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Finding Aid to the Book Club of California records, 1913-2001
BANC MSS 90/41 c  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • 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.