Hubert H. Bancroft 1832 - 1918
1 book in the catalogue, published 2008.
Hubert Howe Bancroft (1832 to 1918) was an American historian, publisher and book collector whose multivolume histories covered the American West. We publish one book under his name, a reprint of his history of Colorado.
About Hubert H. Bancroft
According to Wikipedia, Bancroft was born on May 5, 1832, in Granville, Ohio. He was sent to San Francisco in 1852 to open a West Coast office for a book firm, and he built a publishing business there. In 1868 he left the business to his brother and gave his time to writing history. He died on March 2, 1918, at his country home in Walnut Creek, California.
He also gathered a huge library of books, maps and manuscripts. The University of California bought roughly 60,000 volumes in 1905, and the Bancroft Library at Berkeley carries his name. Wikipedia adds that assistants wrote much of the work published under his name, so he is often described as an editor and compiler.
What the books share
Bancroft's histories reach across the West: Texas, California, Alaska, Mexico, Central America and British Columbia, as well as the Rocky Mountain states. The set was issued in San Francisco by the History Company, and the Internet Archive's record shows it running to 39 volumes. Colorado appears in the volume History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming. The work gives later readers a view of how the region was told in the late nineteenth century, which is why a reprint of the Colorado section is still useful.
The subjects this author is catalogued under. Open Library record.
Next steps for readers of this author
Reading about the man behind the set
Start with the Berkeley guide, then return to the Colorado reprint. Knowing how the Works were collected and compiled helps you judge which passages rest on his own research and which on notes gathered by others.
Planning research at Berkeley
If you want to see Bancroft material in person, read the library's visiting page and write ahead with the volume or subject you want. Bring the call numbers, not just a topic, so staff can pull items promptly.
Go deeper
Bancroft's name now belongs to a library as well as a history series. These pages from the University of California explain how his collection began and what researchers can still use.
Hubert Howe Bancroft Collection, Berkeley library guide
A guide to the research collection that forms the core of the Bancroft Library. It describes how he collected books, manuscripts, maps and periodicals after arriving in California in 1852, and how large the holdings grew.
The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley
The university's own page for its main special collections library. It states the library's purpose and lists visiting hours and access information, which can change, so check it before you go.
Latin Americana Collection
The library says this collection grew out of Bancroft's publishing on the Pacific States, from Panama to Alaska. A reminder that his reach went well beyond Colorado.
Good to know
When did Hubert Howe Bancroft live?
Did Bancroft write every word himself?
How many books of his do you publish?
Writers like this one are how the list was built
We have published Colorado and Western writers since 1996, and every submission is still read by a person. Send yours, finished or half written.