Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/rbc.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2015657650
Collection material is in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The archive was arranged and inventoried in the first quarter of 2018 by Mark Manivong. The Sylvester and Orphanos Archive, which chronicles the book production, publicity, and business transactions associated with Sylvester and Orphanos, maintains much of the organization of the owners.
The status of copyright of the Sylvester and Orphanos Archive in the custody of the Library of Congress is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The records of the Sylvester and Orphanos Archive are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Sylvester and Orphanos Archive, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Stathis Orphanos (1940-2018) and Ralph Sylvester (1934-2018) met in Los Angeles in 1960. Ralph was stationed at the army base at Fort Ord and Orphanos had moved to Los Angeles to attend California State College (now university). Their budding romantic relationship, detailed in Elisa Rolle's book Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History, One Story at a Time (2014), turned into a business partnership when they began selling books. A mentor of Orphanos suggested that, with his extensive contacts gained over the years through his photography of literary figures, including a close friendship with Christopher Isherwood they should begin producing their own books. With that, their publishing business launched, starting with Christopher Isherwood's Christopher and His Kind in 1976. Over the next thirty years, they would go on to publish 26 books by major writers. In their production, they employed noted printers, illustrators, and binders, such as Patrick Reagh, Lillian Marks, Grant Dahlstrom, Achilles Droungas, Vance Garry, and Warren Chappell among others. Mustering his contacts, Orphanos arranged to publish the works of writers, such as Graham Greene, Nadine Gordimer, James Merrill, John Cheever, and Tennessee Williams. Their publishing business largely came to a close after the publishing of their 25th book, a tribute to the Greek artist Yannis Tsarouchis, designed in the Tériades tradition and containing representative samples of the artists' works, as well as tributes to him written by noted figures in the literary, entertainment, and artistic world. My Cavafy: Chance Encounters, the 26th and final title to bear the Sylvester and Orphanos imprint, was published in 2006. The book combines Orphanos's photography with selected poems by C. P. Cavafy. - Mark Manivong, Rare Book and Special Collections Division
Sylvester and Orphanos Publications
This collection is arranged in 5 series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2015657650
Correspondence, contracts, manuscripts, proofs, galleys, binding samples, original artwork, and dies.
Arranged chronologically by publication date of work to which materials relate.
Correspondence, publisher’s announcements, photographs, and catalogs.
Arranged by type of material.
Art work used as illustrations in William Hjortsberg’s
Arranged by date.
Materials kept by Stathis Orphanos, including correspondence, head-shot photos, reminiscences, fiction writing, and materials related to Juli Veee (Gyula Visnyei).
Arranged by type of material.
Oversize materials from
Arranged by date.