LGBTQ+ Studies at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

The Clark Library’s expansive fine press books and type collection was launched by William Andrews Clark, Jr. in the early twentieth century. The Clark Library continues to collect in the book arts, especially the archives of printers, publishers, and book artists who are women. Themes of queer relationships, same-sex romance, lesbian craftsmanship, and more are present in the collection. The following is a sampling of the collection: 

• Beckman, Laurel. 2 bdrm., 1 ba. Pasadena: Kenmore Press, 1978. Clark Library Press Collection; Press coll. Kenmore 001: Laurel Beckman explores a relationship between three women in one apartment through floor-plans with red, blue, and yellow dots. This book is an example of queer love between women in the Clark Library’s fine press collection.  
• Cummins, Maureen, Chris Fenichel-Hewett, Ana Cordeiro, and Mark Tomlinson. Far Rockaway: A Romantic Correspondence. Edited & with an Introduction by Maureen Cummins. High Falls, N.Y: Maureen Cummins, 2005. Clark Library Press Collection; Press coll. Cummins 003: Maureen Cummins (1963–) found love letters written by one man to another between 1906 and 1908 at a Manhattan flea market. She published them in this fine press book. 
• Moore, Erin. Five Fonts Inspired by Lesbian Hand Lettering. Baltimore: Erin Moore @bugprints., 2022. Clark Library Annex 3; Artwork Box 16A, Folder 10: Erin Moore is a queer printmaker and designer who works with queer archives. These five fonts are based on handwriting used in lesbian periodicals from the 1970s and 1980s. The periodicals Moore pulls from are Lavender Woman, Ain’t I A Woman?, The Leaping Lesbian, The Black Lesbian Newsletter, and Lavender Vision.

To find fine press books related to queer love, same-sex romance, lesbian craftsmanship, LGBTQ+ politics, and more at the Clark Library go to UC Library Search. Click on “Advanced Search,” select the “Subject” field, and type either “Queer relationships,” “Woman-woman relationships,” “Gay men,” “LGBTQ+ lovers,” “Gay relationships,” “Gay press,” or “Lesbian press.” To find works by specific book artists, select the “Author” field and type “Beckman, Laurel,” for example. You can also do a keyword search either in the simple search or in the “Any field” field of the “Advanced Search.” Once you have search results, you can limit to the Clark Library by selecting it from the “UCLA Locations” facet.