Joel Gardner, Senior Editor, UCLA Oral History Program. BA, MA, French, Tulane University; MA, Journalism, UCLA.
Robert G. Cowan's home, 1650 Redcliff Street, Los Angeles. The video session was taped at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library.
May 18, June 2 [video session], 8, 1978.
Interviews were conducted in the morning. Each session varied in length, with an average of about an hour per taping. Three hours were recorded.
Cowan and Gardner. Rebecca Andrade operated the camera for the video session.
The interview had two focuses: the life of the respondent and the career of his father, Robert E. Cowan. The elder Cowan was bibliographer for William Andrews Clark, Jr., and was greatly responsible for the development of his book collections. The younger Cowan worked with his father in the compilation of bibliographies, then produced several of his own.
Initial preparation consisted of seeking biographical information on Robert E. Cowan. His papers, housed in the UCLA Library's Department of Special Collections, provided a rich source and also re-created the back- ground, San Francisco at the turn of the century. The interviewer then consulted the works of both Cowans.
Following the dual structure along a chronological line, the interviewer asked Mr. Cowan to recall his father's early bookselling experiences and his participation in the cultural life of San Francisco. He then sought information relative to the Clark Library, including early contacts with Clark as well as later relationships. Finally, the interview was brought up to date with a discussion of the many historical and scholarly activities of both men.
The original tape recordings, video tape, and edited transcripts of the interview are in the University Archives and are available under the regulations governing the use of noncurrent records of the University.
Records relating to this interview are located in the office of the UCLA Oral History Program.