Finding Aid for the Peter and Donna Thomas papers on the History of Papermaking in the Philippines, 1980-2005

Processed by Linda Isaac in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Bachli, 2009; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections
Manuscripts Division
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/
© 2009
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Peter and Donna Thomas papers on the History of Papermaking in the Philippines
Date (inclusive): 1980-2005
Collection number: 1828
Creators: Thomas, Peter Thomas, Donna
Extent: 3 document boxes (1.5 linear ft.) 1 flat box.
Abstract: Peter and Donna Thomas have lectured and taught numerous workshops internationally and have published books and articles on papermaking, book binding, and other aspects of the book arts. The collection consists of drafts, correspondence, photographs, handmade paper samples, and research materials related to the writing of the book, The History of Papermaking in the Philippines.
Language: Finding aid is written in English.
Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Papers were included with purchase of the deluxe edition of the book The History of Papermaking in the Philippines in 2006.

Processing Note

Processed by Linda Isaac in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Bachli, 2009.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Peter and Donna Thomas papers on the History of Papermaking in the Philippines (Collection 1828). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 6219149 

Biography

Peter Thomas was born in 1954 in Los Angeles and graduated in 1978 with a major in Aesthetic Studies. Donna (Millar) Thomas was born in 1957 in San Francisco, California, and graduated from the School of Expressive Arts in 1979.
Peter and Donna Thomas established a private press in 1976 and have worked individually and collaboratively on creating books, making paper, letterpress printing and book binding. Their books have been shown in the U.S.A. and abroad and purchased for collections around the world. They printed their first book in 1978 and concentrated on producing "fine press" books for the next ten years in both full size and miniature formats. They have always made the paper, printed and bound the books completely by themselves.
In the late 1980s they began exploring new formats in non-traditional book structures and shaped book objects, as both limited editions and one-of-a-kind books. In 1992 they printed Good Books, a bibliography of their work, listing over fifty titles representing many authors and a wide range of subjects. They have lectured and taught workshops internationally and have published articles on papermaking and other aspects of the book arts. In the early 1990s, they began a project to document the history of papermaking, both at home and abroad. They have published a number of books that document the renaissance of the craft and also made video documentation of traditional hand papermakers in Europe.
In 2005 Peter and Donna published The History of Papermaking in the Philippines, which was the culmination of almost twenty years of work. It began with Peter attending a one-day papermaking workshop in Santa Cruz taught by Nida Dumsang from the Philippines. Upon learning that there was no written history of papermaking in the Philippines, the idea of writing the first history of Filipino papermaking was born. He first visited the Philippines in February of 1990 and gathered various information over the following ten years. The book includes discussions of the pre-historic precursors to paper, including Philippine bark cloth. It contains a survey of the first printed books made in the Philippines and the paper they were printed on. It ends with a chronological history of both commercial and hand paper making in the Philippines up to 2000.
Peter and Donna Thomas received many awards and recognition over the years: In 1997 their binding was given special mention for innovative design in the Helen DeGolyer Triennial Exhibition. A Collection of Paper Samples Handmade in the USA was featured by the Guild of Bookworkers as the set book for a national traveling show titled Paper Bound during 1997-1998. In 1997 the Miniature Book Society presented them with the Norman Forgue Award for their work promoting in the miniature book. In 1998 and 1999, one of their books was chosen for the Distinguished Book Award. In 2001 their binding of James Joyce's Ulysses was awarded the Judges Distinction for Innovation in the Helen DeGolyer Triennial for American Bookbinding, and the Art Museum of Santa Cruz featured their work in a comprehensive show titled Art Undercover.
Source:

Scope and Content

Collection consists of drafts, correspondence, photographs, handmade paper samples, and research materials related to the writing of the book, The History of Papermaking in the Philippines.

Organization and Arrangement

Collection is arranged in chronological order within two subjects: correspondence and research materials.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects

Papermaking --Philippines -- History
Paper, Handmade --Philippines -- Specimens

Related Material

Thomas, P. & Thomas, D, The History of Papermaking in the Philippines. Santa Cruz: Peter and Donna Thomas, 2005. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Box 1, Folder 1

Correspondence with Fiber Industry Development Authority 1980 February 22 - 1990 March 29

Box 1, Folder 2

Correspondence with Nida Dumsang and Michael Parsons; paper samples; 4 photographs 1986 October 2 - 1993 August 1

Box 1, Folder 3

Correspondence with P.M. Picornelli 1988 October 13 - 1991 July 12

Box 1, Folder 4

Correspondence with William Henry Scott 1989 January 1-1993 October 28

Box 1, Folder 5

Correspondence with Harold Conklin and Chuck Frake; notes 1989 January 1-1991 July 7

Box 1, Folder 6

Correspondence and research materials from Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines

Box 1, Folder 7

Correspondence with Spain; correspondence with Loreto Apilado regarding translation of Spanish text 1993 December 17-2001 April 14

Box 1, Folder 8

Correspondence and notes relating to United States Visa for Loreto Apilado; 5 photographs; newspaper clippings 1996 August 7-2005 July 13

Box 1, Folder 9

Various correspondence; notes 1988 February 16-2001 November 15

Box 1, Folder 10

E-mail correspondence 2002 January 23-2005 July 18

Box 1, Folder 11

Notes from phone conversations with Harold Conklin ca. 2001 December

Box 2, Folder 1

Original illustrations by Donna Thomas undated

Box 2, Folder 2

Copies of illustrations from various sources undated

Box 2, Folder 3

Drafts ca. 1993-2001

Box 2, Folder 4

Proofs undated

Box 2, Folder 5

Paper samples and plant descriptions from Dumtog Paper Mill; 10 photographs undated

Box 2, Folder 6

Correspondence and paper samples from Asao Shimura of Cannabis Press 2004 September 3

Box 2, Folder 7

Paper sample from Juan Merin undated

Box 2, Folder 8

Fiber Industry Development Authority. Maguey and Its Cultivation - pamphlet undated

Box 2, Folder 9

Pamphlets; Roadmap of the Philippines; business cards undated

Box 2, Folder 10

Correspondence from Harold Conklin with paper samples and reprint of Ifugao Ethnobotany 1905-1965: the 1911 Beyer-Merrill Report in Perspective

Box 2, Folder 11

Reprint of Vision of a Collector from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection in the Library of Congress 1991

Box 2, Folder 12

Paper samples from the Philippines undated

Box 3, Folder 1

Research articles and notes undated

Box 3, Folder 2

Research articles and notes undated

Box 3, Folder 3

Fiber Development Authority. Profile of the Philippine Abaca Industry undated

Box 3, Folder 4

Fibert Development Authority. Ramie Production Manual undated

Box 3, Folder 5

Pilipinas. A Journal of Philippine Studies (No. 22, Spring) undated

Box 3, Folder 6

Kalin Di Duntog - Journal (8 issues) ca. 1990-1992

Box 3, Folder 7

Hand Papermaking - Journal (3 issues) ca. 1993-2002

Box 4, Folder 1

Journal and letters (copies) of Peter Thomas from Philippines 1990 March 1-15

Box 4, Folder 2

Paper samples from C&J Specialty Papers (Phils.), Inc. - Vol. 3 and 5 undated

Box 4, Folder 3

Fiber Development Authority. Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Miniature Specimens of Philippine Fibers undated

Box 4, Folder 4

Proofs and notes ca. 2004

Box 4, Folder 5

Proofs - First 19 pages before 1993 undated

Box 4, Folder 6

Overseas correspondence and translated documents ca. 1997-2001

Box 4, Folder 7

Translation of Spanish document relating to the history of papermaking