Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Organizational History
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Book Club of California records
Date (inclusive): 1913-2001
Collection Number: BANC MSS 90/41 c
Creator:
Book Club of California
Extent:
27 cartons, 9 oversize boxes, 1 box
(37.65 linear feet)
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
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.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
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.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor
restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public
domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively
with the user.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Book Club of California records, BANC MSS 90/41 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Book Club of California--Archives
Book clubs (Discussion groups)--California
Book clubs (Discussion groups)--United States.
Printing--California--History
Private presses--California
Publishers and publishing--California
Galley proofs (Printing)
Manuscripts for publication
Newsletters
Administrative Information
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.
Accruals
Future additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Lara Michels in 2012.
Organizational History
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
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.