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Leary and Company (Leary's Bookstore) archives, 1840s-1969

Extent:
21.0 boxes and and 91 volumes
Abstract:
William A. Leary, was a small-time book seller in 1836 when he journeyed to Philadelphia to establish a sidewalk book stall on North Second Street. As business prospered, Leary moved to several different locations, finally settling at 138 North Second Street which was right next door to the Camel Tavern, a landmark in Philadelphia. Leary’s Book Store specialized in selling inexpensive, second—hand books. Because of its large inventory and cheap prices, Leary’s developed a national reputation. In addition to selling and buying books, Leary expanded his base of operations by venturing into the publishing business in the 1850s. William A. Leary, Jr. took over the book store in 1865. Stuart and Charles Mann purchased the store from the Leary Estate in 1876. Under the Stuart’s management, Leary’s became one of the largest old book dealers in the world. As more people moved to and shopped in the suburbs, Leary’s customer base declined. Leary’s went out of business on November 20, 1968....(see more)

Held at: Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

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Gotham Book Mart records, 1723-2006 (inclusive) 1967-2006 (bulk)

Extent:
79 linear feet (95 boxes)
Abstract:
The Gotham Book Mart (1920-2006) was one of New York City's most iconic bookstores during the 20th century. Founded by Frances Steloff (1887-1989), the daughter of poor Russian-Jewish immigrants, the Book Mart became a social center for the New York literati and a focal point for literary modernism in the United States. Steloff's successor, independent literary manuscript dealer Andreas Brown (1933-), maintained the store's focus on avant garde and small press publications while incorporating his own interests in postcards and genealogy. This collection contains 91 boxes of material relating to the daily operation of the Book Mart; correspondence, biographical, and legal material from both Brown and Steloff; postcard and genealogical material collected by Brown; photographs of the store, its employees, and events which took place there; and manuscripts and ephemera offered for sale.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Siegfried Weisberger papers, 1708-1955 (inclusive) 1923-1955 (bulk)

Extent:
4 linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection includes material collected by Siegfried Weisbeger (1896-1984), proprietor of the Peabody Book Shop in Baltimore Maryland and confidante of H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), a noted writer, editor, and social provocateur, famous for his disdain for common morals and received wisdom. The collection contains correspondence between the two men and other correspondents of the Peabody Book Shop, manuscripts and published writings by and about Mencken (many of them signed), and autobiographical writings and poems written by Weisberger.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Stuart Teacher collection of significant items in the history of Running Press, 1972-2017, undated (inclusive)

Extent:
7 linear feet (10 containers)
Abstract:
This 46-item collection (1972-2017, undated) consists of documents and artifacts identified by Stuart Teacher as significant to the history of Running Press. Founded by brothers Stuart and Lawrence Teacher in Philadelphia in 1972, Running Press grew to be one of the most successful independent publishers in the nation by the mid-1980s. This collection represents, in the words of Stuart Teacher, "two parallel themes" in the company's history: a creativity-centric publishing philosophy and a strong, collaborative employee culture.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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W.R. Harrison private journal, 1841-1886 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:
W.R. Harrison was a publisher's representative for A. S. Barnes & Co. and Mather, Case, Tiffany, & Burnham, who sold maps and textbooks to public and private schools and booksellers. This collection consists of a journal kept from October 14, 1841, to February 20, 1844, by W. R. Harrison as well as several items originally laid into the volume, including bills and receipts, a letter, and the lyrics to a few songs.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Edwin S. Stuart papers, 1884-1937 (inclusive)

Extent:
40.0 boxes
Abstract:
Edwin Sydney Stuart (1853-1937) was a Philadelphia businessman and politician during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition to owning and operating a successful bookstore, Stuart also served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1891 to 1995 and governor of Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1911. The Edwin S. Stuart papers, as received by Temple University, reflect a portion of the files from the Stuart/Emmons family and material stored at Leary & Co. prior to the closing of the firm in 1969. The records date from 1884 to 1937, and reflect both the archives of the Leary firm and the political and social activities of Governor Stuart. His papers document a variety of personal activities and social functions as well as his work with Girard College and the Union League. While the papers do document some of his political functions in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, this collection does not contain his formal political office files.

Held at: Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]

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Michael Billmeyer family papers, 1719-circa 1940

Extent:
1.4 linear feet
Abstract:
Michael Billmeyer (1752-1837) was a well-known printer and bookseller in the Germantown section of Philadelphia who catered especially to Pennsylvania German and Mennonite communities. The Michael Billmeyer family papers, 1719-circa 1940, are comprised primarily of materials relating to Michael Billmeyer (1752-1837) and his publishing company, with a small amount of materials relating to other family members and the family home.

Held at: Germantown Historical Society [Contact Us]

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University Libraries Records, 1890-2004 (inclusive)

Extent:
36 cubic feet
Abstract:
The University Library dates to 1749 with a gift of books from Richard Jackson, a London lawyer and politician. Within a few years, Benjamin Franklin and William Smith donated additional volumes. The records, 1890-1979, for the University of Pennsylvania Library deal primarily with the operation of the Library from the Furness building but also includes information on the fundraising for and construction of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center [Contact Us]

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Law Association of Philadelphia Library records, 1879-1897 (inclusive) 1881-1882 (bulk)

Extent:
0.2 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:
The Law Association of Philadelphia was chartered in 1827, formed by the union of the Law Library Company and the Associated Members of the Bar of Philadelphia, and charged with keeping a law library. Over the years, the Law Association of Philadelphia Library became the Law Library of the Philadelphia Bar Association (1931) and the Theodore F. Jenkins Memorial Law Library (1967). This collection contains receipts, ephemera, and manuscripts from 1879 to 1897, presenting a near-daily record of the Law Association's highly regarded library during 1881 and 1882 and documenting the Association's efforts to maintain an up-to-date library.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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A. & W. MacKinlay, Limited collection, 1880-1924 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.3 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:
This collection (1880-1924) contains documents that relate to the business dealings of A. & W. MacKinlay, Limited, a bookselling company founded by Andrew and William MacKinlay in 1827, and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.The bulk of the collection consists of invoices charged by A. & W. MacKinlay to H & A. Locke or to D. Y. Stewart and Son, two regional businesses. A few pieces of business correspondence are also included, along with a pair of ledger books which were printed and sold by A. & W. MacKinlay, but which contain the handwritten financial accounts of two unidentified businesses.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Jay A. Gertzman research collection on censorship, 1882-1999 (inclusive) 1920-1950 (bulk)

Extent:
4 linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract:
Jay A. Gertzman is professor emeritus of English at Mansfield University. This collection includes research material collected and used by Jay Gertzman to produce his book Bookleggers and Smuthounds: The Trade in Erotica, 1920-1940;. Documents collected here pertain to the proliferation and censorship of erotic material in the era between the two World Wars.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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William McDevitt papers, 1905-1947 (inclusive)

Extent:
0.2 linear_foot (1 box)
Abstract:
William McDevitt was an author, bookseller, and Socialist political agitator who operated bookstores on Sutter and Fillmore streets in San Francisco for more than forty years in the first half of the twentieth century. This collection includes correspondence from Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) and others concerning bookselling, promotional material for books and lectures, and copies of pamphlets written by McDevitt.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Sotheby's auction catalogs, 1931-2021 (inclusive)

Extent:
40.5 linear feet (48 boxes)
Abstract:
Founded in 1744 Sotheby's is one of the world's largest auction house. For more than two hundred years it has played a central role in the sale of rare books and manuscripts. This finding aid serves as a guide to the more than 1,000 Sotheby's catalogs held in Print Coll. 42 as well as Sotheby's catalogs post-1930 which are not present in Print Coll. 42 but are held elsewhere in the Penn Libraries.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Book and Manuscript Dealer catalogs, 1905-2022 (inclusive)

Extent:
53 linear feet (105 boxes)
Abstract:
For more than a century the Penn Libraries have been purchasing books and manuscripts at public auction in the United States and abroad. This finding aid serves as a guide to more than 1,600 book and manuscript dealer catalogs from 112 different firms. The collection includes substantial runs of catalogs from dealers of importance in the history of the book trade who are no longer in operation, such the Rosenbach Company, H.P. Kraus, and E.P. Goldschmidt. In addition, it contains catalogs from dozens of other book dealers around the world who are still currently active.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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