McDevitt (William) Papers, 1892-1959

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Summary

Title:
Wm. (William) McDevitt Papers,
Dates:
1892-1959
Creators:
McDevitt, Wm. (William)
Abstract:
Contains personal and business correspondence (ca. 1892-1959); manuscripts of writings; business records; clippings; some printed pamphlets, many authored by McDevitt; printed ephemera (theatrical, World War II, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Socialist Party); other material relating to his wide ranging interests. Principal or significant correspondents include: Joseph Henry Jackson, Charmain London, H. L. Mencken, William Meredith, Tom Mooney, Veronica Sexton, Upton Sinclair, John B. (Father) Tabb, and Virginia Wilhelmson. Also includes various ephemera principally of local interest to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Extent:
Number of containers: 4 boxes, 1 carton, 1 oversize folder Linear feet: 2.65
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Wm. (William) McDevitt Papers, BANC MSS 89/86 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The William McDevitt Papers contain business and personal correspondence, manuscripts of writings, business records, and clippings, along with some printed pamphlets, many of which were authored by McDevitt, and other material relating to McDevitt's wide ranging interests. These included his simplified spelling and shorthand systems, the antiquarian book business, socialism and the Socialist Party in San Francisco, and contemporary literary figures, in particular Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Father Tabb, and George Sterling.

The collection also contains various ephemera, principally of local interest to the Bay Area, and other miscellaneous material collected by McDevitt.

Principal correspondents in the collection include Joseph Henry Jackson, Charmian London, H. L. Mencken, William J. Meredith,Tom (Thomas J.) Mooney, Veronica Sexton, Upton Sinclair, John B. (Father) Tabb, and Virginia Wilhelmson.

Biographical / historical:

Socialist, bookseller, author. Principal areas of interest included: McDevitt's simplified spelling and shorthand systems; the antiquarian book trade; socialism and the Socialist Party in San Francisco; contemporary literary figures including Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Father Tabb, and George Sterling. For additional biographical information see: Roos, Robert de, "An interview with William McDevitt, LL.M." (The Book Club of California Quarterly Newsletter, Vol. XIX, No. 4, Fall 1954.)

Acquisition information:
The Wm. (William) McDevitt Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by the California Academy of Sciences, to which they were bequeathed by Versonica J. Sexton, on August 3, 1989. Additions were made in 2005.
Physical location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Stephen Sturgeon; additions by Alison E. Bridger
Date Prepared:
© 2007
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid derived from WordPerfect 5; finding aid encoded by Xiuzhi Zhou. 0. Date of source: 1990.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94270-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.

Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Wm. (William) McDevitt Papers, BANC MSS 89/86 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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