Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Book Club of California
- Abstract:
- The records of the Book Club of California dating from 1913 to 2001. The collection includes production files for Club publications, financial records, Club newsletters, and a small number of administrative files.
- Extent:
- 27 cartons, 9 oversize boxes, 1 box (37.65 linear feet)
- Language:
- Collection materials are in English
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection consists of production files for Book Club of California publications, financial records, newsletters, and a small number of administrative files. The production files, which make up the bulk of the collection, consist of editorial correspondence, correspondence with the Club's Secretary, as well as manuscripts and galley proofs for the Club's series of annual book publications (1914-1994, 2001) and annual Keepsake series publications (1933-1995). Production files for the Keepsake series, which are often mailed in monthly installments to members of the Club, also include editions of the final publication. Financial records include, most notably, member ledgers from 1913 to 1943 as well as other account books dating from 1913 to 1987, many of which also contain membership information. The collection includes copies of the Club's quarterly newsletter from 1933 to 1998. These newsletters may include lists of newly elected members, obituaries of club members, reviews of annual activities, historical reviews of the Club's activities, and notes on publications. In addition, the collection contains materials relating to other publications connected to the Club or its members, including a number of correspondence files and manuscript drafts relating to the publication of Club member Louise Farrow Barr's Presses of Northern California and Their Books, 1900-1933 by the University of California Press in 1934. The adminstrative files are small in number and relate primarily to Club business from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Book Club of California, founded in San Francisco in 1912, is a non-profit organization of book lovers and collectors who have a special interest in Pacific Coast history, literature, and fine printing. Its chief aims are to further the interests of book collectors and scholars and to promote an understanding and appreciation of fine books. The club publishes fine press books on California and the West and hosts book-related events and exhibitions.
From its inception, the Book Club of California has welcomed both men and women. Phoebe Hearst was a charter member. The Club's first officers included Edward Robeson Taylor (President), W.R.K. Young (Vice-President), Albert M. Bender (Treasurer), and Will Sparks (Secretary). The first book published by the club in 1914 was Robert E. Cowan's Bibliography of the History of California and the Pacific West. Over the years, the club's membership has included some of the most distinquished men and women in California arts and letters, including Ansel Adams, Faith Baldwin, Merle Armitage, Oscar Lewis, Lawrence Clark Powell, Witter Bynner, Alfred A. Knopf, Franklin D. Murphy, Carl I. Wheat, Francis P. Farquhar, A. Edward Newton, Ward Ritchie, Norton Simon, John Henry Nash, and Kevin Starr.
- Acquisition information:
- The Book Club of California records were given to the Bancroft Library by the Book Club of California in 1989. Additions have been made periodically since the original gift.
- 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.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft LibraryBerkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
- Contact:
- 510-642-6481