Collection context
Summary
Background
- Scope and content:
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The collection contains extensive correspondence as well as a large collection of zines and other underground publications which document the queer and punk subcultures of the 1990s. Material dated after 2004 is very limited. Correspondents include musicians, other zine creators, fans and imprisoned individuals (Roberts had a policy of distributing his zines for free to prisoners). In keeping with the punk aesthetic of Roberts and his correspondents, this material is highly visual and includes drawings and collages as well as text; enclosures include zines, fliers, ephemera and erotica. Cartons are arranged by prevailing topic, then by chronological order. Series I contains multi-issue publications. These publications were often of a more refined caliber in their compilation and many titles were well-known zines and small publications during their time of conception. Series II contains zines which primarily contain poetry and fiction. Series III contains zines that primarily focus on music, musicians, bands, performances and the music industry. Series IV contains zines which focus on feminism and women's topics. Series V contains general publication zines that do not focus on one specific topic or focal point. The majority of these zines are self-published, single-issue printings. Series VI contains zines that are either formatted as comic books, in a style reminiscent of comic book design or contain predominantly comic strips and artwork, interspersed with text. Series VII contains zines that focus on special interest communities which include, but are not exclusive to, kink communities. Series VIII contains zines that pertain to informative publications such as newsletters, advertisements, flyers and press releases. Series IX contains international publications. Series X contains correspondence including letters, post cards and greeting cards addressed to Larry-Bob Roberts, letters from inmates and envelopes that include exterior annotations and artwork. Series XI contains various artifacts and ephemera, including miscellaneous personal notes and papers pertaining to Larry-Bob Roberts. Series XII contains newspapers and publications created to replicate newspaper format. Series XIII contains zines and small publications published on wood pulp/newspaper material. The majority of these zines are general publications.
- Biographical / historical:
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Laurence “Larry-Bob” Roberts has been actively involved in the Bay Area’s punk, queercore, and zine scenes since the late 1980s. He was the editor of the zine Holy Titclamps (1989-2003) a queercore zine that documented queer punk culture and was noteworthy for its prolific zine review section. This zine review section later became a publication of its own, Queer Zine Explosion.
- Acquisition information:
- The collection was donated to the GLBT Historical Society by Larry-Bob Roberts in 2013.
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- 1978-2011, bulk 1990-1995
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:54 p.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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Copyright to material has not been transferred to the GLBT Historical Society; it will be transferred on Roberts’ death. Many of the zines in this collection were not made by Roberts, and their copyrights rest with their original creators. All requests for reproductions and/or permission to publish or quote from material must be submitted in writing to the GLBT Historical Society Archivist. Permission for reproductions and/or permission to publish or quote from material is given on behalf of the GLBT Historical Society 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 by the researcher.
- Preferred citation:
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Larry-Bob Roberts collection. GLBT Historical Society
- Location of this collection:
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989 Market Street, Lower LevelSan Francisco, CA 94103, US
- Contact:
- (415) 777-5455