The New Home for the Kimes John Muir Collection

The John Muir Association has acquired the 2000-item Kimes John Muir Literary Collection. The Collection is ideal for local and regional educational use.

A home is needed for the books, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, posters, letters, and photographs. Some items are inscribed by Muir.

Can you help us achieve this goal?

The present building at the John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, Calif., is a former veterinary clinic with very

limited space for display, study, interpretation and administration.

The Collection Includes:

112 Books by John Muir

353 Books by other authors

587 Magazines & articles

54 Clippings & flyers

17 Postcards

Photographs

40 Posters11 Maps

79 Pamphlets & booklets

422 Original & copies of letters

Textbooks

Miniature books

13 Anthologies

1 Outline of Muir’s feet

40 Books from Muir’s library

237 Sierra Club publications

1,985Total

Imagine A Day in the Life of the New Education Center:

•A local high school student is at a table in the multi-purpose room studying material for a term paper on Muir’s refusal to use insecticides at the fruit ranch.

•The part-time librarian/curator comes in Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for a half day to inspect and catalog new materials and for appointments with students.

• Wall posters show scenes around Dunbar, Scotland, a contemporary photo exhibit donated by the Dunbar John Muir Association.

• A secure case in the interpretation/reception room exhibits geology texts owned by Muir and loaned by the Muir-Hanna Trust.

• Several unique examples of Muir’s literary work are out on loan from the Site to institutions such as the University of Wisconsin and the University of the Pacific, and items on loan to the Site are shown in the secure display cases.

• A visiting scholar, sponsored by a foundation’s annual gift, studies revisions Muir made in successive editions of one of his books.

•Someone, anywhere, accesses the Education Center inventory through the Site Web page and leaves a message on the bulletin board.

• The California Historical Society and the Commonwealth Club have scheduled evening meetings at the Site this week.

Inscriptions by Muir in first editions can be used to study his relationship with friends, editors, scientists, and colleagues

“To my friend David Douglaswith kind regards of theauthor. John Muir

Martinez, California

Oct. 30, 1894”

David Douglas was a publisher in Edinburgh.The JMA Kimes Collection contains 24 editions of ‘Mountains of California,’ Muir’s first book.

More Inscriptions: This book is the dedication copy, inscribed by Muir to Robert Underwood Johnson, to whom Muir dedicated the book. Johnson has noted ‘The corrections in pencil throughout the volume were made by Muir.’ About 50 annotations were made. R. U. J. was associate editor of Century magazine, which published many of Muir's articles.

Johnson is credited with encouraging Muir to write the articles which led to the creation of Yosemite National Park. While Muir inspired the nation with his writing, Johnson published Muir’s articles, and his influential eastern friends lobbied Congress to establish the park.

Manuscript Edition - The Writings of John

Muir

Just 750 copies of each volume were published between 1916 and 1924 and sold by subscription only. A portion of a leaf of Muir manuscript is tipped on each front flyleaf. Each volume also includes a map tipped in. The manuscript shown is tipped in Volume 7.

Muir’s 36 volume Shakespeare Set

Muir’s notes in the endpapers refer to a page in each book. Muir likely intended these as references to re-read the passage and for his future writings.

The inscriptions could be used to study the impact of Shakespeare on Muir’s writing.

Books in the Collection

William F. Bade, literary executor of the Muir estate, published the two-volume ‘Life and Letters of John Muir’ in 1924. This set was signed by Katharine Hooker. While in Southern California, Muir stayed and wrote at the Hooker home in Los Angeles.

‘My First Summer in the Sierra,’ 1911, describes Muir’s summer of 1868 as a sheepherder and explorer.

On John Muir’s second trip to Alaska, in 1880, (he made a total of seven trips there) he had a memorable adventure with a glacier and a dog. The small, ‘short-legged and bunchy-bodied’ dog was named for the local Stickeen Indian tribe.

Muir told the Stickeen story often and eventually produced this, his third book.

‘Journal of Ramblings’ by Joseph Le Conte

This journal records the University of California 1870 summer excursion to Yosemite. Presumably 120 copies were printed.

This copy has the inscription of Leander L. Hawkins, possibly the Hawkins pictured on the frontispiece.

A photo of John Muir in his ‘Scribble Den,’ Martinez, circa 1914. This may be one of the last photos of Muir. The picture was taken by S. L. Willard, ‘his personal friend,’ per the inscription on the reverse.

An Original Letter

In this 1909 letter, Muir writes to his friend, A. C. Vroman, owner of Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, California. This is one of many letters Muir wrote urging people to ‘help us if you can’ to oppose the Hetch Hetchy reservoir project.

Muir had roomed with Charles E. Vroman in 1862 at Wisconsin State University (later Univ. of Wisconsin).

Please help us build the new Education Center

at the John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, California

• A gift of appreciated stock, cash, or property. Stock can be transferred easily to the JMMA Schwab account; you will receive a tax credit for the current value less acquisition cost.

• Memorial Gifts For a Loved One. A memorial Contribution is a thoughtful tribute to the memory of deceased relatives and friends. The Association will send an acknowledgement letter to the donor and appropriate family members as directed.

• Addition of the John Muir Memorial Association to your will or Living Trust.

Thank you!

Please consider one of these gift ideas for the new Education Center:

John Muir Association

P.O. Box 2433

Martinez, CA 94553

925-229-3857