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Zamorano Club Archive
MS.2022.031
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Title: Zamorano Club Archive
Identifier/Call Number: MS.2022.031
Physical Description:
140.0 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1928-2021
Abstract: This collection contains the official archive of the Zamorano Club, a Los Angeles-based club for bibliophiles and manuscript
collectors, which was founded in 1928.
Physical Location: This collection is stored offsite at SRLF with the exception of boxes listed below. At least 2 weeks notice is required to
page materials housed at SRLF. Please contact Clark Library staff for assistance.
(Boxes 66, 65-66, 69-72, 74, 87-89, 101-103, 108-110, and 140 are stored at the Clark Library).
Language of Material:
English
.
All membership and financial materials are sealed to everyone except Zamorano Club board members for a period of 10 years
from the date of their creation.
All other materials are available to researchers.
The Zamorano Club retains the literary rights to the material.
In order to quote from, publish, or reproduce any of the manuscripts or visual materials, researchers must obtain formal permission
from the Zamorano Club.
Provenance and Custodial History
From 1991-2022, this collection was on deposit at the Occidental College Library, with the Zamorano Club retaining ownership
of the materials. In 2022, the Zamorano Club, Occidental College, and the UCLA Clark Library collaborated on the physical
transfer and ownership of the materials to the Clark Library.
In addition to items collected and retained by the Zamorano Club during the course of their activities, other portions of
this archive originated in the collections of individual members, who at some point donated their collections to the Club.
The Zamorano Club is a Southern California organization for bibliophiles and manuscript collectors. It was founded in 1928, and sponsors lectures and publications on book-related topics. The Club was named in honor of Agustín V. Zamorano (1798-1842), a provisional governor of Alta California and the state's first printer. It is club tradition to present keepsakes
to members at meetings, resulting in a variety of printed mementos ranging from pamphlets to small books; sometimes the items
are reproductions of historical documents.
The Zamorano Club has had its meetings at various places since its founding, including the University Club, the Treasure Room within USC's
Doheny Library, and other locations. In May 1991, the club's archive, library, and publication overstock were placed on deposit at the Occidental College Library. Subsequently
the Board of Governors decided to dispose of the library, and the books were accordingly sold at Pacific Book Auction Galleries
(sale 180, 15 February 1999). The proceeds from the sale were placed in the club's endowment fund.
Early members include A. Gaylord Beaman (insurance), Garner A. Beckett (cement manufacturer), William W. Clary (attorney), Arthur M. Ellis (attorney), W. Irving Way (bookman), Robert O. Schad (Curator of Rare Books, Henry E. Huntington Library), and Robert E. Cowan (Librarian of William Andrews Clark Library). Lawrence Clark Powell (former UCLA University Librarian), Ward Ritchie (fine press printer), Henry Wagner (bibliographer), and other distinguished collectors and scholars have been members of the Zamorano Club as well.
Adapted from the finding aid for Zamorano Club Collection, 1920-2000 (William Andrews Clark Memorial Library)
[item title and box/folder number where appropriate], Zamorano Club Archive, MS.2022.031, UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial
Library.
Collection physically processed and original finding aid completed by Catherine N. Wehrey, August 20, 2011 at the Huntington
Library.
Finding aid transferred from Word document to Archivists' Toolkit by Kate Dundon at Occidental College in 2013.
Finding aid fully revised and collection physically reprocessed by Alohie Tadesse at the UCLA Clark Library in 2023.
This collection consists of the official archive of the Zamorano Club and includes membership files, charter and legal documents,
financial records, meeting keepsakes, event invitations, meeting minutes, books from and documentation related to the Zamorano
Club Library, photographs and other ephemera. The collection also contains files, scrapbooks, and other materials compiled
by early Zamorano Club members and donated to the club.
Related Collections at the Clark Library
** Zamorano Club Collection - materials created by and for the Zamorano Club, including primarily printed books, pamphlets,
and ephemera from meetings, talks, and dinners. This collection was created over time by Clark Library staff who were Zamorano
Club members.
Online finding aid.
** Robert E. Cowan Collection of Zamorano Club Ephemera - ephemera related to Zamorano Club events from 1929-1935, from the
collection of bibliographer Robert E. Cowan.
Online finding aid.
This collection is arranged in 8 series:
- Membership Records
- Financial and Legal Records
- General Correspondence
- Keepsakes and Publications
- Meeting and Event Materials
- Zamorano Club Library
- Member Papers
- Memorabilia, Photographs, and Miscellaneous Items
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Book collectors--California--20th century
Printing--California--History
Zamorano Club--History
Clubs -- California -- 20th century