William Targ letters from Lawrence Clark Powell, 1949-1982

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Summary

Creators:
Targ, William, 1907-
Abstract:
William Targ (1907-1999) was a successful publisher and editor who published several books by Lawrence Clark Powell (1906-2001). Powell was a librarian, bibliographer, and collector of books and avidly wrote on these subjects. After being appointed University Librarian of the UCLA Library and director of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library in 1944, Powell became the first Dean of the UCLA School of Library Service in 1960. The Targ letters from Lawrence Clark Powell, which span almost twenty five years, document their professional relationship and the development of friendship.
Extent:
1 half document box (.25 linear ft.)
Language:
Finding aid is written in English. and Materials are in English.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists primarily of letters and postcards addressed to Targ from Powell, with a few replies from Targ. Letters regard a variety of topic such as writing, book reviews, traveling, their careers and personal lives.

Biographical / historical:

William Targ (1907-1999) was a well-known editor and publisher based in New York. He was also a bookseller, collector, and writer. He is perhaps most famous for agreeing to publish Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather when he served as editor-in-chief of G. P. Putnam's Sons. Targ became acquainted with Lawrence Clark Powell through publishing several of Powell’s books including Bookman's Progress and Southwest: Three Definitions.

Lawrence Clark Powell was born September 3, 1906 in Washington, D.C. His family soon moved to South Pasadena, California in 1910, where he attended public schools. He received his B.A. from Occidental College in 1928, and Ph.D. from the University of Dijon, France in 1932. During the mid-1930s, he worked at Jake Zeitlin's bookstore in Los Angeles, where he gained experience in the art of book-trading. He received his professional training in librarianship from the library school at the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated from in 1937. He worked briefly for the Los Angeles Public Library before joining the UCLA Library staff in 1938. He served as UCLA's University Librarian from 1944 to 1961, director of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library from 1944 to 1966, and became the first Dean of the UCLA School of Library Service in 1960. The campus's main library was named in his honor upon his retirement from UCLA in 1966. A prolific writer, he authored over 300 books, magazine articles, essays, book reviews, forewords and introductions to books, and bibliographies. He wrote on a variety of topics including literature, history, librarianship, the book trade, rare books, book collecting, California history, the American Southwest, and travel. He married Fay Ellen Shoemaker, with whom he had two sons. He died in March 2001.

Acquisition information:
Purchase, 2003.
Arrangement:

Letters are arranged chronologically.

Physical location:
Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website