Collection Guide
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Finding Aid to the Albert M. Bender collection of George Sterling papers
circa 1880-1998
BASC 16
BASC 16
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Book Arts & Special Collections, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4560
bookarts@sfpl.org
Title: Albert M. Bender collection of George Sterling papers
Creator:
Bender, Albert M. (Albert Maurice), 1866-1941
Identifier/Call Number: BASC 16
Physical Description:
9 manuscript boxes, 3 flat-boxes, 3 folders of photographs
(7 Cubic Feet)
Date (inclusive): circa 1880-1998
Date (bulk): 1880-1926
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence; manuscripts, typescripts, printed material, and photographs created by George Sterling
and others. The bulk of this collection is made up of George Sterling's manuscripts and typescripts, many with handwritten
notes by George Sterling and Ambrose Bierce.
Physical Location: The collection is stored on site.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in
English.
Collection is open for research and is available for use during Book Arts & Special Collections hours, with photographs available
during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.
Some materials are fragile and may not be photocopied. Copyright has not been assigned to the San Francisco Public Library.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to Book Arts & Special Collections.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
[Identification of item], The Albert M. Bender collection of George Sterling papers. (BASC 16), Book Arts & Special Collections,
San Francisco Public Library.
In 1934,
Albert M. Bender
headed a committee that selected books, manuscripts, and ephemera for the San Francisco Public Library through a bequest made
by James D. Phelan. Items collected through this effort include many first editions and manuscripts by California authors
and was first called the
Phelan Collection
and subsequently the
California Authors Collection. Some items were collected through purchases from book dealers or other sources. Some items have been donated by Albert. M.
Bender or other donors, and some Sterling material has been moved from other San Francisco Public Library collections.
Material Specific Details
notes contain information found on original library documentation.
Researchers are encouraged to see also
George Sterling's Friends and Family Photograph Album, 1898-1905, SFP 34
and
Bohemian Grove Photographs, SFP 104
from the San Francico History Center's San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection.
During processing, the entire collection was re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Some metal staples
remain.
George Sterling's Friends and Family Photograph Album, 1898-1905, SFP 34
was transferred to the San Francisco History Center's Historical Photograph Collection.
George Sterling was born in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York, in 1869. He became exposed to poetry while studying for the
priesthood at St. Charles College, a Catholic college in Maryland. Sterling moved to Oakland, California in on September 30,
1890, and there met and became a pupil to Ambrose Bierce. Sterling's poetry was first published through the aid of Bierce,
who included some of Sterling's verse in his
San Francisco Examiner
column. Sterling was a member of the Bohemian Club and had friendships with many literary figures including Jack London and
Clark Ashton Smith. In 1905 Sterling moved to
Carmel-by-the-Sea
and many authors and artists followed him there. Sterling died by his own hand in
San Francisco
in 1926.
Albert M. Bender was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1866 and died in San Francisco, California in 1941. He was a major patron
of artists, museums, libraries, and performing arts organizations. He frequently commissioned limited edition books and pamphlets,
co-founded the
Book Club of California, chaired its publications committee for years, and donated rare books and fine printing to Stanford, UC Berkeley, Mills College,
the University of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Library, and Trinity College Library, Dublin.
In 1934, Bender headed a committee that selected books, manuscripts, and ephemera for the San Francisco Public Library through
a bequest made by James D. Phelan.
This collection contains correspondence; manuscripts, typescripts, printed material, and photographs created by George Sterling
and others. The bulk of this collection is made up of George Sterling's manuscripts and typescripts, many with handwritten
notes by George Sterling and Ambrose Bierce. Of note are the original papers and manuscripts that appeared in the
Overland Monthly,
November-December, 1927, In Memoriam to George Sterling, edited by Albert M. Bender and including work from Edwin Markham,
Gertrude Atherton, Ina Coolbrith, and Upton Sinclair among others. This collection also contains the Sterling family bible
which has recorded marriages, deaths, births, and other important dates of George Sterling and his family.
The collection is arranged in four series: Series 1: Correspondence; Series 2: Writings; Series 3: Printed material; Series
4: Miscellanea and photographs. Series 2: Writings is further subdivided into three subseries, 2.1: Writings by George Sterling;
2.2: Writings by others; 2.3: In memoriam.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American poetry -- California -- San Francisco.
American poetry -- 20th century.
American literature -- 20th century.
Artist colonies -- Carmel (Calif.)
Memorials in literature.
Bohemianism--United States.
Authors, American -- 20th century.
Poets, American -- 20th century.
Sterling, George, 1869-1926
Bierce, Ambrose, 1842-1914?