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Start Over Repository University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Subject Authors Subject Book industries and trade Year 1955 to 1959

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Siegfried Weisberger papers, 1708-1955 (inclusive) 1923-1955 (bulk)

Extent:
4 linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract:
This collection includes material collected by Siegfried Weisbeger (1896-1984), proprietor of the Peabody Book Shop in Baltimore Maryland and confidante of H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), a noted writer, editor, and social provocateur, famous for his disdain for common morals and received wisdom. The collection contains correspondence between the two men and other correspondents of the Peabody Book Shop, manuscripts and published writings by and about Mencken (many of them signed), and autobiographical writings and poems written by Weisberger.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Jay A. Gertzman research collection on censorship, 1882-1999 (inclusive) 1920-1950 (bulk)

Extent:
4 linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract:
Jay A. Gertzman is professor emeritus of English at Mansfield University. This collection includes research material collected and used by Jay Gertzman to produce his book Bookleggers and Smuthounds: The Trade in Erotica, 1920-1940;. Documents collected here pertain to the proliferation and censorship of erotic material in the era between the two World Wars.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Harold Dies papers relating to the Dreiser Trust, 1903-2013 (inclusive) 1955-2012 (bulk)

Extent:
9 linear feet (9 boxes)
Abstract:
Harold Dies (1914-2012) was a trustee of the Dreiser Trust from its establishment following Helen Dreiser's death in 1955 to his own death in 2012. The Dreiser Trust managed the income and approved contracts for sale of Theodore Dreiser's published works. This collection documents Harold Dies' work with the Dreiser trust and includes financial information; agreements, copyright, correspondence, and royalty statements relating to the works of Helen Dreiser, Theodore Dreiser (bulk), and Paul Dresser; correspondence relating to the Trust and the estates of family members; legal and court records relating to estates of family members; some personal material of Harold Dies and members of the Dreiser family (including Gertrude A. Hopkins Dorn (niece of Theodore Dreiser), Helen Dreiser, Theodore Dreiser, Vera Dreiser, and Paul Dresser (brother of Theodore Dreiser)); and publications using Dreiser material or Dreiser-inspired content.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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Jay A. Gertzman collection on Samuel Roth, 1926-2014 (inclusive)

Extent:
4 linear feet (5 boxes)
Abstract:
Jay A. Gertzman, professor emeritus of English at Mansfield University, is the author of four books: Fantasy, Fashion, and Affection: Illustrated and Decorated Editions of Robert Herrick's Poetry, Bookleggers and Smuthounds: The Trade in Erotica, 1920-1940; Samuel Roth, Infamous Modernist; and A Descriptive Bibliography of Lady Chatterley's Lover: With Essays Toward a Publishing History of the Novel. This collection focuses on Gertzman's research on Samuel Roth (1893-1974), writer, publisher, and entrepreneur, who is best known for publishing unauthorized excerpts of James Joyce's Ulysses in the United States, and for being the plaintiff in a landmark case before the United States Supreme Court that redefined what constitutes obscene material unprotected by the First Amendment. Researchers will find notes associated with Gertzman's book, Samuel Roth, Infamous Modernist, which was published in 2013 by University Press of Florida, as well as various research notes on Samuel Roth's...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

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William Steig papers, circa 1907-2002 (inclusive) 1950-2000 (bulk)

Extent:
21 linear feet (45 boxes)
Abstract:
William Steig (1907-2003) was an American cartoonist, illustrator, and writer of children's books. In 1930, Steig began a long and fruitful relationship with The New Yorker, for which he produced more than 2,600 drawings and 117 covers. When he was sixty-one, Steig began writing children's books, including Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969), Dominic (1972), Doctor De Soto (1982), and Shrek! (1990), the basis for the DreamWorks animated film of the same name. This collection includes 45 boxes of material, including correspondence; personal and professional records; drafts of Steig's writings; financial records; press, promotional material, and material from exhibits; awards Steig received; and original artwork, including original ink and watercolor drawings and work that would later appear in the New Yorker. There is also ephemera related to the movie Shrek, as well as personal artifacts, such as Steig's brushes and pens.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]