Identity area
Reference code
CA OTUTF MS COLL 00397
Title
Readers' Club of Canada Collection
Date(s)
- 1959-1981 (Creation)
Level of description
Manuscript Collection
Extent and medium
1 box (6.5 cm)
Context area
Name of creator
(1959-[19-?])
Administrative history
The Readers' Club of Canada was launched by Peter and Carol Martin in 1959. At the time, it was the only book club in Canada to offer its members an entirely Canadian book selection. When the club got into financial difficulty in 1978, it was sold to New Leaf, the holding company that owned Saturday Night magazine. Substantial investments in promotion failed to raise the club's membership from 6000 to a target 20 000, and it was eventually closed down by Saturday Night's next owner, Norman Webster.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The collection consists largely of generic shareholders' correspondence, shareholder reports and annual audited financial reports of the Readers' Club of Canada. There are also a few personal letters between Peter Martin and Patricia Blackburn.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Material may be requested in person at the Fisher Library Reference Desk, or in advance using our online stack retrieval request form: https://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/stack-retrieval-request
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English