John Lescroart Papers
In 2023 and 2024, the Bancroft Library received the papers of New York Times best-selling author John Lescroart (Class of 1970). Lescroart has written 30 novels, most set in San Francisco, that routinely top the bestseller charts and have been nominated for numerous awards. His rich collection of papers include drafts of novels, correspondence with editors and readers, publicity ephemera, and a selection of materials from John's days as a student at Cal.
Ross Thomas Papers
In 2023, the Bancroft Library was gifted the papers of two-time Edgar Award winner Ross Thomas (1926-1995). Born in Oklahoma, Thomas lived much of his professional career in Malibu, California. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, diaries of Thomas' wife Rosalie, and a manuscript draft of his first novel, The Cold War Swap, which was named Best First Novel of 1967 by Mystery Writers of America. The Thomas' home was destroyed by fire in 1993, and the collection also includes a great deal of material about the Malibu fires of that year and their aftermath.
Bill Pronzini & Marcia Muller Collection
Since 2015, Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini—who have both been named as Grand Masters by Mystery Writers of America—have been supporting the California Detective Fiction Collection with regular gifts of copies of their own books. Since 2022, they supplemented their collection with copies of books from their personal library, which includes stellar copies of books by Lenore Glen Offord, Frances Crane, Dolores Hitchens, Whitman Chambers, Dorothy B. Hughes, David Dodge, James M. Cain, and many other California writers.
Erle Stanley Gardner Collection
In 2020, The Bancroft Library purchased a massive collection of works by Erle Stanley Gardner (the creator of Perry Mason). In addition to nearly every first edition, the collection includes both hardcover and paperback reprints. With the addition of this collection, the California Detective Fiction Collection has the second largest Gardner collection (after the Harry Ransom Center, which holds Gardner’s papers).
William C. "Willie" Gordon
The California Detective Fiction Collection received a significant financial contribution with the 2018 commitment by mystery writer William C. Gordon. Gordon, who graduated from Cal with a degree in English before earning a law degree at Hastings College of Law in 1964, gave Bancroft his papers and a monetary gift earmarked to support the California Detective Fiction Collection. The gift provides funds not only for new acquisitions, but also for cataloging and processing, enabling the library to provide access to materials in the collection. Unfortunately, Willie did not live to see his gift being put into action. He passed away in March 2019, but his generous legacy lives on.
Thomas H. Reynolds Collection of Ross Macdonald
The first major gift to the California Detective Fiction Collection came from Thomas H. Reynolds, Foreign and Comparative Law Librarian Emeritus from the Berkeley School of Law, in 2016. The collection comprises thirty-seven exemplary copies of first editions by Ross Macdonald and other rare volumes. This collection nicely supplements the Bancroft Library’s holdings of Margaret Millar.
Anthony Boucher Collection
The Anthony Boucher collection was donated in Spring 2016 by Boucher's sons, Lawrence and James White. The collection comprises an extensive library of Boucheriana, including copies of books that Boucher gave to his mother, his personal copies of issues of periodicals for which he served as editor or contributor, and a collection of programs and ephemera from the annual Anthony Boucher Memorial Mystery Convention, known familiarly as "Bouchercon."
Robert Berring, Jr. Collection of Detective Fiction
In 2019, Robert "Bob" Berring, Professor of Law and Law Librarian, Berkeley School of Law, donated multiple volumes of crime fiction that included significant titles by Raymond Chandler, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Barbara Seranella, Walter Mosely, and others.
Mark Coggins Collection of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler
In 2020, Mark Coggins—himself a celebrated local mystery writer—donated a significant collection of books that included first editions of nearly all of Dashiell Hammett’s and Raymond Chandler’s novels.