Description
Jacob Israel Zeitlin (1902-1987) was a bookseller, poet and book reviewer in Ft. Worth, Texas before moving to Los Angeles
(1925). He was employed by the Holmes Book Company and the book departments of the May Company and Bullock's before opening
his first shop (1927) which he relocated in 1929 and 1948. He sold rare books, prints, and paintings, lectured widely on subjects
related to rare books and the history of science, and represented many collectors of the history of science. Zeitlin was also
instrumental in bringing many collections to UCLA, including the Grunewald Graphic Arts Collection, and he personally donated
several manuscript collections to the Department of Special Collections. The collection consists of correspondence, financial
records, ephemera and catalogs related to Zeitlin's various bookshops and publishing enterprises, as well as personal correspondence
with literary figures and other friends.
Background
Jacob Israel Zeitlin was born on November 4, 1902, in Racine, Wisconsin; worked as a bookseller, poet and book reviewer in
Ft. Worth, Texas; moved to Los Angeles in 1925; began career in bookselling when employed by Holmes Book Company and the book
departments of the May Company and Bullock's; published his first book of poems and began as an independent bookseller in
1927; opened his first shop, designed by Lloyd Wright, in 1927; Wright designed a more elaborate shop in 1929 that became
a meeting place for the city's intellectuals; Zeitlin and friends published
Opinion, a influential but short-lived magazine; he ran Primavera Press from 1929-33 in collaboration with Lawrence Clark Powell,
Carey McWilliams, Phil Townsend Hanna, and Ward Ritchie; Zeitlin was one of the founders of the Rounce & Coffin Club in 1931;
in collaboration with his wife, Josephine Ver Brugge, moved his shop into a large red barn on La Cienega Blvd. in 1948, selling
rare books, prints, and paintings; lectured widely on subjects related to rare books and the history of science, and represented
many collectors of the history of science; was instrumental in bringing many collections to UCLA, including the Grunewald
Graphic Arts Collection, and he personally donated several manuscript collections to the Department of Special Collections;
received Doctor of Letters from Occidental College in 1981; died in August 1987.
Extent
389.0 linear ft.
(778 boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are
retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.