Slotkin (Stanley S.) early printed book leaves collection, circa 1150-1715

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Summary

Title:
Stanley S. Slotkin early printed book leaves collection
Dates:
circa 1150-1715
Containers:
box: 1 of 1
Extent:
22 Leaves
Language:
Arabic , English , French , German , Greek, Modern (1453-) , Hebrew , Latin , Persian , Welsh .

Background

Biographical / historical:

Stanley S. Slotkin (1905-1997) was a prosperous Los Angeles businessman. He opened "Abby Rents Inc." rental franchise in the 1930s. The company would become the largest rental company in the world by 1965, renting a variety of items including furniture and medical equipment. Slotkin was also an avid collector of antique bibles and other rare books, amassing hundreds of thousands of books which he also regularly donated to various museums, universities, churches, and libraries across the United States.

Slotkin had a philanthropic interest in reconstructive surgery, opening up a free clinic to perform plastic surgeries on individuals with debilitating physical abnormalities and/or who could not otherwise afford treatment. Additional interests included amateur archaeology and what was at the time the new sport of scuba diving. Diving to a Phoenician ship off the coast of Italy in 1955, he recovered 39 amphorae, earthen jars used to store liquids. Scientists dated them to the 3rd or 4th century. Slotkin distributed the amphorae to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, UCLA and other museums and educational institutions around the country.

In the 1960s, Slotkin began to donate individual leaves from books to institutions rather than whole works as a way to provide greater access to these rare materials. He dismembered a number of books, and donated sets of pages to any institution that would agree to display them publicly. He contributed philanthropically to a number of causes throughout his life.

Indexed terms

Subjects:
Incunabula
Early printed books

About this collection guide

Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-03-20 15:57:31 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Location of this collection:
801 W. Monte Vista Avenue
Turlock, CA 95382, US