Ernest Dawson (1 December 1882, in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

– 15 November 1947, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

) was an American

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

bookseller, small press publisher, mountain climber, and

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

president. Ernest Dawson, born in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, moved in 1885 with his parents and siblings to

San Luis Obispo, California ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

. In 1905 he founded Dawson's Book Shop, a bookstore located at 713 South Broadway in Los Angeles. In 1909 he married Sadie Alena Roberts (1883–1967). In 1912, Dawson's Book Shop published a catalogue (No. 15) with 211 titles. He sold the business in 1912 but repurchased it in 1917. In 1922 he moved the store to 627 South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles. In the 1930s his sons

Glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. The word is Goidelic in origin: ''gleann'' in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ''glion'' in Manx. ...

(1912–2016) and Muir (1921–2005) began helping in the business. In the early 1940s the Press for Dawson's Book Shop published print runs of several books. When he died in 1947, his sons Glen and Muir took over the business. Ernest Dawson was an active climber and expedition leader in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

and in southern California. He was a

director from 1922 to 1925 and from 1926 to 1937 (and also president from 1935 to 1937). In 1928 he and his 15-year-old son Glen, accompanied by two guides, climbed the

Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Ernest 1882 births 1947 deaths Sierra Club directors Sierra Club presidents American mountain climbers American rock climbers American booksellers