Carey S. Bliss and Leslie E. Bliss papers HIA 34.35
Finding aid prepared by Valree M. Weythman.
The Huntington Library
2014
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on March 14, 2024, by Renee Tabizon.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Carey S. Bliss and Leslie E. Bliss papers
Creator:
Bliss, Carey S.
Identifier/Call Number: HIA 34.35
Physical Description:
4.63 Linear Feet
(10 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1893-1986
Date (bulk): 1903-1986
Abstract: The collection contains the papers of
Leslie and Carey Bliss.
Language of Material: The records are in English and
German.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader
Services Department. For more information, please go to following
web site .
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Carey S. Bliss and Leslie E. Bliss papers, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Biographical / Historical
Leslie Bliss was born in 1889 and died in 1977. He was a graduate of Colgate University and
the New York State Library School and began working for the Huntington Library as an
assistant in 1915. In 1926, he was appointed head librarian of the Huntington Library which
he held until his retirement in 1958, although he remained with the Huntington Library as a
consultant. He earned an honorary degree from Colgate University in 1961. While serving as
librarian and continuing during his retirement, Leslie Bliss worked with Juanita Brooks to
expand the Huntington Library's collection of early Mormon books and manuscripts.
Carey Bliss, the son of Leslie Bliss, was born in 1914 and died in 1994. He earned a
degree from Pomona College in 1936 and began working as an assistant curator under Robert O.
Schad in 1937. Carey Bliss served as the curator of rare books at the Huntington Library
until his retirement in 1982. He was an expert on the history of printing and had an
interest in camellia cultivation. Carey Bliss was a longstanding member of the Rounce and
Coffin Club, beginning in the 1940s, and served as the librarian for the Zamorano Club.
Scope and Contents
The Carey Bliss files comprise the bulk of the collection. The articles and research files
contain work created by Carey Bliss while he was a student at Pomona College and while he
was a curator at the Huntington library. The correspondence covers his work as a curator,
including a single thank you letter from Richard Nixon for the repair of the Nixon's family
bible. The lecture files contain notes for a course that Carey Bliss taught at the
University of Southern California on the history of books and printing. These notes include
a sheet of papyrus in the folder for lectures three and four. The Rounce & Coffin Club
files pertain to Carey Bliss's longstanding membership. The files contain meeting
invitations and information on exhibitions prepared by the club, including the annual
Western Books Exhibition.
The majority of the Leslie Bliss files are correspondence written while Leslie Bliss
served as the librarian of the Huntington Library. The Zamorano files contain correspondence
to and from Leslie Bliss about books and exhibitions at the Huntington library that were
considered relevant to the bibliophilic club's interest. These correspondences also contain
information about Leslie Bliss's membership to the club, including letters about his
election as an honorary member of the Zamorano's board of governors in 1953.
The miscellaneous files contain items that possess uncertain attribution, are attributed
other people, or are equally related to Carey and Leslie Bliss. These files contain
correspondence from Jacob Bliss who is presumed to be a relative of Leslie and Carey Bliss.
The correspondence between Robert O. Schad and Joseph D. Cone is dated during the time
Robert O. Schad was the curator of rare books and Carey Bliss was the assistant curator. The
correspondence from Will Bradley contains autobiographical information that is related to an
exhibition of his work at the Huntington Library in the 1950s. This exhibition was prepared
by Carey Bliss. Amelia Baker's nametag dates to when she worked at Caltech's GALCIT wind
tunnel and before her marriage to Carey Bliss.
The Leslie E. Bliss and Upton Sinclair material deals primarily with the possible
acquisition of the Sinclair library and archive by the Huntington Library. The material
includes correspondence with Upton Sinclair, his wife Mary Craig Sinclair, Huntington
Library Staff, and other Librarians; it also includes essays and printed material by Upton
Sinclair. The Upton Sinclair library and archive were ultimately acquired by the Lilly
Library, Indiana University.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into three series. The first contains the papers of Carey S.
Bliss, the second the papers of Leslie E. Bliss, and the last is miscellaneous files.
General
Former call number: HIA 34.35.1-10.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Camellias.
Fine books.
Library science.
Printing -- History
Rare books.
Articles
Business cards
Invitations
Lecture notes
Letters (correspondence)
Manuscripts
Offprints
Postcards
Printed ephemera
Scrapbooks
Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955
Sterling, George, 1869-1926
Carey S. Bliss: Articles (1933-1985); Carey S. Bliss: Correspondence
(1940-1986): Allen - Carter
Box 1, Folder 1
Articles: The Allen Press
1961-1985
Box 1, Folder 2
Articles: Beauties of Aesop
[undated]
Box 1, Folder 3
Articles: Camellias
approximately
1975-1985
Box 1, Folder 4
Articles: Camellia Books
[undated]
Box 1, Folder 5
Articles: Dodoens' Great Herbal of 1583
1977
Box 1, Folder 6
Articles: English Printing in the Eighteenth Century (college
paper)
1933
Box 1, Folder 7
Articles: Richard J. Hoffman, Printer
1962
Box 1, Folder 8
Articles: Julius Firmicus Maternus and the Aldine Edition of the Scriptores
Astronomici Veteres
approximately
1938-1975
Box 1, Folder 9
Articles: Joseph Moxon
[undated]
Box 1, Folder 10
Articles: Typefounding in the United States
approximately
1941
Box 1, Folder 11
Correspondence: Lewis & Dorothy Allen
1957-1985
Box 1, Folder 12
Correspondence: H. Richard Archer
1958-1976
Box 1, Folder 13
Correspondence: Annetta Carter (Willowdale Press)
approximately
1973-1976
Carey S. Bliss: Correspondence (1940-1986): Cheney – Wong; Carey S. Bliss: Fine
Printing Files (1949-1978); Carey S. Bliss: Lizzie Borden Files; Carey S. Bliss:
Lectures (1960-1976)
Box 2, Folder 1
Correspondence: William M. Cheney
1959-1977
Box 2, Folder 2
Correspondence: Joseph D. Cone
1951-1952
Box 2, Folder 3
Correspondence: Dr. J.S. Holliday (California Historical Society)
1976
Box 2, Folder 4
Correspondence: Ward Kimball
1969
Box 2, Folder 5
Correspondence: Russ Leadabrand
1963
Box 2, Folder 6
Correspondence: Ernest A. Linder
1974
Box 2, Folder 7
Correspondence: Edward Morrill & Sons, Inc.
1981
Box 2, Folder 8
Correspondence: Re: Moxon
1956-1975
Box 2, Folder 9
Correspondence: Howard M. Nixon (Gutenberg Bible)
1971
Box 2, Folder 10
Correspondence: Richard M. Nixon
1968
Box 2, Folder 11
Correspondence: Lawrence Clark Powell
1952-1982
Box 2, Folder 12
Correspondence: Will Ransom
1940
Box 2, Folder 13
Correspondence: Mrs. H.B. Rosenthal (Gutenberg Ownership)
approximately
1971-1972
Box 2, Folder 14
Correspondence: William Edwin Rudge
1941
Box 2, Folder 15
Correspondence: Judy Harvey Sahak (Slocum Prize – Scripps
College)
1983-1986
Box 2, Folder 16
Correspondence: Shirley Sargent
1962, 1981-1982
Box 2, Folder 17
Correspondence: Guillermo Tapia
1961
Box 2, Folder 18
Correspondence: Roberta Wong (Will Bradley)
1972
Box 2, Folder 19
Fine Printing Files: The Allen Press
1958-1978
Box 2, Folder 20
Fine Printing Files: Offprints
1949-1976
Box 2, Folder 21
Lizzie Borden Files
approximately
1982
Box 2, Folder 22
Lectures: Amateur Boy Printer
approximately 1860s,
1962-1966
Carey Bliss: Lectures (1960-1976)
Box 3, Folder 1
A Bio-Bibliographical Tour
1961-1966
Box 3, Folder 2
Collecting Rare Books
1976
Box 3, Folder 3
A Few Highlights in the Book Collecting Career of Henry E.
Huntington
1969
Box 3, Folder 4
Highlights in the Huntington Library's Medical Collection
1973
Box 3, Folder 5
The Huntingtons (incomplete copy)
[undated]
Scope and Contents
Includes a copy of a photograph from 1903.
Box 3, Folder 6
Literature of Printing
[undated]
Box 3, Folder 7
The Rare Book Collection at the Huntington Library
1960-1963
Box 3, Folder 8
The Rounce & Coffin Club and The Roxburghe Club
[undated]
Box 3, Folder 9
Thomas J. Wise – his bibliophilic forgeries and thefts
[undated]
Box 3, Folder 10
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures I & II
approximately
1960
Box 3, Folder 11
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures III & IV
approximately
1960
Box 3, Folder 12
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures V & VI
approximately
1960
Box 3, Folder 13
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures VII & VIII
approximately
1960
Box 3, Folder 14
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures IX & X
approximately
1960
Box 3, Folder 15
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures XI & XII
approximately
1960
Box 3, Folder 16
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures XIII & XIV
approximately
1960
Box 3, Folder 17
History of Books and Printing (USC) - Lectures XV, XVI & XVII
approximately
1960
Carey S. Bliss: Personal Papers (1932-1986); Carey S. Bliss: Research
(1938-1950)
Box 4, Folder 1
Personal Papers: Articles about & reviews
1964-1981
Box 4, Folder 2
Personal Papers: Diary, December 7 - 31, 1941
1941
Box 4, Folder 3
Personal Papers: Pomona College
1936, 1986
Scope and Contents
Graduation and 50th reunion papers
Box 4, Folder 4
Personal Papers: Miscellaneous
1932-1984
Box 4, Folder 5
Personal Papers: Belgium, Coonference Trip
1979
Box 4, Folder 6
Personal Papers: Central & Northern California Trip
1966
Box 4, Folder 7
Personal Papers: London & Paris
1976
Box 4, Folder 8
Research: Re: Steamships
1948
Box 4, Folder 9
Research: Steamboats California
1893, approximately
1940s
Carey S. Bliss: Research (1938-1950); Carey S. Bliss: Rounce & Coffin Club
(1939-1986)
Box 5, Folder 1
Research: Steamboat fiction
1938-1950
Box 5, Folder 2
Research: general history
1940's
Box 5, Folder 3
Rounce & Coffin Club 1940s
1939-1949
Box 5, Folder 4
Rounce & Coffin Club 1950s
1950-1959
Box 5, Folder 5
Rounce & Coffin Club 1960s
1960-1969
Carey S. Bliss: Rounce & Coffin Club (1939-1986)
Box 6, Folder 1
Rounce & Coffin Club
1971-1977
Box 6, Folder 2
Rounce & Coffin Club
1981-1986
Box 6, Folder 3
Rounce & Coffin Club: Western Books
1941-1983
Box 6, Folder 4
Rounce & Coffin Club: Invitations
1948-1984
Box 6, Folder 5
Rounce & Coffin Club: Miscellaneous
1941-1966, 1982
Leslie E. Bliss Files (1911-1962); Miscellaneous (1903-1982): Newspaper
Clippings
Box 7, Folder 1
Leslie E. Bliss: Articles: Zamorano Club
approximately
1935-1952
Box 7, Folder 2
Leslie E. Bliss: Correspondence: Thomas M. Iiams (Colgate University
degree)
1959
Box 7, Folder 3
Leslie E. Bliss: Correspondence: J. Moneghan
1945
Box 7, Folder 4
Leslie E. Bliss: Correspondence: Erwin Morkisch (Re: Bendikson)
1926
Box 7, Folder 5
Leslie E. Bliss: Correspondence: Jerry Voorhis
1944-1945, 1953
Box 7, Folder 6
Leslie E. Bliss: Correspondence: Zamorano Club
1929-1962
Box 7, Folder 7
Leslie E. Bliss: Personal Papers: Diary for Nevada, Arizona, and Utah
Trip
1947
Scope and Contents
Not available due to conservation issues.
Box 7, Folder 8
Leslie E. Bliss: Personal Papers: Awards, Publications,
Memorabilia
1911-1956
Box 7, Folder 9
Leslie E. Bliss: Personal Papers: Draft of Memo to Trustees (Opening the
Library to the Public)
[undated]
Box 7, Folder 10
Miscellaneous: Newspaper Clippings
1914, 1924-1982
Box 7, Folder 11
Miscellaneous: Newspaper Clippings
1949, 1950,
1960-1977
Miscellaneous (1903-1982)
Box 8, Folder 1
Articles: Manuscripts Materials and Implements (R. B. Haselden)
[undated]
Box 8, Folder 2
Roland Baughman
1942, 1945, 1967
Box 8, Folder 3
Book Collecting Files
[undated]
Box 8, Folder 4
Catalogues
approximately
1933-1976
Box 8, Folder 5
Correspondence: Jacob Bliss
1918, 1922
Box 8, Folder 6
Correspondence: Will Bradley
approximately
1950
Box 8, Folder 7
Correspondence: Robert O. Schad / Joseph D. Cone
1950-1954
Box 8, Folder 8
Fine Printing: Ephemera
1903, 1924-1978
Box 8, Folder 9
Fine Printing: Ephemera
approximately
1930-1965
Box 8, Folder 10
Fine Printing: Illustrations
approximately
1940s
Box 8, Folder 11
Nametag of Amelia Baker
1942
Box 8, Folder 13
Henry Perkins 1825-1873 Files
[undated]
Box 8, Folder 14
Photographs
approximately 1917,
approximately 1956-1978
Box 8, Folder 15
Portraits of Henry E. Huntington
[undated]
Box 9
Photo album
[undated]
Scope and Contents
A black-and-white photograph album documenting a scenic views of California that
include Aspen Ridge, Tahoe, Bodie, Aurora, and Mark Twain's home. Album donated by Carey
Bliss.
Leslie E. Bliss and Upton Sinclair Material (1938-1957)
Box 10, Folder 1
Leslie E. Bliss: Autograph notes concerning Upton Sinclair
archive
[1956]
Box 10, Folder 2
Leslie E. Bliss: Notes on the Visit to the Home of Upton Sinclair
1956, July 24
Box 10, Folder 3
Leslie E. Bliss: The Upton Sinclair Material: autograph and typewritten
carbon copies
[1956]
Box 10, Folder 4
Leslie E. Bliss Correspondence: James T. Babb
1957, Jan.-Mar.
Box 10, Folder 5
Leslie E. Bliss Correspondence: William J. Burtscher
1945, July
Box 10, Folder 6
Leslie E. Bliss Correspondence: John E. Pomfret
1956, Aug. 2
Box 10, Folder 7
Leslie E. Bliss Correspondence: David A. Randall
1957, Feb.-Mar.
Box 10, Folder 8
Leslie E. Bliss Correspondence: Herbert Clarence Schulz
1956, July 26
Box 10, Folder 9
Leslie E. Bliss Correspondence: Mary Craig Sinclair
1956-1957
Box 10, Folder 10
Leslie E. Bliss Correspondence: Upton Sinclair
1949-1956
Box 10, Folder 11
Upton Sinclair: The Einstein I Knew: essay
[1955]
Box 10, Folder 12
Upton Sinclair: Statement Concerning Books and Papers of Upton
Sinclair
1954, May 7
Box 10, Folder 13
Upton Sinclair Correspondence: Otto L. Bettman
1955, Dec. 29
Box 10, Folder 14
Upton Sinclair Printed Material: Books of Upton Sinclair:
pamphlet
1938, Aug.
Box 10, Folder 15
Upton Sinclair Printed Material: Clipping and Two Letters Concerning the
Novelette, What Didymus Did
1954-1956
Box 10, Folder 16
Upton Sinclair Printed Material: Enemy in the Mouth: A Statement by Upton
Sinclair
[1955]
Box 10, Folder 17
Upton Sinclair Printed Material: The Return of Lanny Budd: statement and
pamphlets
[approximately
1955]
