Henry A.
Clausen (1902-1984)
home
"In June of
that same year [1954], while on a senior trip, I first stepped into old Mr.
Clausen's bookshop in Colorado Springs, a shop I was to revisit often for the
next twenty-five years. On this first visit I bought a ratty, but to me
resplendent, issue of Byron."
(an excerpt from Larry
McMurtry's Walter Benjamin At The Dairy Queen, Simon &
Schuster, NY, 1999)
by Douglas Clausen
(copyright, 1998,
2012)
R.Dean Lakin
For more than 60 years, the Clausen name has
been synonymous with old, rare and out-of-print books in Colorado Springs, the
Pikes Peak Region, and in the greater United States. Born in Brooklyn,
New York on April 4, 1902, Henry Aage Christian Kirchheiner Clausen was a great
book lover and widely respected Colorado Springs book dealer. Henry
learned the book business as an employee of the London Bookstore and later
Earnest Dawson's Bookshop in Los Angeles. Following World War II,
the Clausen family moved to Colorado Springs, where Henry opened Clausen's
Bookshop on the second floor of the old Giddings Building (more recently the
Fashion Bar Men's Shop) on July 1, 1946.
Over the years
he developed a reputation for honesty, integrity and extraordinary literary and
rare book knowledge. As a bookman from the "old school," he
felt responsible not only for the mere act of selling a book, but
for making sure his books were placed in the 
right hands. He was apprehensive of customers
who wanted merely "pretty" volumes that looked good on bookshelves in
corporate offices. Those people would quickly find themselves directed to
the nearest Goodwill Store, known for its vast quantities of Readers Digest titles.
Henry had a reputation for being somewhat stubborn and "crusty" with
people, but true bibliophiles understood his shortness with customers who never
read anything more in-depth than the ingredients on a soup can. He always
gave a fair price for books bought, and never minced words about the value or 
lack thereof, of a customer's treasured family
heirloom.
His unparalleled
knowledge of used and rare books, ephemera and incunabula was further evidenced
by his long-time association with the Manuscript Society, as a charter member
of the Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners, the Wyoming Historical Society, and
Pikes Peak Historical Society. He was a Posse Member and contributing author to
The Denver Westerners, the Colorado Historical Society, Pikes Peak
Historical Society, Ghost Town Club of Colorado Springs, and the Colorado
Springs chapter of the Circus Fans of America (Bird Millman Tent #86).
At various times
throughout his colorful life, Henry was a professional wrestler, artist's
model, gandy dancer, court reporter for the Southern Pacific Railroad,
tuna fisherman, reporter for a Danish-American newspaper in New York, traveling
art critic, hobo, life guard, director of various Southern California
WPA-sponsored art projects during the Depression years, and a silent-film movie
extra. Some of the movies he appeared in include, "Thief of
Bagdad" with Douglas Fairbanks Sr., "Sea Hawk" with Milton Sills
and "Merry Widow" with John Gilbert and Mae Murray. He
was also a collector of fine art and authored an art column for the Colorado
Springs Free Press in the 1950's. Last, but not least, Henry was
an ardent bibliophile. He and my mother Betty also managed to raise seven
children.
Henry
Clausen (From an early 30's portrait by Dallas artist Reid Crowell)
Rare
and used books notwithstanding, my father was justifiably proud of his work as
an artist's model, a career he began in the early 1920's at the Art Students
League in New York City. He modeled for and was a favorite of such
artists as Thomas Hart Benton, S. MacDonald Wright, Boardman Robinson, Jackson
Pollock, Reid Crowell, Olin Travis, Donal Hord, Don Totten, and others. His
familiar head and shoulders may still be found gracing the walls of museums,
post offices, universities, libraries and private collections from California
to New York. He also did some modeling at the Colorado 
Springs
Fine Art Center for the first time in 1926, while passing through the Springs
with a traveling carnival.
Publicity photo of "Henri" Clausen, professional wrestling's House of David champion in the 1920's >>>
From Marianne Berardi’s book, Under The Influence: The Students of Thomas Hart Benton, comes the following quote: “Ivy Starr, who studied with Benton in 1933, recalls that one of the chief attractions of his classes was that he always had “the best model at the League” – probably Henry Clausen, who later followed Benton to Kansas City” (from an unpublished memoir of James Britton Gantt). Between modeling jobs, Henry wrestled Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Harry Houdini, and a host of other characters. At one time billed as the House of David Champion, he managed to survive over 2,800 professional wrestling matches on the carnival circuit. He had the familiar "cauliflower" ears of a rassler, but his hands were gentle enough to carefully examine and repair the Last Will and Testament of the great Western scout, Kit Carson. You may read more about his wrestling career in an article he wrote for the 1977 Denver Westerners Brandbook, entitled Wrestling In Colorado and the Other 49 States.
When my father passed away in
1984, Elizabeth (Betty) Clausen, kept the store open for another 11 years,
generously assisted by Colorado Springs bookdealer Chuck Robinove, and by her
many long-time friends and associates, especially JoAnn Bader, who at one
time ran the Pikes Peak Library Friends Bookstore at the main Pikes Peak
Library. Now once again, the Clausens are back in the book
business. My father is a hard act to follow, but as the continuing generation
of Clausen family booksellers, I, my wife Pam, and my brother John pledge
to provide the best possible value in rare, used and out-of-print
books. We unconditionally guarantee our books, and we strive to
live up to the good name that Henry A. Clausen brought to the book
trade. His honesty, integrity, and knowledge will forever be the
foundation of our bookstore, as will his long-time motto:
"Old Books, Like Old Friends, Wear Well."
Sketch of Henry Clausen, published
by the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph following his death in 1984.
He is buried along side his wife Elizabeth in Carpinteria, California.