Notes from the Reading Room: Research from our Community
by David Rhys Owen, Director of Collections & Research Services
Researchers share their work on our collections in lots of different ways.
The Rosenbach Museum & Library is a community that engages with and celebrates the art of the written word. Our researchers are an important part of that community, and we make our collections of rare books, manuscripts, and fine and decorative arts available for study by anyone, from traditional scholars to artists, writers, and others with inquiring minds. Collections & Research Services staff host on-site reader visits in the Reading Room and welcome both off-site queries and image requests.
Researchers work on a variety of projects, including books, journal articles or book chapters, doctoral dissertations, lectures and conference presentations, and Rosenbach programs, as well as visual and performing arts and websites. Some projects come to fruition relatively quickly, others can take decades, and there is often a delay in receiving notice of publication. In the last year, we are aware of at least 36 books, articles, chapters, conference papers, websites, video productions, and/or lectures based on onsite and offsite research in the collections, published or presented in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada and Ireland.
For example, in July 2022, Professor Michèle V. Cloonan visited the Rosenbach’s reading room, whilst conducting preliminary research for a biography on Alice P. Millard. Millard was an important Los Angeles antiquarian bookseller in the early 20th century, whose clients included William Andrews Clark and Estelle Doheny. She also introduced many American collectors and librarians to William Morris and the Kelmscott Press. Our founder, Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach, moved in similar circles to Millard, and supplied, advised, and sometimes represented many of the same collectors; Doheny actually left Millard to do business with Dr. Rosenbach.
Earlier this year, Professor Cloonan published Becoming Alice Millard: Bookseller and Tastemaker. The biography corrects the record and addresses many persistent inaccuracies about Millard’s life and career. As Professor Cloonan notes: “Alice's business records did not survive, so it was only by consulting the correspondence of those with whom she did business that I could gain a full picture of her professional practices.” The Rosenbach holds the archives of the Rosenbach Company, which Dr. Rosenbach ran with his brother, Philip, from 1903 to 1953. The Rosenbach Company Archives (RCo) include stock files, purchase and sales records, correspondence, and financial records. These materials are a helpful resource for tracing the formation and dispersal of many important collections, and for the study of the American antiquarian book trade in the 20th century.
While on-site, Professor Cloonan studied correspondence between Alice Millard and Dr. Rosenbach, as well as between Alice’s husband, George M. Millard, and staff at the Rosenbach Company. The biography clarifies the surprising ways that Millard and Dr. Rosenbach worked together, despite their distinctive personalities; the two booksellers remained cordial despite the competitive nature of their work, and they even collaborated on a 1936 exhibition of books and works of art by William Blake. Professor Cloonan concludes: “It was a privilege to begin my research at the Rosenbach, which has rich archival records — and such helpful staff.”
Book a research appointment to make your own discoveries and enjoy a personalized experience with the Rosenbach’s collection. Collections & Research Services staff are also pleased to share a new bibliography of publications based on research at the Rosenbach, via the free and open-source reference management software, Zotero. Visit the bibliography to explore other exciting ways our community engages with our collections.