Finding Aid of the James R. Cox Papers
Processed by Cynthia Shelton and Cecelia Wittman
© 2004
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid of the James R. Cox Papers
UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections
Manuscripts Division
Los Angeles, CA
- Processed by:
- Cynthia Shelton and Cecelia Wittman, March 1985
- Encoded by:
- ByteManagers using OAC finding aid conversion service specifications
- Encoding supervision and revision by:
- Caroline Cubé
- Edited by:
- Josh Fiala, July 2004
© 2004 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: James R. Cox Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1972-1980
Collection number: 1375
Creator:
Cox, James R.
Extent:
3 boxes (1.5 linear ft.)
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: James R. Cox (1926- ) began working at the UCLA library in 1954, serving in gifts and exchange, as head of the Geology Library,
and head of circulation (1960-77). He became the Acting Associate University Librarian for Public Services (1977-79), Assistant
to the University Librarian, UCLA (1979-83); became University Librarian, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, in 1983.
The collection consists of correspondence (1972-80), typescripts (1973-79), and other materials related to a bibliography
edited by Cox titled,
Classics in the literature of mountaineering and mountain travel from the Francis P. Farquhar collection of mountaineering
literature
.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Dept. of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], James R. Cox Papers (Collection 1375). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
964552
Biography
Cox was born January 5, 1926 in Fresno, California; BA, political science, Stanford, 1949; associate for Bill P. Wreden, antiquarian
book dealer, San Francisco; MLS, UC Berkeley, 1954; began working at the UCLA library in 1954, serving in gifts and exchange,
as head of the Geology Library, and head of circulation (1960-77); compiled and donated Albright library bibliography; Acting
Associate University Librarian for Public Services, UCLA, 1977-79; Assistant to the University Librarian, UCLA, 1979-83; became
University Librarian, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, in 1983.
| 1926 |
Born on January 5, in Fresno, California |
| 1943 |
Graduated from Palo Alto High School, California |
| 1945-1947 |
Served in the U.S. Army as a personnel technician |
| 1949 |
B.A., Political Science, Stanford University |
| 1947-1954 |
Associate for Bill P. Wreden, Antiquarian Book Dealer, San Francisco, California |
| 1954 |
M.L.S., University of California, Berkeley |
| 1954-1977 |
Joined UCLA library staff and served respectively in gifts and exchange and as head of the Geology Library |
| 1960-1977 |
Head of UCLA Circulation Department |
| 1963 |
Played key role in automating the UCLA library's circulation system |
| 1972 |
Fulbright-Hayes Senior Scholar, Canberra College of Education, Australia |
| 1977-1979 |
Acting Associate University Librarian for Public Services |
| 1979-1983 |
Assistant to the University Librarian |
| 1981 |
Received Award of Merit for one of the best books printed in the western United States from the Rounce and Coffin Club |
| 1983- |
University Librarian, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia |
The above account was compiled from the following sources:
“James Cox Enters Australian Librarianship.”
UCLA Librarian 36 (November 1983): 74.
Bailes, Kieth. Univeristy Research Library, UCLA. Interview 1 March 1985.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of correspondence (1972-80), typescripts (1973-79), and other materials related to a bibliography edited
by Cox titled,
Classics in the literature of mountaineering and mountain travel from the Francis P. Farquhar collection of mountaineering
literature
. Also includes drafts, galleys, page proofs, copies of a photograph and an etching that appeared in the bibliography, correspondence
dealing with copyright and permission to publish, designs for the cover, and printing estimates and bills prepared by Grant
Dahlstrom and the Castle Press. Correspondents include photographer Ansel Adams, lawyer Nicholas B. Clinch, book designer
Grant Dahlstrom, book dealer Muir Dawson, Francis P. Farquhar, and former UCLA University Librarians Lawrence Clark Powell
and Robert Vosper.
Expanded Scope and Content Note
The James Ross Cox Papers consist of materials relating to the compilation and production of a bibliography, edited by Cox,
Classics in the Literature of Mountaineering and Mountain Travel from the Francis P. Farquhar Collection of Mountaineering
Literature
. Published by the University of California Library in 1980, this is a selective and annotated bibliography of 100 books from
the 2,000volume Farquhar Collection, which was given to the Department of Special Collections in 1969. The papers concering
this bibliography were donated by Cox through the UCLA Library Administrative Office in 1984.
The James Ross Cox papers are composed primarily of successive typescripts of the bibliography and of correspondence relating
to its production and publication. Thirteen items, each in a seperate folder, comprise the successive drafts, galleys, and
page proofs of the bibliography from the original manuscript in 1973 through the 1980 page proofs. The most numerous items
in the collection are letters between Cox and his collaborators ( 1973-1980), Francis and Marjory Farquhar (1974-1980), and
persons receiving or purchasing copies of the published bibliography in 1980 (Box 3). One folder consists of printing estimates,
bills, and purchase orders (1975-1980) of Castle Press, whose owner, Grant Dahlstrom, the distinguished Pasadena typographer
and printer, designed and printed the bibliography (folder 28). A small number of letters pertains to permissions to reprint
poems, photographs, and illustrations in the bibliography, including a set of correspondence with Ansel Adams (folder 16).
The collection also contains an item of particular importance to the documentation of the Farquhar Collection: a complete
and annotated check list of the titles and dates of the mounainteering periodicals in the Farquhar collection, 1980 (folder
15).
The order of the records preserves all substantive relationships that were in the original arrangement. It reflects the development
over time of the bibliography, from plans to compile a bibliography through publication of the volume. Folders 2 through 25,
therefore, are in chronological order, beginning with the transcript of Clinch's taperecorded comments on books in the Farquhar
collection (1973) through Cox's distribution lists for announcements and copies of the bibliography (1980).
Correspondence has been arranged both by function and by correspondent. Separate folders have been created for the correspondence
of Cox with persons who were major contributors to the project: Nicholas B. Clinch, mountaineer,lawyer, and collaborator (folder
27); Grant Dahlstrom, designer and printer of the book (folder 27); Muir Dawson, antiquarian book dealer and collaborator
(folder 29); and Mr. and Mrs. Farquhar (folder 30). A separate folder exists for the correspondence of Robert Vosper, Professor
Emeritus of Library and Information Science and former University Librarian at UCLA who wrote the foreword to the bibliography
(folder 31). Lawrence Clark Powell and Francis P. Farquhar are among Vesper's correspondents. Cox's' letters with other persons
are in a separate folder (folder 26), arranged alphabetically by correspondent. In all folders, multiple letters concerning
one correspondent are arranged in reverse chronological order.
Users of the James Ross Cox Collection should find it useful to consult the published bibliography
Classics in the Literature of Mountaineering and Mountain Travel from the Francis P. Farquhar Collection of Mountaineering
Literature
(University of California Library, 1980) and the shelflist of the Francis P. Farquhar Collection of Mountaineering Literature
at the Department of Special Collections, UCLA.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
- Obituaries of Francis P. Farquhar, 1974 (Box 1).
- Drafts, galleys and page proofs of Cox's bibliography, 1974-80 (Boxes 1-2).
- Matters concerning publication of bibliography (Boxes 2-3).
- Correspondence (Box 3).
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the repository's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Cox, James R.--Archives.
Farquhar, Francis Peloubet, 1887- --Library--Bibliography.
Mountaineering--Bibliography--Archival resources.
Introduction
The materials constituting the James Ross Cox Papers, 1972-1980, were compiled when Cox was employed by the University of
California Library. They were donated by Cox to the Department of Special Collections through the Library Administrative Office
in 1984.
The papers (31 folders in 3 boxes) comprise correspondence (1972-1980), typescripts (1973-1979), and other materials relating
to the compilation and publication of a bibliography edited by Cox:
Classics in the Literature of Mountaineering and Mountain Travel from the Francis P. Farquhar Collection of Mountaineering
Literature
(Los Angeles: University of California Library, 1980). This is a selective, annotated bibliography of the 2000-volume Francis
P. Farquhar Mountaineering Collection, which Farquhar donated to the Department of Special Collections beginning in 1969,
and for which there is no complete bibliography.
The Cox Papers are open for use without restrictions.
The collection contains correspondence showing plans for compiling the bibliography (1972), letters written and received during
the course of the project, records of persons and organizations receiving copies of the bibliography, and correspondence acknowledging
receipt of the book. The bulk of the collection comprises seven successive drafts of the bibliography (1973-1979). These include
the manuscript transcription of the tape-recorded comments of Nicholas B. Clinch, which were the bases of the annotations
in the bibliography. Successive typescript drafts, some with accompanying correspondence, show additions and alterations to
these comments by various persons over the course of eight years. The last typescript draft (1979) has editorial marks made
by Castle Press before the bibliography was typeset. Also included are corrected galleys (1979), with accompanying correspondence,
and page proofs (1980). The latter are marked “duplicate set”; the original set is not part of the Cox Papers.
The collection contains other material associated with publication of the bibliography: permissions to reprint pictures and
poems, copies of a photograph and an etching that appeared in the bibliography, correspondence dealing with copyright, three
designs for the cover, and printing estimates and bills prepared by Grant Dahlstrom and Castle Press (This bibliography was
one of the last books produced by Grant Dahlstrom of Castle Press, Pasadena, before his death in 1980.).
The collection is useful not only for its documentation of the Farquhar bibliography, but also for the record it provides
of the correspondence among persons who were friends united by their commitment to the Sierra Club, the conservation movement,
and the art of the book. Photographer Ansel Adams, lawyer Nicholas B. Clinch, book designer Grant Dahlstrom, book dealer Muir
Dawson, and former University Librarians Lawrence Clark Powell and Robert Vosper, as well as Francis P. Farquhar, are among
those whose letters appear in this collection.
Of particular interest are the papers providing an apparently complete list of the titles and dates of all the mountaineering
periodicals in the Farquhar collection (f. 15). Suggested citation: Los Angeles, California. University of California. Department
of Special Collec tions. James Ross Cox Papers, file 31, Correspondence, Robert Vosper, 1972-1980 Subsequent citation: UCLA,
Cox Papers, file 31.
Suggested citation: Los Angeles, California. University of California. Department of Special Collec tions. James Ross Cox
Papers, file 31, Correspondence, Robert Vosper, 1972-1980.
Subsequent citation: UCLA, Cox Papers, file 31.
This collection was processed and the register prepared by Cynthia Shelton and Cecelia Wittmann, Graduate School of Library
and Information Science.
Index
The following is an index to the names of persons and organizations whose correspondence is part of the collection, or who
were associated with production of the bibliography as either author or printers, and to photographs, publications, newspaper
articles, and other materials in the collection..
The first number indicates the box containing the material. The number following the colon refers to the file within the box.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence are indicated by the designations “Incoming” and “Outgoing.”
Adams, Ansel (incoming)
Box 2, folder 10; Box 3, folder 17
Adams, Ansel (outgoing)
Box 3, folders 16-17
Adams, Virginia (Mrs. Ansel)
Adams, Virginia (Mrs. Ansel) (incoming)
Box 3, folder 17
Adams, Virginia (Mrs. Ansel) (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 16
Ahlm, Betty (Mrs. Yngve) (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
American Alpine Club (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
American Alpine Club (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Angel's Books (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Baxter, Alfred (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Baxter, Alfred (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Belcher, C. Francis (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Bishop, James (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Book Addict, The (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Carmain, Karen (incoming)
Box 3, folder 23
Carter, H. Adams (incoming)
Box 3, folder 27
Castle Press
Box 2, folders 11-13; Box 3, folders 20-21
Castle Press (incoming)
Box 2, folder 9
Castle Press (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 28
Clark, James H. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Clinch, Nicholas B.
Box 1, folders 1-2
Clinch, Nicholas B. (incoming)
Box 3, folders 17, 26, 27, 31
Clinch, Nicholas B. (outgoing)
Box 3, folders 17, 26-27
Cox, James R. (incoming)
Box 2, folders 10, 15; Box 3, folders 17, 26-29
Cox, James R. (outgoing)
Box 2, folders 9-10, 12, 15; Box 3, folders 17, 23-24, 26-31
Crenshaw, Jesse M. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Dahlstrom, Grant
Box 2, folders 11-13; Box 3, folders 19-21, 28
Dahlstrom, Grant (incoming)
Box 2, folder 9; Box 3, folder 28
Dahlstrom, Grant (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 28
Dahlstrom, Mrs. Grant (incoming)
Box 3, folder 28
Davis, James (outgoing)
Box 2, folder 10
Dawson, Glen (incoming)
Box 3, folder 29
Dawson, Muir (incoming)
Box 3, folders 26, 29, 31
Dawson, Muir (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 29
Dawson's Book Shop (incoming)
Box 3, folder 29
Delavega, Frank (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Direccion Provincial de Cultura, Mendoza [Argentina] (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Ellmore, Mrs. J.R. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Fabian, Jerry (incoming)
Box 3, folder 23
Farquhar, Francis P.
Box 1, folders 1-2
Farquhar, Francis P. (incoming)
Box 3, folders 16, 30-31
Farquhar, Francis P. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 31
Farquhar, Marjory (Mrs. Francis P.)
Farquhar, Marjory (Mrs. Francis P.) (incoming)
Box 2, folder 15; Box 3, folders 26, 30-31
Farquhar, Marjory (Mrs. Francis P.) (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 30
Farquhar, Peter (incoming)
Box 3, folders 16, 26
Farquhar, Roger P. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Fuller, Carl (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Fuller, Carl (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Grolier Educational Corporation (incoming)
Box 3, folder 31
Guinle, Jose Oscar (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Hamilton, Douglas L. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 16
Hammond, George (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Hare, James R. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Hare, James R. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Hawley, Robert L. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Hawley, Robert L. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Heimbucher, Clifford V. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Heimbucher, Clifford V. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Hutchins, Steve (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Hutchins, Steve (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Illustrated London News, The (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Johnson, Bruce (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Johnson, Bruce (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
K2
Box 3, folder 19
Kilness, Helen (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Kilness, Helen (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Kruska, Dennis (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Landry, Werner R. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Landry, Werner R. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Leonard, Richard M. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Leonard, Richard M. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Maggs Brothers, Limited (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Marshall, Elva (incoming)
Box 2, folder 12
Marshall, Elva (outging)
Box 3, folder 28
Marshall, George (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 27
Matterhorn
Box 3, folder 18
McKenzie, Jean L. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Mendenhall, Ruth (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Moore, Everett T. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 30
Murphy, Franklin D. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Museum of Science, Boston (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Museum of Science, Boston (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
National Geographic Magazine (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Off Belay (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Pollock, John (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Powell, Lawrence Clark (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Powell, Lawrence Clark (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26, 31
Randall, Mike (outgoing)
Box 2, folder 15
Razquin, Bernardo (incoming)
Box 3, folder 17
Sherrick, Michael (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Sierra Club Bulletin (June 1972)
Box 1, folder 1
Sierra Club Foundation, The (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Smith, Thomas R. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Smutek, Ray (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Snyder, Theodore A., Jr. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Southern Sierran (January 1975)
Box 1, folder 1
Stengle, Thomas R. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Stengle, Thomas R. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Strickland, Anita (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Swan, Lawrence (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Turnage, Andrea (incoming)
Box 2, folder 10; Box 3, folder 17
Turnage, Andrea (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 17
Vosper, Robert (incoming)
Box 3, folder 31
Vosper, Robert (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 31
Waite, Peter A. (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Waller, Theodore (incoming)
Box 3, folder 31
Washburn, Bradford (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Washburn, Bradford (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Wheat, Francis M. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Whiting, Brooke (incoming)
Box 3, folders 24, 31
Wyndham, Richard (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Zeitlin, Jacob I. (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Zimmerman, T.C. Price (incoming)
Box 3, folder 26
Zimmerman, T.C. Price (outgoing)
Box 3, folder 26
Box 1, Folder 1
Obituaries of Francis P. Farquhar (1887-1974), 1974.
Drafts, Galleys, and Page Proofs of Cox's Bibliography, 1974-1980
Box 1, Folder 2
Transcription of Nicholas B. Clinch taped comments on the Farquhar Collection of Mountaineering Literature and on individual
items in that collection, 1973.
Box 1, Folder 3
Original typescript, 1973.
Box 1, Folder 5
Typescript draft with editorial corrections, 1974.
Physical Description: (Photocopy)
Box 2, Folder 10
Typescript draft with correspondence, 1979.
Physical Description: (Photocopy)
Box 2, Folder 11
Typescript draft with marks by Castle Press. Pasadena, 1979.
Physical Description: (Photocopy)
Box 2, Folder 12
Corrected galleys with correspondence, 1979.
Box 2, Folder 14
Page proofs, 1980.
Scope and Content Note
(Noted as “duplicate set”)
Matters Concerning Publication of Bibliography, 1975-1980
Box 2, Folder 15
Information and Notes by Cox on periodicals in Farquhar Collection on Mountaineering Literature, 1980.
Box 3, Folder 16
Listing and appraisal of value of Ansel Adams photographs in the Farquhar Collection (one of which appears in bibliography),
1980.
Box 3, Folder 17
Permissions to reprint poems and pictures, 1980.
Box 3, Folder 18
Matterhorn (etching that appears in bibliography).
Physical Description: (Photocopy)
Box 3, Folder 19
K2 (photograph that appears in bibliography).
Box 3, Folder 20
Designs for cover of bibliography, [1980].
Box 3, Folder 21
Printing estimates, bills and purchase orders, 1975-1980.
Box 3, Folder 22
Announcements of publication, 1980.
Box 3, Folder 23
Correspondence on copyright, 1980.
Box 3, Folder 24
Designs for bookplate, 1980.
Box 3, Folder 25
Distribution lists for announcement and bibliography, 1980.
Correspondence, 1973-1983
Box 3, Folder 26
Acknowledging receipt of bibliography, 1980.
Box 3, Folder 27
Nicholas B. Clinch and Cox, 1973-1983.
Box 3, Folder 28
Grant Dahlstrom, Castle Press. Pasadena, 1980.
Box 3, Folder 29
Muir Dawson and Cox, 1974-1980.
Box 3, Folder 30
Farquhars and Cox, 1974-1980.
Box 3, Folder 31
Robert Vosper with James Cox, Francis Farquhar, and Lawrence Clark Powell, 1972-1980.
