Oral Histories

Interview of James K. Hakes

Founder and owner of the Westwood Book Store.
Subtitle:
The Westwood Book Store oral history transcript : James K. Hakes, Herbert Meyers, Betty Rosenberg, Lore Sabersky, Margaret Winkler
Series:
Westwood Book Store
Topic:
Books and Fine Printing
Biographical Note:
Founder and owner of the Westwood Book Store.
Interviewer:
Stern, Stephen
Interviewee:
Hakes, James K.
Persons Present:
Tapes I-III: Hakes and Stern; Tape IV: Rosenberg, Hakes, Stern; Tapes V-VI: Stern interviewed Meyers, Winkler, and Sabersky separately. Rebecca Andrade, editor, UCLA Oral History Program, served as camera operator for the video session.
Place Conducted:
Powell Library, UCLA.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Stephen Stern, senior editor, UCLA Oral History Program;Ph.D., folklore and mythology, Indiana University.
Processing of Interview:
Virginia Carew, editor, UCLA Oral History Program, edited the interview transcripts. She edited for punctuation, spelling, and verification of proper names. Hakes reviewed and approved the edited transcript. Hakes made minor corrections and deletions and supplied spellings of names not previously verified.David P. Gist, editorial assistant, prepared the table of contents, introduction, interview history, and the index.
Length:
1.5 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
This interview series consists of interviews with five individuals who were involved in the history of the Westwood Book Store. The interviews discuss the store’s role in Westwood Village, its relationship to UCLA, and the issues involved in the day-to-day operation of a retail bookshop.
Abstract:
James K. Hakes: Family background; small town life in Iowa; early education; developing a taste for reading; working in bookstores; European bookstores; working at Campbell's Book Store; opening Westwood Book Store; early struggles; American Booksellers Association; regular customers; Westwood Village bookstores; bookseller acquaintances; personal library; individually owned versus chain bookstores; standards of book promotion; other Westwood booksellers; a book-oriented community; Hakes's associations with the UCLA library and community; UCLA and Westwood Village modernize; Westwood Book Store employees: Margaret Winkler, Herbert Meyers, Lore Sabersky, Serena Morgan, Gary Pierson, Alan Chabin; store policies and courtesies; Hakes sells Westwood Book Store shares to employees; UCLA library business; Hakes's role in bookstore; nighttime store hours and clientele; shoplifting and security problems; bookstore expands to include upstairs; impending move to a new building.