Muir Dawson, 1921-2005, was a bookseller who oversaw the Dawson's Book Shop for more than 50 years. A partner in the bookstore since 1947, Muir Dawson specialized in rare books on the history of printing. He also led several projects in the Dawson family's publishing business. Between 1906 and 2003, Dawson's Book Shop published 383 projects. The shop is known for its rare books on California history, Western Americana, and, more recently, photography. Dawson, who retired in 1995, worked many years in partnership with Glen, his older brother. Glen Dawson became a partner in 1936 and retired in 1992. It was the brothers who moved the shop to its current Larchmont Village address in 1968, after four downtown Los Angeles locations.

A cultural crossroads for the city for almost a century, the shop was opened on South Broadway by their father, Ernest, in April 1905. Along with Jake Zeitlin and Harry Levinson, Ernest Dawson has been credited with putting Los Angeles on an equal footing with New York and Chicago in the antiquarian book market.

After a course in printing at Scripps College while completing his degree at Pomona College in 1949, Muir Dawson began building the shop's inventory of books devoted to fine printing and book art. Intrigued with the work of early 19th century British wood engravor Thomas Bewick, he gradually added woodblocks and other artifacts of printing history, as well as graphic art from Japan. Muir Dawson was a former local and national president of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) and former president of the Book Club of California.

Agnes Dawson learned the book business in the offices of Dawson's Book Shop as a part-time employee. She married Muir Dawson in 1948, threw herself into the business, and never looked back. Agnes is now retired and an Emeritus member of the ABAA.