Manuscript Collection MS COLL 00397 - Readers' Club of Canada Collection

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

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

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Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

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Notes area

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Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto

Rules and/or conventions used

Dates of creation revision deletion

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