Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Ruth Teiser papers
Date (inclusive): circa 1930-1990
Collection Number: BANC MSS 98/182 c
Creators :
Teiser, Ruth
Extent:
Number of containers: 25 cartons, 2 boxes, 1 oversize folder
(linear feet: 31.5)
Repository: The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The papers of freelance writer and historian, Ruth Teiser, divided into three series: Winemaking in California files; Research
and Writing files; and Personalia and General Correspondence.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor
restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of without permission of the copyright owner.
Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ruth Teiser papers, BANC MSS 98/182 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Teiser, Ruth--Archives
Teiser, Sidney
Wine and wine making--California
Wineries--California.
Wine industry--California
Canning and preserving--California
Bakeries--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Printers--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Book industries and trade--California--San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco (Calif.)--History
Research
Photographs
Harroun, Catherine
Administrative Information
Accruals
No additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Lara Michels in 2012.
Biographical Information
Ruth Teiser (1915-1994) was born in Portland, Oregon to attorney Sidney Teiser and Betty (Kline) Teiser. Ruth attended Mills
College from 1932 to 1934 and Stanford University (where she received her B.A. and M.A.) from 1936 to 1941. She built a career
as a reporter and freelance writer and photographer. Her articles, essays, and book reviews appeared in Bay Area newspapers
and magazines, including Westways, Travel, Wine World, Wines and Vines, and California Living. Subject areas of particular
interest to Teiser were wine in California, San Francisco history, and books and fine printing. In 1965, Teiser started a
new phase in her career when she became a part-time senior editor and interviewer at the Regional Oral History Office (ROHO),
Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. For ROHO, Teiser and her long-time friend and colleague Catherine Harroun,
director of the Wells Fargo HIstory Room, conducted a series of interviews with local printers, publishers, hand bookbinders
in the Bay Area. They also conducted many interviews for a wine oral history series. In 1976, the Book Club of California
published Printing as Performance Art by Teiser and Harroun. In 1983, the pair published a history of California wine entitled
Winemaking in California, which won awards of merit from the California Historical Society and the Commonwealth Club of California.
Scope and Content of Collection
Divided into three series: wine making in California files, research and writing files, and personalia and general correspondence.
The wine making in California files consist of materials Teiser gathered during the course of researching and writing her
book on the history of wine in California. These materials include biographical files, files on California wineries, geographical
files, subject files, and some manuscripts and book production files. Teiser's research and writing files consist of manuscripts
and research materials (with some photographs) from Teiser's career as a freelance writer and reporter. Topics represented
in these files include canning and other food technologies; bakeries and bread; economic development and the electronics industry
in Santa Clara County; printing and fine presses in Northern California; San Francisco history; and assorted others. The collection
also includes a small amount of general correspondence and personalia from Ruth Teiser and her colleague and friend Catherine
Harroun. Among these personal items are some materials on Sidney Teiser and family photographs.