I've been blogging for the Book Arts & Special Collections Center for a while now, but it has occurred to me, very belatedly, that my posts have favored the specific gem over the general view. Many readers might not know about the wildly diverse collections here at the San Francisco Public Library. In order to repair this bias in my blogging responsibilities, here is an overall description of what can be found in Book Arts & Special Collections.
During the 1930s, the San Francisco printer Robert Grabhorn started his collection on printing in order to study the masters' solutions to various problems in design, typography and bookmaking. By the time his library was transferred to the San Francisco Public Library in 1965, it had grown to include almost every typeface, printer and publisher of note from the past 500 years. The collection is particularly strong in early type specimens and the work of sixteenth century French and Italian masters. Books and ephemera of more than 400 private presses of the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries represent the range of modern letterpress printers. The collections supports the study of bookbinding, printing and papermaking, with a large reference collection of books, pamphlets and periodicals. An active acquisitions program has increased the collection to over 10,000 volumes and more than 100 journal titles. The Jane Hart Collection on Book Design and the Max J. Kuhl Collection are included here.
Richard Harrison Collection of Calligraphy and Lettering
The Harrison Collection was organized in 1963 by City Librarian William Holman and calligrapher and book designer Theo Jung.With their encouragement, San Franciscan Richard Harrison donated his private collection of contemporary calligraphy to the Library; he continued his support until his death in 1990. The collection contains nearly 1,000 examples of modern calligraphy, including manuscripts, broadsides, handwritten books, fine prints, drawings and sketches. More than 100 individual scribes and lettering artists are represented. Perspective on the development of bookhands is provided by a selection of medieval through seventeenth century leaves and books. A reference collection of over 600 works supports the practice and study of calligraphy.
San Francisco attorney Nat Schmulowitz founded this extraordinary collection in 1947 by presenting ninety-three jest books to the Library. The collection now holds over 22,000 volumes, 257 periodocal titles, and non-print materials in thirty-six languages and dialects, spanning more than 400 years. SCOWAH is one of the largest collections of wit, humor and folklore in the world. Nat Schmulowitz and his sister, Kay Schmulowitz, supported the collection over the years and provided generous bequests for its continued development.
Little Maga/Zine Collection
Assembled by the Library in the 1960s with about forty little magazines, the Little Maga/Zine Collection also includes zines as well as a small reference and ephemera collection. The collection has grown to more than 4,000 items, and represents the intellectual activity of the
people of San Francisco, from the twentieth century onward. An important tool
for understanding the literary, social, political, and cultural experience of
San Francisco, the Little Maga/Zine Collection tells the story of life in the
cool grey City by the Bay.George M. Fox Collection of Early Children's Printed Books
This charming collection of more than 2,000 early British and American children's books was given to the Library in 1978 by George M. Fox, of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. The collection is especially notable for the brilliant condition of its mostly nineteenth century books. It is particularly strong in early color illustrations: hand colored, stenciled, block printed and lithographed.
Robert Frost Collection
Inscribed first editions, ephemera and manuscript materials highlight this collection of works by and about the poet, Robert Frost, who was born in San Francisco in 1874. The principal donor of this material, G. William Gahagan, representing the California Friends of Robert Frost, continued support toward its growth.
Panama Canal Collection
The noted collector Norman H. Strouse built this collection of books, manuscripts, newspapers and pamphlets, which he presented as a gift to the Library. Of special interest are the manuscripts materials, most of which date from the nineteenth century, and included many presidential letters, authorizations and confidential reports.
Sherlock Holmes Collection
Anthony Boucher's Sherlockiana Collection came to the Library through a donation by the Scowrers and the Molly Maguires, a local Sherlockian group. First editions, foreign translations, criticism, periodical and biographical material relating to Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes are included among these 250 volumes.
James D. Phelan California Authors Collection
Founded through a bequest from San Francisco Mayor James D. Phelan in 1934, this collection numbers over 1,500 volumes. Books, manuscripts, typescripts, portraits and photographs of such writers as George Sterling, Ina Coolbrith, Ambrose Bierce, Gertrude Atherton, Frank Norris and Edwin Markham are included, as well as first editions of the novels of Jack London. The George L. Gary Collection of Bret Harte and the Eric Hoffer Collection are located here. The collection also includes late twentieth century writers.
In subsequent posts, we'll take you on a more intimate tour of the collections, organized alphabetically for subject serendipity: we'll begin by examining a part of Special Collections associated with the letter "A". Eventually we hope to work our way through the entire alphabet of delights in the Book Arts & Special Collections Center.
Book Arts & Special Collections is open seven days a week, available to everyone without appointment. Come explore these wild and wonderful collections; let's share the mysteries!
Comments
Post a Comment