Hudson (Marylin) Collection on Round Table West, 1941-2010

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Summary

Title:
Marylin Hudson Collection on Round Table West
Dates:
1941-2010
Abstract:
The Marylin Hudson Collection on Round Table West is a collection of the history and life of both Marylin Hudson and the non-profit literary organization, Round Table West.The collection includes Marylin Hudson's personal papers, including her writings, as well as documentation surrounding the existence and events of Round Table West.
Extent:
4.26 Linear Feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], Round Table West Records, Collection no. 0155, Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Pepperdine University.

Background

Scope and content:

This is a collection of the history and life of both Marylin Hudson and the non-profit literary organization, Round Table West. The Personal Papers series contains the personal papers of Round Table West's co-founder, Marylin Hudson, and includes personal correspondence and copies of her many writings. Most of these materials are comprised of magazine pages, paper photocopies, and a number of both handwritten and typed letters.

The Round Table West series contains documentation surrounding the administration of Round Table West from 1977-2007. Most of the files consist of paper documents, including book donation receipts, letters of thanks, financial information and budgets, newspaper articles, pamphlets, newsletters, and correspondence.

The Photographs series primarily contains photographs of participants of Round Table West luncheons and monthly author presentations.

The collection also includes both audio and video recordings of ROund TAble West events.

Users who consult the materials in this collection should be able to gain some insights into the rich history of Marylin Hudson, her involvement with the Round Table West organization, and the reading and literary culture of the greater Los Angeles area in the latter part of the twentieth century.

Biographical / historical:

Born Marylin Pawlak in 1933, Marylin Hudson grew up between South America and Southern California's San Fernando Valley. She attended UCLA and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1954, moving on to act as Director of Hunt Foods' kitchen in Fullerton, CA. A voracious reader, Hudson spent many years writing book reviews for the Orange County, CA based Orange Coast magazine, often reading at least one book per day.

Known as a "very warm and funny person," Hudson played a crucial and lasting role in the literary world during the second half of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty-first century. Remembered for her humorous and satirical take on astrology, Hudson was deemed 'irreplaceable,' and heralded as especially supportive of local authors and reading. Penning her first book in 2003, You Were Born Under a Funny Sign, and second in 2008, Hudson's acclaim in the book world continued to grow.

Possibly Hudson's most influential contribution was her co-founding of Round Table West, the largest continuous book and author gathering in the nation. Run by Hudson and her co-founder, Margaret Burk, Round Table West modeled itself after the famed Algonquin Round Table, and embodied all things literary, including book readings, signings, author talks, and a mission to spread reading and literacy skills. Speakers at these monthly luncheons included literati from throughout the times, including Ray Bradbury, Walter Cronkite, Bob Hope, Michael Crichton, and Maya Angelou, amongst many other celebrated names.

Throughout its thirty-year tenure, this non-profit organized countless donations of books to prisons, halfway houses, underfunded libraries, and local institutions through their Books for the Bookless program, helping to provide reading materials for those that would not otherwise have access. This endeavor included donations by such noted authors and publishers as Sidney Sheldon, Richard Paul Evans, Larry Gelbart, Donald Spoto, and others.

Round Table West discontinued its monthly luncheons in 2007, its closing attributed to a decline in the reading of books. Marylin Hudson passed away in August 2010, leaving behind an estimated fifteen thousand books in her home.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated by Gary Hudson and received by Pepperdine University on October 26, 2012. The donation included textual and photographic material, as well as forty boxes of books and VHS tapes.
Processing information:

This collection was arranged and described by Kylie Casino, Special Collections and University Archives Intern, under the supervision of Kelsey Knox in Spring 2017. The audio and video cassettes were added and described by Special Collections student workers in Summer 2019.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into five series: 1: Personal Papers, 2: Round Table West Records, and 3: Photographs, 4: Video Cassette Recordings, and 5: Audio Cassette Recordings.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Kylie Casino
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-11-14 20:55:36 +0000 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder# or item name], Round Table West Records, Collection no. 0155, Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries, Pepperdine University.

Location of this collection:
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263-4786, US
Contact:
(310) 506-4323
specialcollections@pepperdine.edu
Website