Kamin, Martin

Martin Kamin (1897 or 1899-1976) was a Polish-American publisher and bookseller, particularly in the areas of dance and drama.

Born on November 15, 1897 (or 1899) in Warsaw, Poland, Kamin left Poland to come to the United States while still in his teens. After mastering English he enrolled at the University of Baltimore and continued his studies in linguistics, philosophy and economics at the University of Geneva in Switzerland where he earned his Ph.D.

In 1920 Kamin married Sarah (Sally) Katz, a school teacher from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For a number of years she had been associated with the Wisconsin Players as a dramatic actress and dancer performing under the name Sara Nikov. The Kamins resided in Paris during the 1920's and 1930's where Martin began his publishing career. He published Contact: A Quarterly Review (edited by William Carlos Williams and Nathaniel West), Both Sides, Films, and Current Controversy . The Kamins became a part of the "lost generation" which included Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. His address book from that period registers the names Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst, Darius Milhaud, Serge Prokofieff, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Picasso, and more.

In addition to his publishing business Kamin operated a book store in New York City which eventually began to specialize in materials on the dance. For many years the Kamin Dance Book Shop was an internationally known center for books and manuscripts relating to all phases of that art.

After his wife's death and his retirement Kamin married briefly for a second time, but spent most of his later years weakened by a stroke and living in virtual poverty in various nursing homes. He died on September 4, 1976.

From the guide to the Martin Kamin Papers, 1789-1973, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)