Publishing and Self-Publishing - collection of material about the processes, including Samizdat, 1925-1974
Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Collection of Material about the Processes of Publishing and Self-Publishing, Including Samizdat
- Dates:
- 1925-1974
- Abstract:
- Collection consists of examples of Famous Writers School publications, typescript galley proofs, and Russian samizdat.
- Extent:
- 4 boxes (2 linear ft.)
- Language:
- Finding aid is written in English. and Materials are in English and Russian.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Collection of Material about the Processes of Publishing and Self-Publishing, Including Samizdat (Collection 1398). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection consists primarily of instructional publications and materials from the Famous Writers School correspondence program. Also included in the collection are examples of typescript manuscripts and galley proofs illustrating different stages in the publication process. There is also a small number of samizdat, a type of Russian book, commonly a reproduction of a banned or censored publication, often handmade with inexpensive materials and circulated privately without government authorization.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Founded by publisher Bennett Cerf with Gordon Carroll and Albert Dorne in 1961, the Famous Writers School is a correspondence-based instructional program designed to provide amateur writers with the techniques and skills needed to develop a successful career as professional writer. The school prospered for close to a decade as its enrollment steadily rose, causing a notable increase in tuition revenues during the late 1960s. However, both the quality and the effectiveness of the original school were scrutinized by Jessica Mitford in a 1970 exposé piece published in the Atlantic Monthly that portrayed the school's business practices as scandalous. Subsequent to the publication of the Mitford article, the school's previously rising stock rapidly plummeted until it filed for bankruptcy in 1972.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Jesse Erickson in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Megan Hahn Fraser, September 2011.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged according to the content and format of the materials.
- Physical location:
- Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 2012
- Date Encoded:
- Machine-readable finding aid derived from finding aid processed using Microsoft Word, encoding added via Notetab Pro, and Oxygen. Date of source: Septembe 2011 . Supplementary encoding and revision by Caroline Cubé.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. 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.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Collection of Material about the Processes of Publishing and Self-Publishing, Including Samizdat (Collection 1398). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988