Contents


Collection Overview

Historical Note

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Organization of the Collection

Search Terms

Series I. Book Catalogues, 1921-1937

Series II. Correspondence, 1921-1973

Series III. Publicity, 1924-1979

Series IV. Writings, 1929-1930

Series V. Photographs

Series I. Book Catalogues, 1921-1937

Series II. Correspondence, 1921-1973

Series III. Publicity, 1924-1979

Series IV. Writings, 1929-1930

Series V. Photographs

Holliday Bookshop Collection, 1921-1979

Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Lynne M. Fors.

Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

2003

Collection Overview

Creator: Holliday Bookshop
Title: Holliday Bookshop Collection
Dates: 1921-1979
Abstract: Husband and wife co-owners of a bookshop in New York City that initially specialized in importing English books, as well as offering unusual and rare books, especially first editions of contemporary authors and private press books. Contains book catalogues, correspondence, writings, publicity, and photographs.
Extent: 1 box(0.5 linear ft.)
Language: English.
Identification: MS 10

Historical Note

Terence Holliday, an avid reader, worked at Brentano's in 1919, in order to learn "something about the book business." In 1920, Terence and his wife Elsa (Smith class of 1911) opened their bookshop on 10 West 47th Street in New York City. The bookshop began to slowly grow, despite the Holliday's choice to ignore the advice of Frank Crowningshield of Vanity Fair, to "have a couple of attractive young ladies serve tea in the shop every afternoon." Initially, the bookshop specialized in importing English books, as well as offering unusual and rare books, especially first editions of contemporary authors and private press books. Later, the Hollidays promoted the works of younger British and American poets and novelists, such as W. H. Auden, Thornton Wilder, Virginia Woolf, Aldous Huxley, Katherine Mansfield, William Faulkner, and T. S. Eliot.

In 1925, the bookshop moved to 49 West 49th Street. This location was a propitious one, since there were specialty bookshops in the area. Rather than competing for customers, the bookshops cooperated, making referrals and placing orders for each other. Unfortunately, some of the larger publishers in competition with the Holliday were not nearly as gracious. The import of English editions was made difficult by the existing copyright laws, and the invention of "limited editions" from the larger houses also threatened business.

The Hollidays weathered the Depression, with Terence lecturing occasionally and writing articles to make ends meet. However, by 1950, the difficulties of running the bookshop began to wear on Terence, and the Hollidays began to look for a buyer for their shop. A run of bad luck ensued, including two destructive fires of suspicious origin.

In 1951, the Hollidays sold their bookstore to Robert T. Vanderbilt, and retired in Milford, Connecticut. Terence Holliday died in 1969 at the age of 84. Elsa Detmold Holliday died in 1991 at the age of 100. After 31 years of existence, the Holliday bookshop had become more than a bookshop; it had become an "Institution."

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The archive of the Holliday Bookshop contains book catalogues, correspondence, writings, publicity, and photographs, dating from 1921 to 1979. The archive was donated to the Mortimer Rare Book Room in 1994 by John Detmold, in memory of his aunt, Elsa Detmold Holliday, class of 1911. The collection is divided up into five series, in 52 folders.

Return to the Table of Contents

Search Terms

Return to the Table of Contents

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into five series:

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is divided up into five series, in 52 folders.

Return to the Table of Contents

Series I. Book Catalogues, 1921-1937

Series I. consists of book catalogues written and distributed monthly by the Hollidays (folders 1-8). These catalogues were the source of the majority of their business, as well as being valuable references for collectors and librarians.

Series II. Correspondence, 1921-1973

Series II. contains the Bookshop correspondence, including cards and letters from Archibald MacLeish, Louisa Brooke Jones, and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt (folders 8-34).

Series III. Publicity, 1924-1979

Series III. consists of publicity surrounding the bookshop, including an advertisement which ran in the first issue of the New Yorker, information on the sale of the shop, and various reviews and articles written about the bookshop (folders 35-45).

Series IV. Writings, 1929-1930

Series IV. consists of writings by Elsa and Terence Holliday, including a history of the bookshop, and an article on bookselling for Encyclopedia Britannica (folders 46-49).

Series V. Photographs

Series V. contains photographs of the Hollidays, and their close friends Irving and Ellen Berlin (folders 50-52).

Series I. Book Catalogues, 1921-1937


1
Books to Read and Re-read 1921 [1 item]

2
Catalog of Modern and Contemporary Books n.d. [1 item]

3
Holliday Books for Christmas 1930-1950 [20 items]

4
The Holliday Book Shop. Current Books, No. 8-10 1924 [3 items]

5
The Holliday Book Shop. New & Forthcoming Books, No. 11-20 1925-1929 [9 items]

6
The Holliday Book Shop. New & Forthcoming Books, No. 21-23 1929-1931 [3 items].

7
100 Good Books [1937] [1 item]

8
Ten Favorite Books n.d. [1 item]

Series II. Correspondence, 1921-1973


9
Bogan, Louise. ALS 1943 Aug 1

10
Brandt & Brandt. TLS 1952 Mar 18


Brandt & Brandt. TLS 1952 Mar 31


From Elsa Holliday. TL 1952 Apr 1


Brandt & Brandt. TLS 1952 Apr 3


From Elsa Holliday. TL 1952 May 14


Brandt & Brandt. TLS 1952 May 20

11
Carter, John and Ernestine. Card and envelope 1940 Dec 27

12
Curtiss, Mina. TLS 1951 Aug 4

13
Doubleday, Page and Co. TLS 1924 Feb 24


From Holliday Book Shop. TL 1924 Feb 25


Doubleday, Page and Co. TLS 1924 Feb 27

14
Encyclopedia Britannica. TLS 1928 Sep 14


Encyclopedia Britannica. TLS 1928 Sep 20


From Terence Holliday. TLS 1928 Sep 27

15
Fletcher, Frank Irving. TLS 1923 Jul 20

16
Gregg, Eleanor and Alan. ALS 1951 Oct 22

17
Harpers' Bazaar. TLS 1938 Jul 19

18
Holliday, Terence and Elsa. ACS 1921 2 copies

19
Holliday Book Shop. TL 1924 Dec 4

20
Jones, Louisa Brooke. ACS 1943 Aug 12


Jones, Louisa Brooke. ALS 1951 Jul 26

21
MacLeish, Archibald. TLS 1943 Aug 9

22
Marshall, Lenore G. ALS 1943 Aug 10

23
McFee, William. ALS and envelope 1922 Nov 27


New Yorker

24
Advertising Dept. TLS 1925 Mar 16


Advertising Dept. TLS 1925 Mar 16


Editorial Offices. TLS 1975 Mar 11 3 copies

25
Peirce, Albert E. Care of Mrs. C. M. Thomas. 2 bills and ACS sent from Terence Holliday 1930 Jun 6

26
Random House. ACS 1938 Jun 29

27
Roosevelt, Mrs. Theodore. ACS n.y. Aug 31

28
Shawn, William. Draft letter by Elsa Holliday n.d.

29
Simon and Schuster. TLS 1942 Apr 29


Simon and Schuster. TLS 1942 May 8


Simon and Schuster. TLS 1942 Jul 7

30
Smith College Library. TLS 1962 Jul 31

31
Smith College Museum of Art. TLS 1973 May 30

32
Sze, Marimai. ALS 1943 Aug 8


Sze, Marimai. ALS 1952 Jun 2

33
Whistler, Laurence. ALS 1952 Sep 19

33a
Wilson, Edmund. ALS and transcript. 1951 Jul 29

34
Unidentified [first initial V] n.d.

Series III. Publicity, 1924-1979


35
Advertisement for special edition of book entitled The Squire's Home-made Wines 1924 Feb.

36
Article describing popularity of recent books from England at the Holliday Bookshop n.d.

37
Article describing lecture given by Mrs. Terence Holliday at the American Association of University Women n.d.

38
Bulletin of The New York Library Club. Includes speech made by Terence Holliday, "Not Everyone Reads Best Sellers" at the January Meeting 1930 Jan 30

39
Cartoon of the Holliday Book Shop. Caption reads "The Holiday Book Shop at 49 East 49th Street," n.d.

40
"Holliday Bookshop sold to British Book Centre." Article from Publisher's Weekly in the "Retailing" section 1961 Apr 3

41
"A Magazine in Transition is the Talk of the Town." Article from New York Times on William Shawn and the New Yorker 1979 May 27

42
New Yorker. Reproduction of first issue, with advertisement for Holliday Book Shop on pg. 26 1925 Feb 21

43
Review of The Squire's Home-made Wines 1924 Feb

44
Tallis, Thomas. Printed copy of inscription on tomb n.d.

45
"Terence Holliday to Address Literary Department." Article from The Villager 1931 Dec 1

Series IV. Writings, 1929-1930



HOLLIDAY, ELSA

46
"Holiday [sic] in Name Only." Mimeographed manuscript, annotated in pen. n.d. 39 pages


"Holiday [sic] in Name Only." Typescript manuscript, annotated in pencil. n.d. 39 pages

47
"The Literary Scene in New York in the 20's, 30's & 40's." Typescript draft of talk given by Elsa Holliday at meeting of American Association of University Women n.d.


HOLLIDAY, TERENCE

48
"Bookselling in the United States." Typescript draft. For inclusion in the Encyclopedia Brittanica 1930

49
["Not Everyone Reads Best Sellers"]. Typescript version of talk given at The New York Library Club. 1930 Jan 30


"Not Everyone Reads Best Sellers." Publishers's Weekly 1929 Jul 27


"Not Everyone Reads Best Sellers." Reprinted by The Holliday Book Shop from Publishers' Weekly.

Series V. Photographs


50
3 black and white photographs of Terence and Elsa Holliday.

51
Ellen and Irving Berlin and 3 daughters. Photograph mounted on Christmas card.

52
3 color transparencies and one color photograph depicting Terence Holliday and a model at The Holliday Book Shop.