Dive into who leaves a mark on L.A. in this examanation of the Los Angeles Public Library’s 1,700-object autograph collection, on the occassion of a new book about it by Josh Kun.
In 1906, librarian Charles Lummis started L.A.’s very own autograph collection, in which paintings, poems, speeches and music from the likes of L. Frank Baum, James Carroll Beckwith, Katherine Lee Bates, Langston Hughes, Isaac Asimov, Helen Keller and others were added to the Los Angeles Public Library’s permanent collection. Then in 2018, librarian John F. Szabo extended the collection to include all Angelenos who hoped to add something with a one-day event—which then brought along contributions from Roy Choi, Patt Morrison, Cheech Marin, Norman Lear and more.