Finding Aid to the Robert J. Manners Papers, 1953-2010 Coll2014.067

Cooper Moll
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Robert J. Manners papers
creator: Manners, Robert J.
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2014.067
Physical Description: 5.3 Linear Feet 4 boxes, 1 carton, and 1 shoebox
Date (inclusive): 1953-2010
Abstract: This collection mainly comprises Robert Manners' correspondence, newspaper clippings, catalogs, bibliographies, administrative records, and other material, 1953-2010. Manners was the owner and operator of the home-based gay and lesbian mail order catalog Books Bohemian (Pasadena, California) from 1977 to 2004.

Biography

Robert J. Manners owned and operated Books Bohemian, a home-based mail order book catalog, for 27 years (1977-2004). During his tenure as a book distributor, he corresponded with a number of incarcerated gay men who wrote him requesting gay literature. Manners provided books free of charge to gay inmates, many of whom kept in contact for several years through letters. Manners also corresponded with a number of gay and lesbian writers and collected their bibliographies, book reviews, and biographies. Manners is also an activist for LGBTQ rights and interests.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries 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.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Robert J. Manners, May 16, 2010.

Preferred Citation

[Box/folder #, or item name] Robert J. Manners Papers, Coll2014-067, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Cooper Moll, September 2014.

Scope and Contents

This collection comprises Robert Manners' correspondence, newspaper clippings, catalogs, bibliographies, administrative records, and other material, 1953-2010. The collection primarily consists of administrative records from Books Bohemian, correspondence with gay inmates, and correspondence with gay and lesbian writers whose books he sold through the catalog.

Arrangement

This collection is divided into two series: (1) Correspondence, and (2) Administrative records and subject files.

Separated Materials

The following have been separated to the ONE Archives periodical collection:
ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights Chapter Newsletter, 2000-2002
Amsterdam Columbia Fun Map, 1998
Barfly, 1970
BLK Magazine, 1993-1994
The Frontlines Newsletter, 2007
Gay Academic Union Los Angeles Chapter Newsletter, 1978-1981
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Newsletter, 1995
Gay & Lesbian Studies List (Bolerium Books), 2000-2002
Gay Sunshine 10th Anniversary Issue, 1980
Highways Program, 2004
Jim Kepner's Song & Dance, 1993-1997
Lambda Legal Impact Newsletter, 2007-2009
LifeLines, Project Angel Food Newsletter, 2005-2009
ONE Institute/International Gay and Lesbian Archives Bulletin, 1998
Outfest Programs, 2000-2009
Parsonage News, The, 1986
Pride Magazine, 2005
Rainbow Report, The, 1983-1987
Refining the Future of Destiny Catalog, 2007-2008
Star News, 1977
Ten Percent, UCLA's Gay Newsmagazine, 1980
UPDATE, Southern California's Gay Newspaper, 1984
"Looking for Langston" (1989) VHS has been seperated to the ONE Archives video collection.
"Elizabethan Songs & Negro Spirituals" by Bayard Rustin (circa 1952) LP has been separated to the ONE Archives record collection.
A 1993 March on Washington button has been seperated to the ONE Archives button collection.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Booksellers and bookselling
Clippings
Gay and lesbian writers
Gay prisoners
Gays in literature
Prisoners -- Correspondence
Manners, Robert J.
Books Bohemian

 

Correspondence

Scope and Contents

This series comprises Manners' correspondence, particularly with gay prison inmates and gay and lesbian writers. During his tenure as a book distributor, Manners corresponded with a number of incarcerated gay men in United States prisons who wrote him requesting gay literature. Manners provided books free of charge to gay inmates, many of whom kept in contact for several years through letters. In addition to letters, several of the inmates shared their artwork, poetry, photographs and creative writing, which is also included in this series. Along with his correspondence with inmates, Manners corresponded with a number of gay and lesbian writers and collected their bibliographies, book reviews, and biographies.

Arrangement

Correspondence with prison inmates are at the beginning of this series. The remaining folders are arranged alphabetically with miscellaneous folders at the end.
 

Prison inmates

Box 1, Folder 1

Book dispute (Gatesville, Texas) 2004

Box 1, Folder 2

"Cobra," gay inmate at Miami Correctional Facility 2003-2004

Box 1, Folder 3

Jeffery C., gay inmate at Oshkosh Correctional Facility 2004-2005

Box 1, Folder 4

T. Eastin, gay inmate at Putnamville Correctional Facility 1996-1999

Box 1, Folder 5

James H., gay inmate at Oshkosh Correctional Facility 2004

Box 1, Folder 6

Daniel H., gay inmate 2004-2006

Box 1, Folder 7

David M., gay inmate at Pelican Bay State Prison 1994

Box 1, Folder 8

Ron M., gay inmate at Oregon State Prison 1998-2000

Box 1, Folder 9

Bill N.; "Biographical Journey (in his own words)" 1977-2004

Box 1, Folder 10

Savann N., gay inmate at Southport Correctional Facility 2004-2005

Box 1, Folder 11

David P., transgender inmate 2004-2005

Box 1, Folder 12

Eric P., gay inmate at East Oregon Correctional Facility 1996-1998

Box 1, Folder 15

Scott R.; artwork and writing c. 2003-2008

Box 1, Folder 13-14

Scott R., gay inmate at New Jersey State Prison 2003-2008

Box 1, Folder 16

Scott R., gay inmate at Utah State Prison 2000

Box 1, Folder 17

Jose S., gay inmate at Southport Correctional Facility 2003-2005

Box 1, Folder 18

Thad S., gay inmate at Pennsylvania State Prison 1998-2004

Box 1, Folder 19

Kurt W., gay inmate at Pleasant Valley State Prison 2004-2005

Box 1, Folder 20

Alquin Images (Amsterdam) 1986-2000

Box 1, Folder 21

Roger Austen 1978-1982

Box 1, Folder 22

Pieter Bach 1984-2001

Box 1, Folder 23

Robert Bass 1982-1984

Box 1, Folder 24

Wade L. Beasley 1992-2004

Box 1, Folder 25

Marion Zimmer Bradley 1983-1990

Box 1, Folder 26

Hanneta Clark 1981-1992

Box 3, Folder 10

A Different Light Bookstore correspondence and clippings 1982-2000

Box 1, Folder 27

Gavin Dillard 1990-1999

Box 1, Folder 28

Michael Foubert 1993-2008

Box 1, Folder 29-30

GLBT booksellers and publishers 1979-2000

Box 1, Folder 31

Gay Sunshine 1977-1981

Box 1, Folder 32

Barbara Gittings 1978-2007

Box 1, Folder 33

Bill Glover 2000-2005

Box 1, Folder 34

James Graham, Attorney at Law 1987-2007

Box 1, Folder 35

Richard Hall 1977-1989

Box 1, Folder 36

Joseph Hansen 1974-2001

Box 2, Folder 18

Independent Woman Books, Christine Pattee correspondence 1980-1983

Box 1, Folder 37

Hubert Kennedy 1978-2003

Box 1, Folder 38

Mstislav Knyazev 1994-2003

Box 1, Folder 39

William A. Koelsch 1993-2001

Box 1, Folder 40

Edgar H. Leoni 1978-1990

Box 1, Folder 41

John Loughery 1994-1997

Box 1, Folder 42

Jesse Monteagudo (Lambda passages) 1985-2003

Box 1, Folder 43

Edward Paolella 1982-1989

Box 1, Folder 44

Robert Peters 1978-2001

Box 1, Folder 45

Rebecca Pixler 1985-2002

Box 1, Folder 46

John Preston 1980

Box 1, Folder 47

RFD Press 1983-2007

Box 1, Folder 48

Paul Varnell 1979-1981

Box 1, Folder 49

Books Bohemian, miscellaneous 1978-2005

Box 1, Folder 50

Miscellaneous circa 1978-2006

 

Administrative records and subject files Series 2

Scope and Contents

This series comprises newspaper clippings, catalogs, bibliographies, administrative records, and other materials created and collected by Robert Manners for his company Books Bohemian and his personal interests. Manners' collection of newspaper clippings pertain to a variety of LGBTQ rights issues, AIDS, and LGBTQ arts. This series also includes catalogs from gay and lesbian booksellers and publicity material from LGBTQ advocacy groups. Note that correspondence pertaining to the operation of Books Bohemian may also be found in Series 1: Correspondence.

Arrangement

Administrative records and catalogs from Books Bohemian are at the beginning. The remaining folders are arranged alphabetically.
Box 2, Folder 1

Books Bohemian, administrative records 1977-2005

Box 5, Folder 1-4

Books Bohemian catalogs 1976-2004

Box 3, Folder 1-6

AIDS clippings 1981-2007

Box 2, Folder 2

American Civil Liberties Union 2000-2002

Box 3, Folder 7

W.H. Auden clippings 1975-2007

Box 2, Folder 3

Banned Books 1988-1990

Box 2, Folder 4

Albert Beach, artist's publicity circa 1991-1993

Box 3, Folder 8

Betty Berzon, Ph.D., clippings 2001-2007

Box 2, Folder 5

Bibliographies, lesbian 1994-1999

Box 2, Folder 6

BLK magazine 1989-1993

Box 2, Folder 7

Boy Scouts of America and gay rights clippings 1991-2006

Box 6

Card catalog undated

Box 2, Folder 8

Edward Carpenter clippings circa 1844-1929

Box 3, Folder 9

Celebration Theater clippings 1999-2006

Box 2, Folder 9

Tee A. Corinne press release and book list 1993-1994

Box 2, Folder 10

Gay Academic Union 1978-1983

Box 2, Folder 11

Gay Academic Union 5 (conference), "Who We Are" 1978

Box 2, Folder 12

Gay Academic Union 6 (conference), "The Challenge of the 80's: Our Changing Gay and Lesbian Culture" 1979

Box 2, Folder 13

Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS) 1996-2008

Box 2, Folder 14

GLBT arts clippings 1956-2006

Box 3, Folder 11-13

GLBT books and authors clippings 1968-2009

Box 3, Folder 14-15

GLBT general clippings 1975-1977

Box 3, Folder 19

GLBT outside the United States clippings 1990-2001

Box 3, Folder 16-18

GLBT people clippings 1953-2010

Box 3, Folder 20-21

GLBT religion and politics clippings 1977-2008

Box 2, Folder 15

Giovanni's Room, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1978

Box 2, Folder 16

Haldeman-Julius Publications circa 1985

Box 2, Folder 17

Icaro Gallery 2001-2004

Box 2, Folder 19-22

Institute for the Study of Human Resources 1994-2008

Box 2, Folder 23

June L. Mazer Lesbian Collection 1992-2009

Box 2, Folder 24

Jim Kepner 1993-1998

Box 2, Folder 25

Lambda Legal 1998-2009

Box 4, Folder 1

Latinos Unidos undated

Box 2, Folder 26

The Leslie-Lohman Gallery updates and invoices 1977-1979

Box 2, Folder 27

"Male Homosexuality in English Literature from 1850 to 1900" 1970

Box 2, Folder 28

March on Washington (binder) 1993

Box 4, Folder 2

March on Washington clippings 1993

Box 2, Folder 30

Michael Grey Michaud cards, art, poems, and essays 1990-2014

Box 2, Folder 29

Mirror News clippings 1955-1957

Box 4, Folder 3-16

Motion pictures (A-Z) clippings 1994-2008

Box 4, Folder 17-21

Motion picture and theater clippings 1956-2010

Box 2, Folder 31

The Naiad Press 1990-1993

Box 2, Folder 32

Notes undated

Box 2, Folder 33

ONE Institute 1982-2002

Box 4, Folder 22

Outfest clippings 1992-2009

Box 2, Folder 34

Jerry Packard, bookseller 1977-1978

Box 2, Folder 36

Photographs undated

Box 2, Folder 35

Reynolds Price clippings and writings 1993-2009

Box 2, Folder 37

Project Angel Food annual reports 2005-2009

Box 2, Folder 38

Reader's catalogs circa 1988-1993

Box 2, Folder 39

Mary Renault, "The Friendly Young Ladies" 1984

Box 2, Folder 40

Adrienne Rich clippings 1997

Box 2, Folder 41

Jane Rule clippings 1994

Box 2, Folder 42

Doug Sadownick clippings 1989-2007

Box 2, Folder 43

May Sarton clippings circa 1988-1989

Box 2, Folder 44

Society for Senior Gay and Lesbian Citizens 1982-1987

Box 2, Folder 45

Straight book review 2004

Box 2, Folder 46

Ten Percent 1980

Box 2, Folder 47

Timely Books 1979-2005

Box 4, Folder 23

Rufus Wainwright clippings 2007-2009

Box 2, Folder 48

B.D. Wong clippings 2003

Box 4, Folder 24

Miscellaneous clippings circa 1950-2006

Box 2, Folder 49

Miscellaneous flyers, pamphlets, and brochures 1970-2006