R.I.P. William Dailey

Long Time Los Angeles Bookseller

William Dailey has had a long and intense relationship with books. Before opening his first bookshop in 1975 with partner Victoria Dailey he worked for legendary Los Angeles bookman Jake Zeitlin where he developed his life-long interest in rare books. Following in Zeitlin’s footsteps he continues to deal in a broad list of subjects including literature, medicine, early printing, typography, bibliography, and alchemy. Bill split with his former wife and partner in 1990 and opened his shop on Melrose as Dailey Rare Books. Over seventy catalogues have been published but business is now conducted primarily by the internet and book fairs.  The Melrose retail shop was closed in 2007.

 

 From Nicole Panter via Facebook December 16, 2017
 I am sorry to tell everyone that my darling William Dailey passed away yesterday at around 10:40 am. He was hit by a car three blocks from our house and I am told he died on the scene. I am beside myself with grief. The last thing I said to him when he left the house was “please be careful crossing the street.”

From Deanne Dailey Hansen via Facebook:

My brother, William Dailey, was a prominent rare book dealer and a leading authority on the subject. He donated a large collection of rare books on vegetarianism circa 1547 to 1970 to the Lilly Library at Indiana University in Bloomington. Last year, he and his girlfriend, Nicole Panter, traveled (via Evansville) to Bloomington where Bill gave a talk on the collection at the Lilly Library. Nicole recorded the talk and it is available on YouTube for those of us who would like to see Bill again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVOoY6J2UhE&t=68s
Billl’s website Is:http://www.daileyrarebooks.com/

Bill’s book store from 1990 through 2007 was:  Dailey Rare Books, 8216 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA. 90046

Bill Dailey’s last book talk at the Lilly Library where he donated a large collection of books on vegitarianism.

2 thoughts on “R.I.P. William Dailey

  1. I don’t believe this. It can’t be real. I saw Mr. Dailey in October at the Printer’s Fair in Torrance. Mr. Dailey is one of the most creative booksellers Los Angeles has had. He went way past just buying and selling. Certain of his catalogs are unique reference sources. He’s a genuine enthusiast. Always hunting for the most interesting and slightly off-beat treasures. This is terrible news.

  2. From 1990-2007 Bill’s bookshop was called Dailey Rare Books. He was not partnered with Victoria for decades.

    The commentator above is absolutely right about Bill’s genius.

    Thank you,
    Nicole Panter

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