Preliminary Guide to the Roxburghe Club Collection

Preliminary arrangement and description by D. Tambo
Department of Special Collections
Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone: (805) 893-3062
Fax: (805) 893-5749
Email: special@library.ucsb.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/speccoll.html
© 2003
Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Guide to the Roxburghe Club Collection, ca. 1928-1980

Collection number: Printers Mss 17

Department of Special Collections, Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara

Contact Information:

  • Department of Special Collections
  • Davidson Library
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Santa Barbara, CA 93106
  • Phone: (805) 893-3062
  • Fax: (805) 893-5749
  • Email: special@library.ucsb.edu
  • URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/speccoll.html
    Processed by:
    D. Tambo
    Date Completed:
    18 December 2003
    Encoded by:
    David C. Gartrell
© 2003 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Roxburghe Club Collection
Date (inclusive): ca. 1928-1980
Collection Number: Printers Mss 17
Creator: Roxburge Club of San Francisco
Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 document box and 1 map folder)
Repository: University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Dept. of Special Collections
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Abstract: Printed announcements, invitations, keepsakes, membership lists, notices, and other printed items, ca. 1928-1980, produced by various members of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco, including Lewis and Dorothy Allen, Arion Press (Andrew Hoyem), Grabhorn Press (Edwin and Robert Grabhorn), Grabhorn-Hoyem, Grace Hoper Press (Sherwood Grover), Lawton and Alfred Kennedy, John Henry Nash, Tamalpais Press (Roger Levenson), and Adrian Wilson Press.
Physical Location: Box 1 (Del Sur) and map folder (Map Cabinet 20/16)
Language: English

Access Restrictions

None.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Preferred Citation

Roxburghe Club Collection. Printers Mss 17. Department of Special Collections, Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Acquisition Information

Undetermined.

History

The Roxburghe Club was formed in San Francisco on April 3, 1928 and was named in honor of the original Roxburghe Club of England, a renowned bibliophilic society (itself named after the Duke of Roxburghe). Both the San Francisco and English clubs continue to be active.
Much of the impetus for creating the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco was provided by Carl I. Wheat, historian, lawyer, and book collector. The purpose of the club was to further the love of fine printing and books in general. Loosely organized and led by The Master of the Press (club president), members included and continue to include book collectors and booksellers, fine book printers and binders.
Over the years, hundreds of announcements, keepsakes, and other letterpress items have been printed by members, as typographic souvenirs and gifts for the enjoyment of the membership. Meetings of the club have included many distinguished speakers such as Ansel Adams, Mortimer Adler, Frederic and Bertha Goudy, Alfred A. Knopf, Christopher Morley, and Lewis Mumford.
Further information about the Roxburghe Club, its members, speakers, and print items may be found in works such as:
  • Olmsted, Duncan H. 40 Years: A Chronology of Announcements & Keepsakes. The Roxburghe Club of San Francisco 1928-1967 (1968).
  • Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. Celebrating 75 Years of Bibliographic Fellowship (2003).
  • Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. Chronology of Twenty-five Years, The Roxburge Club of San Francisco (1953).
  • Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. The Founding of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco (1948?).
  • Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. The Roxburghe Club of San Francisco. The First Three Years (1931).

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection contains printed announcements, invitations, keepsakes, membership lists, notices, and other printed items, ca. 1928-1980, produced by various members of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco, including Lewis and Dorothy Allen, Arion Press (Andrew Hoyem), Grabhorn Press (Edwin and Robert Grabhorn), Grabhorn-Hoyem, Grace Hoper Press (Sherwood Grover), Lawton and Alfred Kennedy, John Henry Nash, Tamalpais Press (Roger Levenson), and Adrian Wilson Press.
Many additional printed items by and about the Roxburghe Club have been cataloged separately and can be searched on Pegasus, the UCSB Libraries online catalog.
Related Roxburghe material also may be found in the Robert Ormes Dougan Collection (Printers Mss 39).
There is currently no container list for 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.
Roxburghe Club of San Francisco
Book collecting -- California -- San Francisco -- Societies, etc.
Private presses -- California.