Zeitlin, Jake, 1902-1987

Zeitlin was a Los Angeles bookdealer.

Jacob Israel Zeitlin was born on Nov. 4, 1902, in Racine, WI; worked as a bookseller, poet and book reviewer in Ft. Worth, TX; moved to Los Angeles in 1925; began career in bookselling when employed by Holmes Book Company and the book departments of the May Company and Bullock's; published his first book of poems and began as an independent bookseller in 1927; opened his first shop, designed by Lloyd Wright, in 1927; Wright designed a more elaborate shop in 1929 that became a meeting place for the city's intellectuals; Zeitlin and friends published Opinion, a influential but short-lived magazine; he ran Primavera Press from 1929-33 in collaboration with Lawrence Clark Powell, Carey McWilliams, Phil Townsend Hanna, and Ward Ritchie; Zeitlin was one of the founders of the Rounce & Coffin Club in 1931; in collaboration with his wife, Josephine Ver Brugge, moved his shop into a large red barn on La Cienega Blvd. in 1948, selling rare books, prints, and paintings; lectured widely on subjects related to rare books and the history of science, and represented many collectors of the history of science; was instrumental in bringing many collections to UCLA, including the Grunewald Graphic Arts Collection, and he personally donated several manuscript collections to the Dept. of Special Collections; received Doctor of Letters from Occidental College in 1981; died in August 1987.

Jacob (Jake) Israel Zeitlin was born in Racine, WI, Nov. 4, 1902; moved to Los Angeles, 1925; learned the book trade while working at Bullock's Dept. Store; opened Jake Zeitlin Books, LA (1927-36), president of Jake Zeitlin Inc., LA (1936-42) and Zeitlin & Ver Brugge, LA (1943); his bookshops were the meeting place for many of the city's intellectuals; died Aug. 1987.

David Herbert Lawrence was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England, Sept. 11, 1885; English novelist, essayist, and poet, he is best known for Lady Chatterley's lover (1928); numerous publications include: Sons and lovers (1913), Women in love (1920), and The plumed serpent (1926); died of tuberculosis Mar. 2, 1930.

Biographical Note

Jacob Zeitlin, commonly referred to as "the venerable antiquarian bookseller," was best known for his bookshop on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Over the years, Zeitlin dealt manuscripts with Frieda, widow of D.H. Lawrence, written poetry endorsed by Carl Sandburg, and had his shops designed by Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright.) He began as a book peddler in 1925 with only a valise of books, then he moved into a small shop on "bookseller's row," and at the time of his death in September 1987, he had several shops and international acclaim as a dealer in rare books and art.

Biography

Jacob Israel Zeitlin was born on November 4, 1902, in Racine, Wisconsin; worked as a bookseller, poet and book reviewer in Ft. Worth, Texas; moved to Los Angeles in 1925; began career in bookselling when employed by Holmes Book Company and the book departments of the May Company and Bullock's; published his first book of poems and began as an independent bookseller in 1927; opened his first shop, designed by Lloyd Wright, in 1927; Wright designed a more elaborate shop in 1929 that became a meeting place for the city's intellectuals; Zeitlin and friends published Opinion, a influential but short-lived magazine; he ran Primavera Press from 1929-33 in collaboration with Lawrence Clark Powell, Carey McWilliams, Phil Townsend Hanna, and Ward Ritchie; Zeitlin was one of the founders of the Rounce & Coffin Club in 1931; in collaboration with his wife, Josephine Ver Brugge, moved his shop into a large red barn on La Cienega Blvd. in 1948, selling rare books, prints, and paintings; lectured widely on subjects related to rare books and the history of science, and represented many collectors of the history of science; was instrumental in bringing many collections to UCLA, including the Grunewald Graphic Arts Collection, and he personally donated several manuscript collections to the Department of Special Collections; received Doctor of Letters from Occidental College in 1981; died in August 1987.

Expanded Biographical Narrative

Jake Zeitlin was born on November 4, 1902, in Racine, Wisconsin and worked as a bookseller, poet and book reviewer in Ft. Worth, Texas before moving to Los Angeles in 1925. He began his career in bookselling when employed by Holmes Book Company and the book departments of the May Company and Bullock's before opening his first shop, designed by Lloyd Wright, in 1927. Wright designed a more elaborate shop in 1929 that became a meeting place for the city's intellectuals. In collaboration with his wife, Josephine Ver Brugge, Zeitlin moved his shop into a large red barn on La Cienega Blvd. in 1948, selling rare books, prints and paintings. He lectured widely on subjects related to rare books and the history of science, and was instrumental in bringing many collections to UCLA, including the Grunewald Graphic Arts Collection. He personally donated several manuscript collections to the Department of Special Collections before his passing in August 1987.

Frieda Lawrence was born Frieda von Richthofen August 11, 1879 to Prussian Baron Friedrich von Richthofen and Anna Marquier von Richthofen, near Metz, Germany. David Herbert Lawrence was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England, Sept. 11, 1885. In 1912 Frieda met Lawrence, then a student of her first husband. They eloped, and the Lawrences were married in July 1914. They traveled continuously for the next few years in France, Italy, Germany and Australia before settling at Kiowa Ranch near Taos, New Mexico. D.H. Lawrence was a novelist, essayist, and poet, best known for Lady Chatterley's lover (1928); his numerous publications include: Sons and Lovers (1913), Women in Love (1920), and The Plumed Serpent (1926). Lawrence died in France in 1930; after his death, Frieda traveled to Europe briefly before returning to the ranch in 1931 with her companion, Angelo Ravagli. Frieda and Ravagli married in 1950, and she died in New Mexico August 11, 1956.