This collection contains items collected by Edwin H. Carpenter about hand printing presses located primarily in California intended to be used to create a list or census of hand presses. Correspondence, photographs, and press information originate from many of those of the California press and printing community.

Edwin H. Carpenter was born in Iowa, August 21, 1915. He enlisted in the Army in Los Angeles on July 11, 1941, eventually becoming a warrant officer. He later became a Western American bibliographer at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. He was interested in hand printing presses, especially in California and the western United States. This collection contains information collected about hand presses, primarily in California. The information appears to have been intended to create a census of hand presses in the West. It is unclear whether an official list was published, but handwritten and typed drafts are included in the collection. The work of inquiring about presses and their owners was undertaken by Edwin Carpenter and Roger Levenson. Carpenter did publish a book entitled "Printers and Publishers in Southern California 1850-1876" (La Siesta Press: 1964). He died in Los Angeles on January 12, 1995.

2 boxes (1.4 linear feet)

Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts or printed items must be submitted in writing to the Clark Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA 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.

Collection is open for research.