dr. Kissinger will give the eulogy.
September 26
Bill Gottlieb: Jazz Photographer opens, featuring the seminal jazz photographs of William P. Gottlieb.
December 1
Look at the Land opens, an exhibition of “Aerial Reflections on America” by photographer Alex MacLean.
December 4
Tenth season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, featuring performances by Tess Marsalis and the Holiday Tea at Three Orchestra.
1995
February 13
Home and Away: Children of the 52nd Street Project opens, an exhibition of photographs by Stephanie Berger.
May 1
Hugh Bell: Photographs opens, an exhibition of original prints by this noted photojournalist.
August 6
A scene from the film Substance of Fire is shot at Chartwell Booksellers.
October 19
The Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff opens.
November 1
Reception for Winston Churchill’s granddaughter Celia Sandys celebrates the publication of The Young Churchill, with a reading by Ms. Sandys.
December 2
Eleventh season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, featuring performances by Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, the Richard Sudhalter Big Band and the Loren Schoenberg Big Band.
1996
June 10
Rodeo and Other Photographs by Arthur Bacon opens in the arcade gallery.
Edward S. Curtis: The North American Indian opens in the mezzanine gallery.
December 7
Eleventh season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, featuring performances by The Park Avenue Plaza Holiday Swing Orchestra, with special guests Sol Yaged and Doc Cheatham.
1997
July
Baseball Photography: The Pioneers 1903-1953 opens, an exhibition of vintage prints by Charles Conlon, Carl Horner, Paul Thompson and Louis Van Oeyen.
October 16
Reception for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. celebrates the publication of The Riverkeepers by Joe Cronin, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
November 19
Reception for Winston Churchill, the grandson, celebrates the publication of His Father’s Son: The Life of Randolph Churchill.
December 7
Twelfth and final season of Holiday Tea at Three begins, featuring small group performances led by Chuck Folds and featuring Joe Muranyi, Dick Katz, Dick Sudhalter, Spanky Davis and Jordan Sandke.
1998
February 1
The Jazz Photographs of Bob Parent opens.
November 1
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents Turbulent Souls by Stephen J. Dubner.
Guest Reader: The Author.
November 2
Coltrane in Photographs by Chuck Stewart opens, an exhibition of original prints by the legendary jazz photographer who photographed John Coltrane more often than anyone else.
1999
April 20
The Unclosed Eye: The Music Photographs of David Redfern opens, featuring original prints by the renowned British music photographer.
June 24
1st Readings at Chartwell Booksellers presents a sampler of Saki (Hector Hugh Munro).
Guest Reader: Daniel Gerroll
October 5
Reception for Winston Churchill, the grandson, celebrating the publication of The Great Republic.
2000
February 14
Reception for Churchill granddaughter Celia Sandys celebrates the publication of Churchill: Wanted Dead or Alive, with a lecture by the author.
May
The Library Series opens, an exhibition of photographs by Fawn Potash.
December 4
Reception celebrates the publication of The Oxford Companion to Jazz, with a roundtable discussion by James T. Maher, Dan Morgenstern, Gene Seymour, Stephanie Stein Crease, Richard M. Sudhalter and Bill Kirchner.
2001
February 16
Photographs from Ken Burns’ Jazz! opens, an exhibition of original photographs used in the landmark PBS documentary.
April 1
Bruce Cratsley: Photographs opens, a posthumous retrospective exhibition for this important street photographer.
2002
November 12
Ben Ross: In The Sky and Among the Stars opens, an exhibition of vintage photographs by Ben Ross.
2003
February 20
Mapping History, a lecture by Martin Gilbert, celebrates the re-issue of his Atlases of History series, as well as the publication of his newest book, The Righteous: The Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust.
June 2
December 3
Memory and Light: Photographs by Claude Furones opens.
2004
April 1
Joyce Tenneson: Flower Portraits opens.
2005
May 10
Hank Gans: At the Water’s Edge opens.
2006
July 12
An Exhibition of Framed Churchill Rarities opens at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
2007
March 29
Color Absorbed opens, a new exhibition of photographs by Claude Furones.
September 10
Reception for Michael Korda celebrates the publication of Ike: An American Hero, with a reading by the author.
2008
February 13
Reception for Slate columnist Fred Kaplan celebrates the publication of Daydream Believers: How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power.
April 14
Chartwell Booksellers celebrates its 25th Anniversary with an in-store bash featuring a buffet supper by Neil Kleinberg, music by Vince Giordano and guest readers Judith Ivey, Brooke Adams and Daniel Gerroll reprising their original 1st Readings appearances.