Collection Summary
Maggie Holtzberg collection 1972-2002
1983-1992
1972-2002
1983-1992
AFC
2018/013
Holtzberg, Maggie, 1955-
approximately 1100 items
sound recordings: 21 sound cassettes : analog.
graphic images: 31 slides : color ; 35 mm.
graphic images: 108 photographic prints and negatives :
black and white, color ; various sizes.
manuscripts: 1.2 linear feet.
electronic media: 16 computer files (word perfect and .tif) on 1 floppy disk ; 5.25 in.
English
Collection material in English
Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
The Maggie Holtzberg collection
documents, through interviews and photographs, the occupational folklife and craft of
hot metal typesetters, compositors, and printers. Holtzberg interviewed skilled
craftsmen and women who experienced the disruptive technology and transition in the
printing industry from mechanical typesetting, "hot metal," to computer-aided
photocomposition or "cold type." She interviewed retired printers residing at the Union
Printers Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and craft printers at Heritage Printers in
Charlotte, North Carolina, among others. Interviews were conducted between 1983-1988.
The collection includes the production files for Holtzberg's book, The Lost World
of the Craft Printer (University of Illinois Press, 1992); correspondence
with folklorists Archie Green and Judith McCulloh, and notes from meetings with
Holtzberg's dissertation advisors at the University of Pennsylvania -- Henry Glassie,
Ray Birdwhistell, and with Ken Goldstein, whom she interviewed about his experience in
the printing industry. The collection also includes two journals written while Maggie
Holtzberg was a student from 1972-1973 at the Trailside Country School, based in
Killington, Vermont. The Trailside Country School was a traveling high school run by
Michael Cohen and Diana Cohen that taught cultural documentation. The notebooks include
diary entries, song lyrics, music transcription, and ephemera from locations throughout
the United States where the students traveled. Photographs include the 46 illustrations
for Holtzberg's book, 31 slides, plus snapshots from Holtzberg's fieldwork with printers
and a few from the Trailside Country School. One of the interviews with printers was
conducted by folklorist Jan Rosenberg.
Selected Search Terms
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.
People
Goldstein, Kenneth S., 1927-1995--Interviews.
Green, Archie--Correspondence.
Holtzberg, Maggie, 1955-
Holtzberg, Maggie, 1955-
McCulloh, Judith, 1935-2014--Correspondence.
Rosenberg, Jan, 1955-
Schlesinger, Carl.
Organizations
Trailside Country School.
Union Printers Home.
Subjects
High school students--United States--Diaries.
Printers--United States--Folklore.
Printers--United States--Interviews.
Printing industry--Employees--Effect of technological innovations on.
Printing industry--Social aspects--United States.
Form/Genre
Correspondence.
Diaries.
Field notes.
Interviews (Sound recordings)
Manuscripts for publication.
Oral histories.
Photographs.
Transcripts.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series: 1: Interviews; 2: Manuscripts,
correspondence, and production files.
Series 1: The Interviews series consists of a few folders at the series level and
19 subseries arranged alphabetically. The "Union Printers Home" subseries is divided
into eight further subseries, arranged in their original chronological order. The
records for the "Interviews" series were originally organized in roughly
chronological order, and stored together in a three ring binder, except for the
records in the "Union Printers Home" subseries. Those papers were originally
organized in loose folders. The order of items within all folders have been
retained.
Series 2: The Manuscripts, correspondence, and production files series consists of
folders and two subseries, "The Lost World of the Craft Printer" and "Trailside
Country School," arranged alphabetically. The records in this series were originally
in unordered folders, except for the two "Dissertation Research" folders, which were
collected in one 3-ring binder. The original order of items and the folders titles
(where they existed) have been retained.
Acquisition
Maggie Holtzberg; 2018.
Processing History
The collection was processed by Charles Hosale.
The 5.25" floppy was reformatted as a .img disk image and access copies of the files
were extracted. The image and access copies are available by request in the Folklife
Reading Room.
Related Material
Holtzberg was a student of the Trailside Country School. Two interviews created by
the students of the school comprise another collection: [School
interviews from Maine and Pennsylvania, 1975, collected by Diana Cohen and
students of the Trailside Country School (AFC 1977/019)].
Copyright Status
Duplication of collection materials may be governed by copyright and other
restrictions.
Access and Restrictions
Collection is open for research; access to collection materials may be restricted. To
request materials, please contact the Folklife Reading Room at [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact]
Preferred Citation
Maggie Holtzberg collection (AFC 2018/013), Archive of Folk Culture, American
Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Bibliography
Holtzberg-Call, Maggie.
The Lost World of the Craft Printer
(Urbana
and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992). [http://lccn.loc.gov/90024004].
Cohen, Michael J., 1929-.
Our classroom is wild America; trailside education
in action-encounters with self, society, and nature in America's first ecology
expedition school
(Jericho, N.Y., Exposition Press, 1974). [http://lccn.loc.gov/74076019].
Biographical Note
Dr. Maggie Holtzberg received her PhD in folklore and folklife from the University of
Pennsylvania in 1987. Prior to that she gained a BA in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan
University (1979). She was also a student of the traveling Trailside Country School from
1972-1973. She has written and published multiple books, including [
Keepers
of Tradition: Art and Folk Heritage in Massachusetts (2008)],
[
The Lost World of the Craft Printer (1992)], and
Portrait of Spirit: One Story at a Time
(1996). She has also produced
and directed documentaries, recordings, and public events, including the film [
Gandy
Dancers (1994)] and the exhibition
Keepers of Tradition:
Art and Folk Heritage
(2008). In addition to serving on and leading state,
national, and regional art and folklore councils and agencies, Holtzberg has managed and
directed folklife programs in both Massachusetts and Georgia.
Scope and Content
The Maggie Holtzberg collection documents, through interviews and photographs, the
occupational folklife and craft of hot metal typesetters, compositors, and printers.
Holtzberg interviewed skilled craftsmen and women who experienced the disruptive
technology and transition in the printing industry from mechanical typesetting, "hot
metal," to computer-aided photocomposition or "cold type." She interviewed retired
printers residing at the Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado and craft
printers at Heritage Printers in Charlotte, North Carolina, among others. Interviews
were conducted between 1983-1988. The collection includes the production files for
Holtzberg's book,
The Lost World of the Craft Printer
(University of
Illinois Press, 1992); correspondence with folklorists Archie Green and Judith McCulloh,
and notes from meetings with Holtzberg's dissertation advisors at the University of
Pennsylvania -- Henry Glassie, Ray Birdwhistle, and with Ken Goldstein, whom she
interviewed about his experience in the printing industry. The collection also includes
two journals written while Maggie Holtzberg was a student from 1972-1973 at the
Trailside Country School, based in Killington, Vermont. The Trailside Country School was
a traveling high school run by Michael Cohen and Diana Cohen that taught cultural
documentation. The notebooks include diary entries, song lyrics, music transcription,
and ephemera from locations throughout the United States where the students traveled.
Photographs include the 46 illustrations for Holtzberg's book, 31 slides, plus snapshots
from Holtzberg's fieldwork with printers and a few from the Trailside Country School.
One of the interviews with printers was conducted by folklorist Jan Rosenberg.
Container List
Series 1: Interviews, 1983-1992
1983-1992
Interviews with craftsmen concerning their experiences in the printing industry,
typically regarding the shift from "hot metal" mechanical typesetting to
"cold-type" computer-aided photocomposition. Earlier interviews were conducted as
part of Holtzberg's dissertation research, and those created after 1987 were
conducted as part of her monograph
The Lost World of the Craft
Printer
. Some interviews were not recorded. In those cases Holtzberg
wrote notes and summaries. Some recorded interviews do not have full
transcripts.
1/1
Interview summaries, 1983-1986
1983-1986
Notes from interviews conducted as part of dissertation, does not include notes
for interviews conducted after 1986.
Greer Allen and Sue Allen interview, 1986
February 22
1986
February 22
AFC 2018/013: SR01
Sound recording on cassette
1/2
Transcript
Ernest Boyland interview, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1992 August 7
1992 August 7
Interviewed by Jan Rosenberg for the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities
Council (TRAHC) Folklife Program. Interview was not created by Holtzberg as
part of her research.
AFC 2018/013: SR02 - SR03
Sound recordings on cassette
1/3
Transcript
Dan Burns interview, 1985 September 12
1985 September 12
AFC 2018/013: SR04
Sound recording on cassette
1/4
Transcript
Bob Culp interviews, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1985 June 21 - 1986
March 14
1985 June 21 - 1986
March 14
AFC 2018/013: SR05
Sound recording on cassette, 1986 March 14
1986 March 14
1/5
Transcript and interview notes, 1985 June 21 - 1986 March 14
1985 June 21 - 1986 March 14
manuscripts; 4 color photographic
prints
Includes notes from interviews and interactions with Culp conducted between
June 1985 and June 1987, in addition to a transcript for the recorded March
14th 1986 interview. Photographs are four portraits likely by Maggie
Holtzberg.
Karen Gaines interviews, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1985 June 21 - 1986 March
14
1985 June 21 - 1986 March
14
1/6
Interview Notes
Kenneth S. Goldstein interview, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984 November
2
1984 November
2
AFC 2018/013: SR06
Sound recording on cassette
1/7
Transcript
Carl Gross interview, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1983 November 2 and
1986 February 17
1983 November 2 and
1986 February 17
1/8
Interview notes
Dick Harrison interview, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1983 November
23
1983 November
23
AFC 2018/013: SR07
Sound recording on cassette
1/9
Transcript
Heritage Printers interviews, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1986 November 13-14 and
1986 December
1986 November 13-14 and
1986 December
Recordings from a trip to Heritage Printers, which was a fully operating hot
metal print shop in Charlotte, North Carolina. Includes interviews with Bob
Earnhardt, Bill (Earl) Loftin, Rick Newell, and Earl Powell.
AFC 2018/013: SR08 - SR10
Sound recordings on cassette, 1986 November 13-14
1986 November 13-14
1/10
Transcript, 1986
December
1986
December
Transcript is Holtzberg's first-person narrative recounting of her
experience visiting Heritage Printers in Charlotte, North Carolina, and
interviewing the employees.
1/11
Notes and research materials
Ed Jacob and Dick Harrison interview, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1983
October 24
1983
October 24
1/12
Interview notes
Ed Jacob interview, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1983 November
30
1983 November
30
AFC 2018/013: SR11
Sound recording on cassette
1/13
Transcript and interview notes
"John C. Spencer Auction," Chester, Pennsylvania, 1988
February 1-3
1988
February 1-3
John Spencer Co. was a print shop that had been in business since 1864. When
the company closed, Holtzberg attended the auction of its assets. Included are
public notices of the auction, Holtzberg's notes, photographs, and recordings
of the event, and one printing industry journal article reporting on the
event.
AFC 2018/013: SR12 - SR 14
Sound recordings on cassette
1/14
Interview notes
manuscripts; 22 photographic
prints
Includes materials promoting and documenting the auction and photos of the
workshop and auction.
Samuel F. Kleinman interview, 1983 November
18
1983 November
18
1/15
Interview notes
Packard Press tour, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984 October
31
1984 October
31
1/16
Interview notes
Bertram A. Powers interview, New York, New York, 1984 December 28 and
1985 November 1
1984 December 28 and
1985 November 1
1/17
Interview notes
Includes subject file about Mr. Powers, and one letter from him.
"Union Printers Home" interviews, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1988
February 1-5
1988
February 1-5
Documentation and recordings of Holtzberg's trip to the Union Printers Home,
from February 1st to 5th 1988. The Union Printers Home, founded in 1892, was a
low cost retirement facility located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for members
of the International Typographical Union. Series includes notes, recordings,
and photographs from Holtzbergs visit, and ephemera and research materials
documenting the Home. Holtzberg's interview with Tony Donagy was not recorded,
and materials for it are contained in the "Transcripts" and "Interview Notes
and Research Materials" folders.
1/18
Transcripts
Transcripts for all the recordings in the series except the "Museum Tour."
Also includes the transcript for Holtzberg's interview with Tony Donagy,
which was not recorded.
1/19
Interview notes and research
materials
Interview notes for all the recordings in the series. Also includes the
notes for Holtzberg's interview with Tony Donagy, which was not
recorded.
1/20
Photographs and slides
10 photographic prints; 31 35mm
slides
Neil Fuller, 1988 February
1-2
1988 February
1-2
AFC 2018/013: SR15
Interview sound recording on cassette,
1988 February 1
1988 February 1
AFC 2018/013: SR16
"Museum Tour" sound recording on cassette,
1988 February 2
1988 February 2
Jim Spurlock and Frank Koncel, 1988 February 2
1988 February 2
AFC 2018/013: SR15 - SR16
Sound recordings on cassette
Joe Malady, 1988 February
3
1988 February
3
AFC 2018/013: SR17
Sound recording on cassette
Amelia Story and Hazel Orff, 1988 February 3
1988 February 3
AFC 2018/013: SR18
Sound recording on cassette
"Birthday Party," 1988 February
3
1988 February
3
Includes interviews with Phil Weinstein and Fred Zaner
AFC 2018/013: SR19
Sound recording on cassette
Filadelphio Valdez, 1988 February 5 - 1991 September 21
1988 February 5 - 1991 September 21
AFC 2018/013: SR19
Sound recording on cassette, 1988 February 5
1988 February 5
1/21
Correspondence, 1988 April 3 -
1991 September 21
1988 April 3 -
1991 September 21
manuscripts; 6 photographic
prints
Sandy Bevis, 1988 February
5
1988 February
5
AFC 2018/013: SR20
Sound recording on cassette
Clifford Gallant, 1988 February
5
1988 February
5
AFC 2018/013: SR20 - SR21
Sound recordings on cassette
Barnie Weeks interview, Montgomery, Alabama, 1988 December
12
1988 December
12
1/22
Transcript
1/23
Miscellaneous Short Interviews - Notes,
1986 January 31 - 1986 February
21
1986 January 31 - 1986 February
21
Includes notes from Holtzberg's interviews and interactions with Rudy De
Felice, Bill Glick, Richard Grasby, and John Peckham.
Series 2: Manuscripts, correspondence, and
production files, 1972-2002 , Bulk: 1983-1994
1972-2002
Bulk: 1983-1994
Series primarily contains records, manuscripts, and research materials created or
collected by Holtzberg related to her study of "hot metal" typesetting during her
PhD research in folklore and folklife and the publication of her manuscript "The
Lost World of the Craft Printer." The major subseries is "The Lost World of the
Craft Printer," which contains production files and correspondence with the
University of Illinois Press concerning the editing and publication of that book.
A unique subseries otherwise unrelated to the other records in the collection is
Holtzberg's journals from her time as a high school student at the Trailside
Country School in 1972-1973.
2/1-2
Dissertation research, 1983-1987
1983-1987
Holtzberg's correspondence and notes from interactions with advisors, including
Henry Glassie, Ray Birdwhistell, Dan Traister, and Alastair Reid. Also includes
readings, her notes on methodology, and drafts of papers and articles.
2/3-4
Archie Green - correspondence, 1987-1994
1987-1994
Includes some correspondence with others, including Alastair Reid and Judith
McCulloh, and letters which Archie Green wrote to others on behalf of
Holtzberg.
"The Lost World of the Craft Printer," 1986-2002
1986-2002
Records concerning the contracting, editing, production, and release of
Holtzberg's 1992 manuscript,
The Lost World of the Craft Printer
for the University of Illinois Press. The correspondence in the subseries
includes some additional information about Holtzberg's research interview
subjects.
2/5
Dust jacket, 1992
1992
2/6-7
Illustrations, line art, and photos, undated
undated
56 photographic prints; 3 4x5 black and
white negatives; 4 35mm negative strips; 4
illustrations
Materials and layout mockups for a majority of the illustrations and
photographs in
The Lost World of the Craft Printer
. Includes
prints of some of the slides in the Union Printers Home photographs folder
(box 1, folder 18).
AFC 2018/013: C001
Draft, "No More High Hats," 1990
March
1990
March
1 5.25" computer diskette; 16
computer files
"No More High Hats"
was the working title for
the
Lost World of the Craft Printer
. The files are a pre-print
draft of the book saved on a 5.25" floppy. They are wordperfect 5.1
formatted, and appear to have some data corruption. This floppy was
originally housed in box two, folder six. The floppy has been reformatted
to a digital disk image and the files are available in the Folklife
Reading Room by request.
2/8-9
Judith McCulloh - University of Illinois
Press - correspondence, 1986-2002 , Bulk: 1986-1994
1986-2002
Bulk: 1986-1994
Judith McCulloh was Holtzberg's Executive Editor for
The Lost World
of the Craft Printer
. Correspondence concerns the contracting,
editing, and production of the book.
2/10
Permissions - correspondence, 1987-1990
1987-1990
Correspondence concerns the licensing of works for reproduction in The Lost
World of the Craft Printer
2/11
Permissions - informants, 1990
1990
Includes correspondence securing permissions from informants and
interviewees' for reuse of their statements. Includes some correspondence
with interviewees and their families, and information on some interviewees'
whereabouts in 1992.
3/1
Reviews, 1992-1996
1992-1996
manuscripts; 1 photographic
print
Professional and personal reviews of
the Lost World of the Craft
Printer
, including some correspondence with printers.
3/2
University of Illinois production, 1990-1992
1990-1992
manuscripts; 4 photographic
prints
Correspondence concerns the editing, design, production, and promotion of
The Lost World of the Craft Printer
. Three of the
photographs are historical pictures of the Union Printers Home.
3/3
New York Typographical Union No. 6 contract,
1984 March 31
1984 March 31
1 printed booklet
3/4
"Old Times in the Print Shop" booklet,
reproduction, 1939
1939
Photocopy reproduction of "Old Times in the Print Shop" booklet from 1939,
produced by Sam'l Bingham's Son MFG. CO. in Chicago. The booklet features
illustrations and descriptions of the lifestyles and culture of printers in the
1920s.
3/5
Printing research, 1984-1998 , bulk: 1984-1987
1984-1998
bulk: 1984-1987
Newspaper clippings, ephemera, notes, and other materials concerning the
history and culture of printers and the printing trade.
3/6
Responses to newsletter queries, 1986-1987
1986-1987
Holtzberg placed adds reaching out to printing professionals in both the
March/April 1986 issue of the American Printing History Association Newsletter
and the April 1986 issue of "The Printer" serial. The folder includes a few
brief responses to those requests, and copies of the serials.
3/7
Carl Schlesinger - correspondence, 1987-1990
1987-1990
manuscripts; 1 photographic
print
Photograph is a still from Schlesinger's documentary film "Farewell, Etaoin
Shrdlu."
Trailside Country School, 1972-1973
1972-1973
Two journals written while Maggie Holtzberg was a student at the Trailside
Country School, based in Killington, Vermont. The Trailside Country School was
a traveling high school run by Michael Cohen and Diana Cohen that taught
cultural documentation. The notebooks include diary entries, song lyrics, music
transcription, and ephemera from locations throughout the United States where
the students traveled.
3/8
Journal, 1972 September - 1973
March
1972 September - 1973
March
1 bound notebook
3/9
Journal, 1973
March-August
1973
March-August
1 bound notebook