Guide to the John Martin Letters to William Young , 1968-1980


Brown University Library, Special Collections
Box A, John Hay Library
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2148
E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2010

Collection Overview

Title: John Martin Letters to William Young
Date range: 1968-1980
Creator: Martin, John
Extent: 0.9 linear feet
Abstract: These letters between John Martin, owner of Black Sparrow Press, and William Young, owner of San Souci Press in Winchester, Massachusetts, date from 4 May 1968 to 18 March 1980 and detail two decades of business and personal relations between the book collectors and publishers.
Language of materials: English
Repository: Brown University Library, Special Collections
Collection number: Ms. 89.19

Scope & content

The letters between John Martin, owner of Black Sparrow Press, and William Young, owner of San Souci Press in Winchester, Massachusetts, date from 4 May 1968 to 18 March 1980 and detail two decades of business and personal relations between book collectors and publishers. The collection also includes two dated catalogs from Black Sparrow Press and one from San Souci Press. These correspondence and catalog listings are an important resource to researchers on modern first edition press books, Charles Bukowski books, and the provenance of several writers’ books.

Access Points

Subject Names Subject Names Subject Topics Subject Topics Document Types

Arrangement

  • The letters are arranged chronologically in one box.

Biographical note

John Martin was born in San Francisco in 1930 and grew up in Los Angeles. At an early age, he began collecting the books of William Faulkner, D. H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound, and Henry Miller. Later on in his life, Martin focused on the works of avant-garde poets. Using the money from his sale of first and signed editions to the University of California, Santa Barbara, Martin founded the Black Sparrow Press in 1966.

As sole owner of Black Sparrow Press from 1966 to 2002, Martin sought the work of avant-garde writers. He is noted for his role in launching the literary career of Charles Bukowski (1920-1994). Among the other writers he published are: John Fante, George and Mary Oppen, Robert Creeley, Charles Olson, Larry Eigner, Michael Palmer, Clayton Eshleman, Charles Reznikoff, Rochelle Owens, Ed Dorn, Jack Spicer, Cid Corman, Jane and Paul Bowles, William Everson, and Diane Wakoski.

Martin retired in 2002 when he sold the Black Sparrow Press to David R. Godine.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials: Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation: John Martin Letters to William Young, Ms. 89.19, Brown University Library.
Contact information: Brown University Library, Special Collections
Box A, John Hay Library
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2148
E-mail: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: The John Martin Letters to William Young were purchased from Samuel J. Hough, proprietor of The Owl at the Bridge, in 1989.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Brown University Staff.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Mark Chepkwony 2010 March 24
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material: John K. Martin papers, UC-Santa BarbaraJohn Martin papers, UCLABlack Sparrow Press Archive, University of AlbertaBlack Sparrow Press Photograph Collection, Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico.

Inventory

Box 1, Folder 1 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1968 May 04
Box 1, Folder 1 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1968 May 18
Box 1, Folder 1 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1968 Aug 03
Box 1, Folder 1 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1968 Aug 05
Box 1, Folder 1 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1968 Sep 14
Box 1, Folder 1 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1968 Nov 20
Box 1, Folder 2 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Jan 22
Box 1, Folder 2 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Feb 10
Box 1, Folder 2 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Feb 19
Box 1, Folder 2 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Mar 03
Box 1, Folder 2 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Mar 13
Box 1, Folder 2 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Mar 20
Box 1, Folder 3 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Apr 19
Box 1, Folder 3 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Jul 09
Box 1, Folder 3 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Jul 24
Box 1, Folder 3 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Sep 15
Box 1, Folder 3 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Nov 08
Box 1, Folder 3 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1969 Nov 13
Box 1, Folder 4 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1970 Jan 06
Box 1, Folder 4 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1970 Jan 20
Box 1, Folder 4 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1970 Jan 27
Box 1, Folder 4 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1970 Mar 12
Box 1, Folder 4 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1970 Apr 16
Box 1, Folder 5 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1970 Sep 01
Box 1, Folder 5 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1970 Nov 09
Box 1, Folder 5 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Feb 24
Box 1, Folder 5 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Apr 06
Box 1, Folder 5 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Apr 07
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Apr 14
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Apr 17
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 May 03
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 May 10
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 May 20
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 May 31
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Jun 16
Box 1, Folder 6 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Aug 21
Box 1, Folder 7 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Aug 13
Box 1, Folder 7 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Sep 30
Box 1, Folder 7 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Oct 02
Box 1, Folder 7 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Oct 07
Box 1, Folder 7 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Oct 08
Box 1, Folder 7 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Oct 15
Box 1, Folder 8 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Nov 16
Box 1, Folder 8 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1971 Nov 30
Box 1, Folder 8 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1972 Mar 18
Box 1, Folder 8 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1972 Mar 22
Box 1, Folder 8 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1972-Mar 29
Box 1, Folder 8 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1972 Apr 03
Box 1, Folder 9 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1972 Jul 11
Box 1, Folder 9 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1972 Nov 14
Box 1, Folder 9 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1973 Jan 11
Box 1, Folder 9 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1973 Feb 01
Box 1, Folder 9 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1978 Mar 09
Box 1, Folder 10 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1978 May 01
Box 1, Folder 10 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1978 May 16
Box 1, Folder 10 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1978 Oct 17
Box 1, Folder 10 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1978 Nov 28
Box 1, Folder 11 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1979 Feb 08
Box 1, Folder 11 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
 1980 Mar 18
Box 1, Folder 12 Letters and notes from Martin, John to William Young
Contents Note: 2 undated notes from Martin to Young.
Box 1, Folder 13 Letters and notes from William Young to Martin, John
1971 Aug 23
Box 1, Folder 13 Letters and notes from William Young to Martin, John
Contents Note: n.y., September 15
Box 1, Folder 14 Letters and notes from William Young to Martin, John
Contents Note: TN description from Black Sparrow Press.
Box 1, Folder 14 Letters and notes from William Young to Martin, John
Contents Note: 2 typewritten lists from Black Sparrow Press.
Box 1, Folder 15 Letters and notes from William Young to Martin, John
Contents Note: 1971 inventory from Sans Souci Press (William Young & Co. describing material from Black Sparrow Press.
Box 1, Folder 16 Letters and notes from William Young to Martin, John
Contents Note: Catalogue #610, William Young and Company: The Black Sparrow Press; A comprehensive offering of the books of this press from William Young and Company.