Access
Processing Information
Provenance
Restrictions on Use
Preferred Citation
Biography
Arrangement
Scope and Content
Related Material
Related Collections
Contributing Institution:
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Title: Ward Ritchie Papers
Creator:
Ritchie, Ward, 1905-1996
Identifier/Call Number: Press coll. Archives Ritchie
Physical Description:
140 Linear feet
(221 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1930-1996
Physical Location: This collection is housed at SRLF. Advanced notice is required to view these items; contact the Clark Library to arrange the
collection's retrieval prior to your visit.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
The collection was originally processed in 1998 by Clark Library staff. In 2014, the finding aid was reorganized into seven
series and an additional 31 boxes were processed and added to the finding aid by Patricia Garcia. Oversized material was re-processed
and rehoused in 2018 by Stephanie Geller.
Provenance
- Gift, 1988-1994, from Ward Ritchie (boxes 1-113)
- Gift, 1996, from Ward Ritchie (boxes 114-149, 153-156, 158-164, 178-182)
- Gift, 1996, from Edwin Carpenter (box 151)
- Gift, 1996, from Albert Sperisen (box 152)
- Gift, 1996, from Stephen Tabor (box 157)
- Gift, 1997, from Gloria Stuart (boxes 165-171)
- Gift, 1997(?), Ward Ritchie Estate (boxes 183-213)
- Deposit, 1998, from Ritchie family (boxes 172-177)
Restrictions on Use
Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark emorial Library, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of
the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ward Ritchie Papers, ca. 1930-1978. William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California,
Los Angeles.
Biography
Ward Ritchie was born in 1905 in Los Angeles, and grew up in a series of residences in the Los Angeles and Pasadena areas.
His father was in the pharmaceutical trade. He attended Marengo Avenue School and Occidental College, transferring to Stanford,
University of the South, and back to Occidental again. After a brief try at law school at USC he decided to make a career
the book arts, influenced by a reading of T.J. Cobden-Sanderson's
Journals. By examining examples of fine printing, mainly at the Huntington Library, he learned the elements of book design, and a semester
at Frank Wiggins Trade School gave him some technical knowledge. He began printing in 1929. The next year he talked himself
into an "apprenticeship" with François Louis Schmied, the French art-deco designer, illustrator, and printer. After four months
with Schmied he returned to Los Angeles and a brief job with bookseller Jake Zeitlin.
Ritchie became one of the principal figures in the fine-printing movement in Southern California. He printed for the Primavera
Press, and took commissions as the Ward Ritchie Press, which he incorporated in 1932. Gregg Anderson entered into partnership,
and the printing firm was subsequently called Anderson & Ritchie, with the name Ward Ritchie Press being retained for publishing
ventures. At the outbreak of World War II, Anderson joined the Army (he was killed in 1944), and Ritchie left the press for
Douglas Aircraft, where he produced technical manuals. The press continued under the management of Joseph Simon and became
a large commercial establishment. Between 1943 and 1950 Ritchie worked as production manager at the advertising agency Foote,
Cone and Belding, though he remained associated with the press and did designs for them. In 1950 he returned to the press
full-time, and the firm (renamed Anderson, Ritchie & Simon) kept growing until Ritchie retired in 1972. (The press continued
under different ownership until 1978.) In his retirement, in Laguna Beach, he bought a hand press and began printing small
editions himself under the name Laguna Verde Imprenta. He died early in 1996. Ritchie married, first, Janet Smith (with whom
he had two sons), and second, Marka Detrick, who brought three sons from a previous marriage. His close friends included librarian
Lawrence Clark Powell and actress and printer Gloria Stuart.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into eight series:
Series I. Associated Presses & Business Records Series II. Biographical & Personal Papers Series III. Correspondence Series
IV. Subject Files Series V. Ephemera Series VI. Miscellaneous Series VII. Edwin Carpenter Acquisition Series VIII. Items Shelved
Separately
Scope and Content
The Ward Ritchie Press collection consists primarily of papers ranging from 1928-1996, with the bulk of materials originating
from 1930-1970. The collection includes job packets, typescripts, manuscripts, lectures, correspondence, photographs, ephemera,
sketches, page and galley proofs, poetry, and some personal items. The "Associated Presses and Business Records" series consists
of job packets, printer's overs, manuscripts, typescripts, amd mock-ups that are largely related to Ritchie's work with The
Ward Ritchie Press, but also include business records relating to Anderson & Ritchie, Anderson, Ritchie & Simon, and Laguna
Verde Imprenta. It also includes assorted typescripts and manuscripts that have an unknown provenance but were collected by
Ritchie. The "Biographical and Personal Papers" series includes oral and performed works, personal photographs, gifted artwork,
videos of birthday celebrations, and other works collected by Ritchie. The collection of oral and performed works include
speeches and lectures given at Zamorano & Roxburghe Club meetings, Clark Library events, and Occidental College award ceremonies.
The "Correspondence" series contains letters to noteable figures such as Lawrence Clark Powell, Gloria Stuart, Robinson Jeffers,
Rockwell Kent, and Jake Zeitlin. Since Ritchie had working relationships with many of his friends, the series is composed
of a mixture of business and personal correspondence. The "Subject Files" series includes collected items relating to other
presses (Black Cat Press, Castle Press), universities (Caltech, Occidental, UCLA), clubs (Zamorano, Rounce & Coffin), and
special collection libraries (Huntington Library, Clark Library).
Related Material
Printing and publishing in Southern California {oral history transcript} / Ward Ritchie, interviewee. UCLA Oral History Department
interview, 1969. Available at Dept. of Special Collections, UCLA and the William Andrews Clark Library, UCLA.
Related Collections
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Printers--California--20th century
Private presses--California--20th century