Conditions Governing Reproduction and use
Conditions Governing Access
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography/History
Scope and Content
Related Material
Title: Dawson's Book Shop records
Collection number: 117
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
21.5 linear feet
(43 boxes and 7 oversize boxes)
Date: 1910-1950
Abstract: Ernest Dawson founded Dawson's Book Shop in Los Angeles, California, in 1905 at 713 South Broadway. Dawson specialized in
rare books and went on buying expeditions in Europe and at book auctions in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. The store
also published small editions of books related to western America and the history of books. The collection consists of the
personal correspondence of the Ernest and Thomas Dawson families, and the business correspondence, catalogs, invoices, and
ledgers of Ernest, Glen, and Muir Dawson and Dawson's Book Shop.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance through our electronic
paging system using the request button located on this page.
Creator:
Dawson's Book Shop.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and use
Property rights to the physical object belong to the 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.
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in
advance through our electronic paging system using the request button located on this page.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
- Gift of Dawson's Book Shop, 1948.
- Gift of Glen Dawson, 1951.
- Gift of Glen & Muir Dawson, 1955.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Dawson's Book Shop Records (Collection 117). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
964631
Biography/History
Ernest Dawson founded Dawson's Book Shop in Los Angeles, California, in 1905 at 713 South Broadway; Dawson began the store
with a purchase of 2,250 books from the Salvation Army at 1 cent apiece, and immediately resold one of them, a book on Indian
basketry, for $ 2.50; issued first rare book catalog in 1907, and with its success, Dawson began to specialize in rare books;
the shop moved to 518 South Hill St. in 1908; Dawson made his first business trip to London in 1911, beginning a long series
of buying expeditions made by members of his staff; soon he was attending book auctions in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York
and conducting worldwide searches for collectors; the business moved to 627 South Grand Ave. in 1922, and to 550 South Figueroa
St. in 1952; while always dealing primarily in rare and second hand books, the business has published small editions of books
related to western America and the history of books; after Dawson's death in 1947, his sons Glen and Muir continued the book
shop.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of the personal correspondence of the Ernest and Thomas Dawson families, and the business correspondence,
catalogs, invoices, and ledgers of Ernest, Glen, and Muir Dawson and Dawson's Book Shop. Includes photographs of the Book
Shop and Dawson family. Also includes material related to particular areas of interest of the Dawsons: the Sierra Club, politics
and government, the Voluntary Co-operative Association (VCA) Los Angeles, and state and national parks.
Related Material
California Booksellers Catalogues (Collection 933). Available at UCLA Library Special Collections.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Dawson's Book Shop--Archives..
Dawson, Ernest, 1881-1947
Dawson, Glen, 1912-
Dawson, Muir
Dawson, Thomas, 1848-1937(?)
Booksellers and bookselling--California--Los Angeles--Archives.