Finding Aid for the Richard J. Hoffman Collection 1932-1989
Processed by Jamie Henricks.
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
University of California, Los Angeles
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Phone: (323) 731-8529
Fax: (323) 731-8617
Email: rfenning@humnet.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/clarklib/
©2009
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Richard J. Hoffman Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1932-1989
Collection number: Press coll. Archives Hoffman
Creator: Hoffman, Richard
J. 1912-1989
Extent:
5 boxes (1.7 linear feet)
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
Abstract: This collection contains material created and
printed by Richard J. Hoffman for various individuals, institutions, and
clubs. Items are mostly printed ephemera including Christmas cards,
invitations, announcements, memorials, and certificates for various
events.
Physical location: Clark Library
Language of materials: Collection materials in English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark Memorial
Library, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts or printed items must be submitted in writing to the Clark
Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the William
Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA as the owner of the physical items
and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder, which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Richard J. Hoffman Collection, Press coll. Archives Hoffman, William
Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Acquisition Information
Part of this collection originated in accession MS.1988.001. These
items were purchased by the Clark in 1988.
Processing History
This collection was processed and described by Jamie Henricks in
July, 2009. The finding aid adheres to Describing Archives: a Content
Standard (DACS).
Biography
Richard J. Hoffman was born in Los Angeles on July 25, 1912. He
graduated from Garfield High School in 1928, and from Los Angeles Junior
College in 1932. Hoffman received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English
from Los Angeles State College in 1947, and went on to receive a Master
of Science in advanced education from USC.
Hoffman worked as a printer from high school on. He taught starting
in 1943 at Los Angeles City College and had his own printing office for
many years in which he wrote, designed, and printed many of his own
books. He married Ruth Janet Lofthouse on March 24, 1934 and went on to
have three children and seven grandchildren. After teaching for many
years, he retired from his job as a professor at California State
University, Los Angeles. He died in Los Angeles on September 26, 1989.
He was a member of various associations and clubs, including the
Columbian 415 Chappel (as a founding father), the Comma Club, Los
Angeles (as a founding member), the International Typographical Union,
Phi Delta Kappa, the Rounce & Coffin Club Los Angeles, the
Typophiles of New York, and the Zamorano Club of Los Angeles.
He received many awards including the John Paul II Medal in a papal
visit, state assembly recognitions, the International Graphic Arts
Education Association President's medal (1958), Phi Delta Kappan of the
year (1977), a scholarship for perpetuating printing technology
education, and many others.
Scope and Content
This collection contains material created and printed by Richard J.
Hoffman, a printer in Southern California who printed many items for
various individuals, institutions, and clubs (including Los Angeles
Junior College, California State University at Los Angeles, the Rounce
and Coffin Club, and the Roxburghe and Zamorano Clubs). Items consist
largely of printed ephemera including Christmas cards, invitations,
announcements, memorials, and certificates for various events.
Boxes 2 and 3 below originated in Clark accession MS.1988.001.
Arrangement
The collection was arranged previously by another individual. The
order was preserved except in the case of box 5, where booklets were put
into chronological order.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Printers--California--20th
century
Private
presses--California--20th century
Small
presses--California--20th century
Genres and Forms
Ephemera--California--20th century
Container List
Box 1, Folder 1
Christmas Greetings
1937-1938
Scope and Content Note
Includes two copies of a large printing of "Jest 'fore Christmas" by
Eugene Field, and one small copy of "Christmas Carol" by Phillips Brooks
as Christmas greetings from the Hoffman family.
Box 1, Folder 2
Christmas Cards and Birth Announcement
1940-1949
Scope and Content Note
Includes various Christmas cards from the Hoffman family as well as a
birth announcement for Hilary Janet Hoffman.
Box 1, Folder 3
Christmas Cards and Letters
1950-1959
Scope and Content Note
Includes Christmas cards and a few letters about the family sent with
the cards.
Box 1, Folder 4
Christmas Cards
1961-1967
Box 1, Folder 5
Christmas Cards
1971-1976,
1979
Box 1, Folder 6
Christmas Cards
1980-1984,
1987-1988
Box 1, Folder 7
Cora I. Upp (piano teacher) recital announcements and
programs
1946-1969
Box 1, Folder 8
Rounce & Coffin and Zamorano Club Ephemera
1944,
1946,
1965,
1971-1988
Box 1, Folder 9
Letterhead Stationery
Scope and Content Note
Includes letterhead for various individuals and companies, including
Mary Hoffman.
Box 2, Folder 1-2
Undated Ephemera
Scope and Content Note
Includes pieces of printed material of all sizes, including but not
limited to announcements, invitations, programs, advertisements,
certificates, and postcards.
Box 2, Folder 3
Printed Ephemera
1933-1939
Box 2, Folder 5-8
Printed Ephemera
1950-1979
Box 3, Folder 1-2
Printed Ephemera
1980-1989
Box 3, Folder 3
Los Angeles Junior College newspapers
1932-1937
Scope and Content Note
Includes numbers 1 and 3 (1932 and 1934) of the Los Angeles Junior
College Campus Spectator, two copies of supplement 5 to volume 6, number
35, and an "EXTRA!" edition of the Campus Spectator announcing the birth
of Judith Anne Hoffman.
Note
The "EXTRA!" item is located in the "H" drawer, which can be
found in the oversized item map drawers.
Box 3, Folder 4
"Metal Flowers" by D.B. Updike
1959
Box 3, Folder 5
"The Ideal Book or Book Beautiful" by Thomas James
Cobden-Sanderson
1963
Note
Note in the back reads: "The Ideal Book or Book Beautiful was
printed as a project by some members of the Senior Graphic Arts Class at
Los Angeles State College. Professor Richard J. Hoffman suggested the
text and also contributed most generously of his time and knowledge.
Participating members of the class were: Terry Cowgill, Robert. L. Kish,
Richard B. Odemar, Donald Roland, Fred L. Williams. This edition was
limited to one hundred numbered copies, of which this is number
80."
Box 4, Folder 1
"Richard J. Hoffman 1912-1989"
1989
Scope and Content Note
Includes short pieces of personal biographical information,
education, employment, memberships, offices held, awards, professional
activities, church affiliations, and speaking engagements. Also includes
books about, major articles about, books written and designed by, and
books printed and designed by Richard J. Hoffman.
Box 4, Folder 2
Southern California Printing Teachers Yearbook, volume
1
1933
Scope and Content Note
Includes collected examples of items printed by schools in Southern
California as well as small articles about teaching printing, and costs
of providing materials.
Box 4, Folder 3
Two items printed by the Los Angeles State College graphic
arts students.
1960
Box 4, Folder 4
Letters about the creation of the Richard J. Hoffman
Scholarship for the Perpetuation of Printing Education Technology at
California State University, Los Angeles
Box 4, Folder 5
Pamphlets about fine presses by Tyrus G. Harmsen
Scope and Content Note
Includes Grant Dahlstrom (Castle Press), The Plantin Press, and the
Ward Ritchie Press.
Box 4, Folder 6
"Small Renaissance: Southern California Style" by Jacob
Zeitlin
1972
Note
First read as a lecture at the Huntington Library in 1955,
first printed in the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America,
v. 50, 1st quarter, 1956, and reprinted in 1972 by Richard Hoffman for
the author.
Box 4, Folder 7
"Pain: Historical Perspectives" by Edwin M. Todd
1984
Box 4, Folder 8
"Remembering Ed Castagna" by Lawrence Clark Powell
1984
Note
This item is a keepsake from a joint meeting of the Zamorano
and Roxburghe clubs.
Box 4, Folder 9
"A Tale of Two Books" by Ward Ritchie
1986
Note
This item is a keepsake from a joint meeting of the Zamorano
and Roxburghe clubs.
Box 4, Folder 10
"Next to Mother's Milk..." by Lawrence Clark Powell
1987
Note
A reprint of an Engelhard Lecture on the Book at the Library of
Congress, April 8, 1986.
Box 4, Folder 11
Printed Ephemera
1948-1983
Scope and Content Note
Includes booklets from an exhibit on Hugo Steiner-Prag, a program
from the inauguration of California State College at Los Angeles
President Franklyn Arthur Johnson, a print of a talk at the Zamorano
Club "Billington on Nevins", a 1981 Hoffman family Christmas letter, a
memorial print for Andrew Horn, and a few other items.
Box 4, Folder 12
Printed Ephemera
Scope and Content Note
Undated printed ephemera, including stationery, invitations, greeting
cards, and other items.
Box 4, Folder 13-17
Printed Ephemera
1940-1989
Scope and Content Note
Includes a memorial for Gregg Anderson (1949), a program for the
naming of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library at California State
College at Los Angeles (1964), an invitation to the golden wedding
anniversary party for the Hoffmans (1984), invitations to events,
announcements of retirements, memorials, and birthdays, and other
printed ephemera.
Box 4, Folder 18
Items related to an exhibition at the William Andrews Clark
Memorial Library about Richard J. Hoffman
1978
Scope and Content Note
Items related to a retrospective exhibition at the William Andrews
Clark Memorial Library to showcase his more than fifty years of
printing. Includes an invitation to the reception for the exhibit, a
keepsake quotation print, and photocopies of the guest book from the
reception.
Box 4, Folder 19
Announcement for Richard J. Hoffman's memorial
service
1989
Box 5, Folder 1
Printed Ephemera
1976,
1978
Scope and Content Note
Includes a printed keepsake from the Zamorano Club ("The Beginnings
of Journalism in Southern California" by Carey S. Bliss) and a program
from the dinner honoring Richard J. Hoffman on his retirement.
Box 5, Folder 2
"Printer's Life is Happily Typecast" by Susan Surges
1981
Note
A newspaper article printed twice (September 6 and 10, 1981)
from the Los Angeles Times. The articles are located in the "H" drawer,
which can be found in the oversized item map drawers.
Box 5, Folder 3
Miscellaneous Ephemera
1980
Scope and Content Note
Includes an oversized Zamorano Club keepsake and a University of
Southern California sample certificate for the Albert S. Raubenheimer
Distinguished Faculty Award.
Note
These items are located in the "H" drawer, which can be found
in the oversized item map drawers.
Box 5, Folder 4
Printed booklets
1935-1984
Scope and Content Note
Includes a variety of small booklets printed by Richard J. Hoffman
for individuals, clubs, and classes at Los Angeles Junior College. There
are 26 different items; some have duplicate copies.
Map Drawer "H"
Oversized printed ephemera.
Scope and Content Note
- Ashurst, Henry Fountain. "A Speech in the United States Senate." 1955. 3 copies.
- "Call for Books 39th Western Books Exhibition 1980".
- [A Christmas message from the Hoffmans.]
- Churchyard, Thomas. "A description and playne discourse of paper..."
- Cleland, T.M. "A First Letter - T.M. Cleland to Will Bradley." 2 copies.
- Davis, Robert H. "I am the Printing Press..." Broadside. 1978.
- Donne, John. "All Mankinde is of One Author..."
- [A facsimile reproduction of the Declaration of Independence.] 1976. 2 copies.
- "Fourteenth Western Books Exhibition -- 1955 Award of Merit" certificate.
- Hart, James D. "A Page from McTeague by Frank Norris..." 2 copies.
- Hoffman, Richard. "Rags Make Paper..." 1971.
- [Hugo Steiner-Prag Memorial Exhibition Brochure.] 1948. 2 copies.
- "I believe in the United States of America without reservation." 1988.
- "The Journalist's Creed." 15 copies.
- "Leonardo - The Desire to Know." 4 copies.
- "Letter from John White Geary to his brother Edward Geary."
- "Los Angeles Corral Westerners." 1986.
- Meynell, Sir Francis. "But your flowers!" Broadside. 1987.
- Moxon, Joseph. "The Waygoose."
- "The Old Gordsedd Prayer." Broadside.
- [Portrait of Richard Hoffman with Class.] November 1948.
- St. Francis of Assissi. [Prayer written September 13, 1981.]
- "Up Up & Away with Ready Gates California's First Balloonist." 2 copies.
- "Alpha-Psi Chapter Epsilon Pi Tau Initiation and Installation Program."
- [Announcement of a lecture by Lawrence Clark Powell entitled "The Language of the Heart." February 20, 1957.]
- Donne, John. "All mankinde is of one Author, and is one volume..." 2 copies.
- "I believe in the United States of America without reservation..." 1961.
- [Memorial Exhibition announcement for Hugo Steiner-Prag.]
- Milton, John. "A Reopagitica." [An excerpt from a speech, 1644.]
- Purcell, Henry. "Why so serious, why so grave..." 1954.
- "Resolutions of Commendation for Clifford G. Dobson." 1973.
- "Resolutions of Appreciation to the University of Colorado."
- White, William Allen. "Daily, thousands of citizens..."
Note
These items are located in the "H" drawer, which can be found in the oversized item map drawers. Information may also be found
in the drawer contents page located inside the "H" drawer.
