Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1883-02-09
The Literary Undertakings OF Hubert
Howe Bancroft.

During the past twenty-five years,
work has been going ON in California
the nature and Importance Of wb;c
,v;,, \. ho.,or ,nJa..,se, err. .S.
w." ~ 'e ""eo'''oo" my ye"'
hence thaD now. Shortly after estal
fishing himself as bookseller and pull
Usher in San Francisco in 1850 NJ,
u.hou. IT -, -, ;,
aV " na'o'oie began 70 coie'
materials Tor history, and has continue
such efforts from that day to this, tn
result being in 1873, Ak ooO vo,ume,
w;,h I. 49, - .. -. ,oo
~" i''e VI '''crease oi ABOUT ioV
volumes year, and brick buildin
erected specially to hold the collection
The cost in monev films for rot A. me-,
a.; -. - " =.
',oh ''n'e anu trave'ihg expenses wa
about $500, 600. But this was only tn
beginning. In 1869 Mr.. Bancroft turn
ed HE otta,t;on mono ,r,;or,.r, 30 a.
80. -. f''
"'iiiAing Vi MS gathefen ihiormation
and to that end he had his library cata
logued, indexed. and such facts and in
c;Jsnts ., no a..;roa r,.aoa -. ~,
% - s"oa p'"'' ~ n''
IN the forms OF extracts, Abstracts, ant
references. inns iaoor involved tn
continued appncation OF not less thai
eweive assistants during the ent,re term
anu tney are stiii engaged IN the SAM
cApac,ty. Inc expense mere has beer
soueening over SzVo'oW-sa IN all
iaii n,iiiioh III money. Dut the money
expenditure was the lesser part OF II
20 iar as ~ was possible Mr. bancrof
aDanuoheu business entlreiy, ana threw
ni'n:eii ana ms NE into the ardnous bu
fascinating tasks OF authorship, the
1nai result Deing, punished and to b.
pupisneo, thirty-nihe voiumes OF HIS
Tory. Etnnoiogy, and other and more
speclai SUBJECTS. ms, then' briefly
S'aCeo, Is 'he Work referred 10.
lnose VINO oesire' Cad learn more ny
,eaoing iafther, Mr.. Bancroft was
PORN AZ .o 1ranvllie, ONO, the 9th Of
way, iooz: ms parents were oil o
coiopy 1nat came from massachusetts
ANU ,erl,oht, anu were OF tnat stern
New England STOCK called Puritan, tina,
neiu iast 70 ifadition, and expected
Inucn IRON chiidreh; All DAY sunday,
ana paris OF other days, religious duties
we're stric,iy observed. the remainder Of
'ne ',me peihg deVoted, the winters to
scnooi ana ehe summers 70 work. when
sixteen years Oh age MT. bancroft en-
Tered the bookstore OF his brother-in-
Jaw, or mr. george n. DERBY, IN Buffaio;
IN i3Yz ne was sent by ms employer to
~ bookstore In Caiiiornia. In
WIS nc was successful, one OF tine largest
mercantile anu manufacturing establish
ments IN tnat Inc IN the United States
peing the irui. OF inns modest beginning.
IN TACT, ms "Ioie iiie mas peen sue
cess; ms TWO lives. we might say, one
pelng lhe eohmeTciai ana tne other the
literary NE. thrown from boyhood
upon MS own resources, ne early learn
Gu the lesson Oh carving LOT himseif ms
i1rsone. ne saaiy became iihoued with
.ne ieea 1nat 70 attain the useiui, the
praeucai, mat winch 70 nun and to
others Wouid prove the most penefcial.
was possible ana MS whole HE thus
iar mas peen spent almost without cessa-
e,oh III woIkihs oat thae iaea. ihougn
always eAtl emery iona OF books, with
strong Prediiections ior a professional
career WIN tastes Whcn IN any event
would impei MIN toward ,he higner m
Ieiicctnal lie, ne nevertheless while
amending 70 business was diiigent
man Oh business, applying h'mseii early
ana iate' ana win nus wnoie strength.
IL Is nssoiess 10 say, .nat by sucn means
only, from small beginning, a COM
y success as signai as MS In a
nela nos me most extensive or promis'
ing IN the worid, could Dc scnieved.
nus naoits Oh INDUSTRY never ieit MN,
ana Wnen ne entered the neid OF letters.
ne carried with MIN not only the pecu-
mary means essen,iai 70 inc accomplish
hent Oh great results, Dut tnose common
sense views wnich spring from practical
business experience, and which literary
men so often lack.
Returning 20 the nrst statement OF tho
case we VIII give lts several parts a
niue more IN detail, Dut sui very
prieny- IL was accident rather than
oesign when ied poth 70 the formation
OF tne Library and to authorship; Hay
ing from tne nrst Penchant ior pub
lishing more pleasant than prohtaoie In
a new country, and feeling growing
need IN tne preparation Of BOOKS Tor the
press, Oh that valuable Information rcla-
tive 10 the racine Coast which was
dropping OUT Oh existence ior want OF
some one TO save II, ne began instinct
iveiy 10 gamer ana preserve u. FIRST
ne went over ms stocK and placed by
themselves all BOOKS and pamphlets on
California and oregon Then, from all
parts OF the country ne Drought In ma.
.eriai, gradually ex.enoihg the area OF
ms territory. until the western haif OF
North america was embraced WITHIN its
limits. Ihen ne went East and to
Europe, TO see what could be gathered
there; ana TINS ne MD many times, and
with mucn oilgence: From the Andrade
SALE IN Leipsic, OF me Mexican coilec-
tion intended py Maximiiian as the
foundation OF an Imperial Library, about
JVoV volumes were ootained- linen,
there was the sale IN London OF the
Ramirez colisctlon, and the sale In New
YORK OF Squiefs manuscripts, and a
score OF others that brought to MIR. Ban
erofts Library large and important ad-
ditlons.
Inc business was originaiiy estab-
iished on montgomery street near
Merchant. Both business and Library
having assumed considerable proper
tions, In 1909 Mr.. Bancroft erected a
large building on MARKET street, and
moved INTO 1t, the Library being placed
on the NTH hoor. there 1t remained,
subject to no small risk from hre, until
1881, when Mr.. Bancroft purchased q
large lot on valencia street, built In the
middle otit two-story and basement
brick building. 40 by % feet, covered all
tie openings with strong IRON shutters,
and in 1t placed his books, maps. and
manuscripts, which by this time num-
bered 35,000, besides 400 files OF Pacific
Coast newspapers: There they now
stand, building and BOOKS, monument