Sowers (Roy Vernon), Roger Burford-Mason Collection on, 1940-1996

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Summary

Title:
Roger Burford-Mason Collection on Roy Vernon Sowers
Dates:
1940-1996
Abstract:
This collection is the research material collected by Roger Burford-Mason for his book, Roy Vernon Sowers : a life in rare books (1997).
Extent:
0.21 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Roger Burford-Mason Collection on Roy Vernon Sowers, MS.1997.006, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection is the research material collected by Roger Burford-Mason for his book Roy Vernon Sowers : a life in rare books (Toronto : Subway Books, 1997). It contains biographical material and requests for information about Sowers by Burford-Mason. The correspondence includes letters and interviews of individuals who knew Sowers, including his daughter and son.

The collection is arranged in thematic order.

Biographical / historical:

Roy Vernon Sowers was born in Brantford, Ontario on August 7th, 1897. He spent most of his youth in the nearby town of London, Ontario, where he had a variety of odd jobs. Sowers attended the University of Toronto and graduated in 1921 before attending St. John's College at Oxford. Limited finances caused him to leave Oxford and travel to Germany before returning to Ontario.

He later moved to Pasadena, California and worked for Alice Millard, an antiquarian book dealer who lived in one of the area's Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Sowers eventually moved on to work at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. He later moved to San Francisco after marrying, but divorced his first wife and built a home in the mountains near Santa Cruz, California. Sowers was familiar with the owners of the Grabhorn Press and set up one of the first exhibitions about their press. He operated a rare book and fine print business out of his personal library until the late 1960s; he died in 1970.

Acquisition information:
Purchase, 1997.
Physical location:
Clark Library
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Jamie Henricks.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-09-10 12:17:05 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The Clark Library owns the property rights to its collections but does not hold the copyright to these materials and therefore cannot grant or deny permission to use them. Researchers are responsible for determining the copyright status of any materials they may wish to use, investigating the owner of the copyright, and obtaining permission for their intended publication or other use. In all cases, you must cite the Clark Library as the source with the following credit line: The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Roger Burford-Mason Collection on Roy Vernon Sowers, MS.1997.006, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018, US
Contact:
(424) 442-6172
clark@humnet.ucla.edu
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