Description
Frederick Startridge Ellis (1830-1901) was born in Richmond, Surrey, England. He opened a bookstore in Covent Garden in 1860
dealing in old books and manuscripts. He was the official buyer for the British Museum for many years and published works
by William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The collection consists of Ellis booksellers correspondence, mostly concerned
with the sale of rare books; 14 day books; and 39 letter books.
Background
Frederick Startridge Ellis was born on June 7, 1830 in Richmond, Surrey, England. He became assistant to bookseller C.J. Stewart
in the Strand and in 1860 set up his own bookstore in Covent Garden. In 1872 he took over the premises of bookseller T. &
W. Boone, and carried on a large business, mostly in old books and manuscripts. An official buyer for the British Museum for
many years, he also published works by William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He retired in 1885 and was succeeded by
his nephew, Gilbert Ifold Ellis. From 1902-1928 the firm was run by J.J. Holdsworth, George Smith, and Frank Benger.
Extent
11.5 linear feet
(23 boxes and 38 oversize boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library 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.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in
advance through our electronic paging system using the request button located on this page.