© Mennonite Heritage Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Last updated Oct. 26, 2006)

  • Mennonite Literary Society Inc.


    Retrieval numbers: Volume 1971-1974, 4646

    Title: Mennonite Literary Society Inc. fonds
    Dates: 1971-1992
    Extent: 40 cm of textual records
    Repository: Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives

    Historical note

    In 1971 the Brock Publishing Ltd. was incorporated as a private company in the Province of Manitoba, with the first officers being Roy Vogt, President, Ed Unrau, Vice-president and Margarete Wieler, Secretary. In September 1971 this company published the first issue of the Mennonite Mirror, a news magazine, published 10 times per year. The Mennonite Mirror continued to be published until July 1991. In 1975 the company, Brock Publishing Ltd., was re-organised and the name changed to Mennonite Literary Society Inc.
    Although the main aim of the Mennonite Literary Society was to publish the Mennonite Mirror, it's purpose also included promoting other literary activities including the publishing of books. By 1991 it was decided that to discontinue the publishing of the Mennonite Mirror. At that time there was a committed staff, good support from the Mennonite community, and the society was financially stable. It would be better to suspend publication at a time when things were good and end on good terms, than to wait until matters began to worsen.
    Over the twenty years that the Mennonite Mirror was published, there were many contributors to this magazine. These included the writing staff, the subscribers, the business supporters, as well as the publishers. Several significant persons who contributed to the publication were Roy Vogt, Al Reimer, and Ruth Vogt who filled the positions of editor. Roy Vogt was also the Publisher. Ed Unrau, Harry Loewen, Victor Doerksen, Mavis Reimer, John Schroeder, Rudy Friesen, Arkie Wiens and Frieda Unruh were only some of the significant contributors behind the Mennonite Mirror.

    Scope and content note

    This fonds consists of 8 series: 1) Legal documents, 1971-1991 2) Minutes, 1972-1991 3) Correspondence, 1972-1991 4) Finances, 1974-1991 5) Books, 1974-1990 6) Indexes, lists, and catalogues related to the Mennonite Mirror, 1980-1990 7) Surveys, 1984-1985, 1990 8) Brock Publishing, 1971-1992.

    Index terms

    Creators

  • Mennonite Literary Society Inc.

    Adjunct descriptive data

    Finding aids

    Finding aid: Series description, inventory file list.

    Notes

    Custodial history

    This collection was obtained by the Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives from The Mennonite Literary Society on April 14, 1998.

    Arrangement

    Arranged and described by Iris Hiebert in June 1998.

    Restrictions on access

    none

    Other notes

    Accession No. 98-076

    SERIES DESCRIPTION

    1. Legal Documents. - 1972-1991. - 2 cm of textual records. This series consists of legal documents pertaining to the Mennonite Mirror. Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 1971: 1
    2. Minutes. - 1972-1991. - 4 cm of textual records. This series consists of minutes pertaining to the Mennonite Literary Society shareholders meetings, and minutes from Mennonite Mirror related meetings. Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 1971: 2-7
    3. Correspondence. - 1972-1991. - 9 cm of textual records. This series consists of correspondence related to letters written to or from the Mennonite Mirror. Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 1971: 8-10 Volume 1972: 1-23
    4. Finances. - 1974-1991. - 12 cm of textual records. This series consists of employee earning records, financial statements, sales journals, finance journals, ledgers, and lease information related to the Mennonite Mirror as well as Mennonite Literary Society financial statements. Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 1973: 1-2 Volume 1974: 1-8
    5. Books. - 1974-1990. - 2 cm of textual records. This series consists of manuscripts and correspondence related to books that were published by the Mennonite Literary Society, such as Russian Dance of Death (Reimer) and Low German Dictionary (Rempel). There is also correspondence relating to agreement between the Mennonite Literary Society and Hyperion Press regarding the publishing of other books such as A Sackful of Plautietsch and None but Saints (Urry). Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 4646: 1-5
    6. Indexes, Lists, and Catalogues related to the Mennonite Mirror. - 1980-1990. - 2 cm of textual records. This series consists of lists, indexes, proposals, policies, and catalogues, related to the Mennonite Mirror. Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 4646: 6-8
    7. Surveys. - 1984-1985, 1990. - 1 cm of textual records. This series consists of a membership survey and a Mennonite Mirror survey. Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 4646: 9-10
    8. Brock Publishing Record Book. - 1971-1992. - 5 cm of textual records. This series consists of share certificates, bylaws, resolutions, and minutes of meetings related to the the Brock Publishing Ltd. and the Mennonite Literary Society. It includes some of the legal documents such as the "Letters Patent of Incorporation". Title based on the contents. Location: Volume 4646: 11

      Mennonite Literary Society Inc. inventory file list


      Volume 1971
      Series 1: Legal Documents
      1. Legal documents. - 1972-1991.

      Series 2: Minutes
      1. Mennonite Literary Society minutes. - 1976-1990.
      2. Shareholders meeting minutes. - 1971-1975.
      3. Business Committee meeting minutes. - 1971-1991.
      4. Fundraising Committee meeting minutes. - 1986.
      5. Mennonite Book Club minutes. - 1986-1989.
      6. Building Representatives meeting minutes. - February 14, 19??.

      Series 3: Correspondence
      1. Jack Thiessen correspondence with Mennonite Mirror. - 1972- 1984.
      2. Writers correspondence. - 1972-1988.
      3. Letters to the Editor. - 1973-1989.

      Volume 1972
      1. Victor Peters correspondence with Mennonite Mirror. - 1975- 1981.
      2. Business Committee correspondence. - 1975-1980.
      3. Mennonite Literary Society correspondence. - 1976-1986.
      4. Editorial Committee correspondence. - 1977-1981.
      5. Correspondence to Al Reimer for the Mennonite Literary Society regarding Mulitculturalism. - 1977-1986.
      6. Correspondence regarding finances. - 1978-1989.
      7. Winnipeg Mennonite Theatre correspondence. - 1980-1987.
      8. Book publishing correspondence. - 1982.
      9. MEDA correspondence. - 1982-1984.
      10. Hyperion Press correspondence - 1983.
      11. Mennonite Book Club correspondence - 1984-1988.
      12. D.W. Friesen correspondence. - 1985-1988.
      13. Fundraising correspondence. - 1986-1991.
      14. Computer related correspondence. - 1987.
      15. Chair of Mennonite Studies (Harry Loewen) correspondence. - 1987.
      16. Mennonite Historical Society correspondence. - 1988.
      17. Thorne Riddell correspondence. - 1988-1989.
      18. Correspondence regarding financial support (M.B. Intercultural Council) - 1988.
      19. Careerstart '89 correspondence. - 1989.
      20. Correspondence regarding subscriptions. - 1980-1991.
      21. Business correspondence. - 1980-1991.
      22. Correspondence regarding notices for meetings. - 1980-1991.
      23. Correspondence regarding advertisements for the special edition of Mennonite Mirror. - 1990

      Volume 1973
      Series 4: Finances
      1. Employee earning records. - 1974-1991.
      2. Mennonite Literary Society financial statements. - 1976-1989.

      Volume 1974
      1. Mennonite Literary Society financial synoptic 5. - 1985-1988.
      2. Mennonite Book Club finances. - 1984, 1986.
      3. Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society financial statement. - 1986.
      4. Mennonite Literary Society Synoptic 6. - 1988-1990.
      5. Mennonite Mirror Sales Journal. - 1988-1991.
      6. Mennonite Mirror general finance journal. - 1989.
      7. Mennonite Mirror general ledger. - 1975-1990.
      8. Mennonite Mirror lease information. - 1976-1991.

      Volume 4646
      Series 5: Books
      1. Al Reimer correspondence and manuscripts. - 1974-1979.
      2. Herman Rempel: Low German Dictionary. - 1982-1989.
      3. Dr. R.F. Friesen Book. - 1987.
      4. Dr. James Urry: "None but Saints". - 1989-1990.
      5. "A Sackful of Plautdietsch" agreement with Hyperion Press. - 1983.

      Series 6 : Indexes, Lists, and Catalogues related to the Mennonite Literary Society, Inc.
      1. List of articles and writers. - 1980-1990.
      2. Mennonite Mirror Index. - 1984-1988.
      3. Mennonite Book Club/Mennonite Books: proposals; policies; catalogues; etc. - 1987-1989.

      Series 7: Surveys
      1. Membership survey 1984/1985. - 1984-1985.
      2. Mennonite Mirror survey 1990. - 1990.

      Series 8: Brock Publishing Record Book
      1. Brock Publishing: share certificates; bylaws; resolutions; minutes of shareholders meetings; minutes of director's meetings; etc. - 1971-1992.