Jacob Israel Zeitlin (November 4, 1902 – August 30, 1987) was an American bookseller, publisher, collector, poet and intellectual in Los Angeles in the mid-twentieth century.

Early life and career

Jacob Zeitlin was born in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

, but moved with his family to Fort Worth, Texas in his childhood and to

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, ...

in 1925. For many years, Zeitlin lived in the

Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake to the west and Chinato ...

area of Los Angeles. He opened his first bookshop in 1928, on Hope Street near 6th Street in downtown Los Angeles, and over the years moved his shop a number of times, its final location being in a converted barn on La Cienega Boulevard. He founded the Primavera Press, to produce fine printed books, and was a co-founder of the Rounce & Coffin Club,Starr, 308-316 which supported and encouraged fine printing in Southern California for many years. During his sixty years as a rare book seller, he, along with his many friends and associates, known as the "Zeitlin circle," was a significant force in the cultural and intellectual life of Los Angeles. In 1963, he testified in a California Supreme Court obscenity hearing on Henry Miller's novel ''

Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, also known as the Northern Tropic, is the Earth's northernmost circle of latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun ...

''. Zeitlin was one of the first people to exhibit the woodcuts of fellow Echo Park resident

Paul Landacre Paul Hambleton Landacre (July 9, 1893, Columbus, Ohio – June 3, 1963, Los Angeles, California) was an American artist based in Los Angeles. His artistic innovations and technical virtuosity gained wood engraving a foothold as a high art form in ...

and the photographs of Edward Weston, as well as the first in America to exhibit the work of German artist Käthe Kollwitz. Zeitlin was also a poet and the editor of ''Opinion'', a short-lived but influential Angeleno intellectual journal. A liberal in politics, Zeitlin was the campaign manager for

Helen Gahagan Douglas Helen Gahagan Douglas (born Helen Mary Gahagan; November 25, 1900 – June 28, 1980) was an American actress and politician. Gahagan Douglas's acting career included success on Broadway theatre, Broadway, as a touring opera singer, and in Hollyw ...

' Senatorial campaign. He also lobbied against the La Cienega Boulevard highway, bringing artistic friends such as actor and art dealer Joan Ankrum to

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

to protest.

Personal life and death

Zeitlin was married to Josephine Ver Brugge, who became his business partner, and together they had four children. He died on August 30, 1987 in

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

Archival collections

Zeitlin's extensive archives and papers are held at the UCLA Library Special Collections.

Notes

References

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External links

Articles, speeches, and essays
by and about Jacob Zeitlin posted at HistoryofScience.com
Interview of Jake Zeitlin
Center for Oral History Research, UCLA Library Special Collections, University of California, Los Angeles.
Interview with Jacob Zeitlin
in 1975 at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

(by Norman Tanis) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeitlin, Jake 1902 births 1987 deaths American booksellers Poets from Wisconsin 20th-century American Jews Businesspeople from Racine, Wisconsin Writers from Fort Worth, Texas 20th-century American poets Writers from Racine, Wisconsin 20th-century American businesspeople