DawsonBook Shop

Biography

Ernest Dawson founded Dawson's Book Shop in Los Angeles, California, in 1905 at 713 South Broadway; Dawson began the store with a purchase of 2,250 books from the Salvation Army at 1 cent apiece, and immediately resold one of them, a book on Indian basketry, for $ 2.50; issued first rare book catalog in 1907, and with its success, Dawson began to specialize in rare books; the shop moved to 518 South Hill St. in 1908; Dawson made his first business trip to London in 1911, beginning a long series of buying expeditions made by members of his staff; soon he was attending book auctions in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York and conducting worldwide searches for collectors; the business moved to 627 South Grand Ave. in 1922, and to 550 South Figueroa St. in 1952; while always dealing primarily in rare and second hand books, the business has published small editions of books related to western America and the history of books; after Dawson's death in 1947, his sons Glen and Muir continued the book shop.