Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Subject American literature -- 20th century Year 1945 to 1949

William Jovanovich Papers, 1950-1996 (bulk) 1815-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:: 61 boxes and 32.8 linear feet
Abstract:: William Jovanovich (1920-2001) was an American publisher, author, and businessman, who led the publishing firm Harcourt Brace Jovanovich from 1954 to 1991, as president and later as chief executive officer. The collection consists of Jovanovich's author and publisher files, including an extensive file on Charles A. Lindbergh, along with correspondence, writings, personal and family papers, memorabilia, and other files documenting his career as a major American publisher in the 20th century, his creative pursuits in fiction and nonfiction, and his interest in Yugoslav literature and textbook publishing.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Archives of Henry Holt and Company, 1859-1981 (inclusive) 1890-1943 (bulk)

Extent:: 191 boxes, 435 volumes, and 133 linear feet
Abstract:: Henry Holt was a prominent publisher in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection consists of correspondence and manuscripts of authors published by the company, various bookkeeping records, and a collection of photographs, publicity materials, and clippings about Robert Frost.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Stanley Kunitz Papers, 1960-2005 (bulk) 1900-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:: 209 boxes
Abstract:: The Stanley Kunitz Papers consists of the literary and personal papers of Stanley Kunitz (1905-2006). A prominent American poet, Kunitz was also a known editor, translator, essayist, and educator. Kunitz's diverse interests are evident in the collection, which includes manuscripts of his writings, extensive correspondence, special-interest files, teaching materials, travel files, documents, photographs, memorabilia, artwork, calendars, annotated books, audiocassettes, papers of others, and printed material.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

William Wister Haines papers, 1932-1967 (inclusive)

Extent:: 7.33 linear feet (8 boxes)
Abstract:: William Wister Haines (1908-1989) was an American author, screenwriter, and playwright, most famous for his novels Slim and High Tension, which depicted working-class protagonists during the Great Depression, and Command Decision, a play and novel depicting the final stages of World War II. This collection includes material related to his literary work, especially in the form of drafts of novels, short stories, essays and articles, screenplays and television scripts, and plays.

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

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]

James Lambdin Henderson papers, 1911-1967 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: James Lambdin Henderson, a native of Philadelphia, was a member of the Philadelphia literary circles and a friend of Lewis and Sophia Mumford, Hilda Doolittle, and members of the Powys family of Welsh writers. This collection includes correspondence with these and several other of Henderson's friends, as well as some miscellaneous material relating to the correspondents, such as photographs and newspaper clippings.

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

Catherine Drinker Bowen drafts of John Adams and the American Revolution, 1946-1950 (inclusive)

Extent:: 5.6 linear feet (7 boxes)
Abstract:: Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897-1973) was an American writer best known for her popular (and occasionally controversial) biographies of prominent American and English historical figures. Her books were great successes in the popular market, but sometimes received criticism from academics for their occasional re-imagining of historical occurrences. This collection includes 5 boxes of material related to her 1950 biography of John Adams, John Adams and the American Revolution. It includes two full drafts of the book, organized by chapter, with each chapter containing various revisions. It also includes various versions of the book's prologue, source notes, and bibliography, as well as notes and corrections, along with a statement by Drinker Bowen explaining her biographical methods.

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

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]

John Louis Haney papers, 1885-1958 (inclusive) 1903-1958 (bulk)

Extent:: 8 linear feet (16 boxes )
Abstract:: This collection contains material related to the professional, academic, and personal life of John Louis Haney (1877-1960), a high school principal, scholar, and book collector. It contains correspondence; research notes on various topics; and manuscript drafts of essays, talks, and radio transcripts, as well as an inventory of his library and journals concerning his undergraduate and graduate education.

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

Paul Eldridge papers, 1909-1982 (inclusive)

Extent:: 13.5 linear feet (16 boxes)
Abstract:: Paul Eldridge (1888-1982) was an American poet, novelist, essayist, short story writer, and teacher. Most prolific in the 1940s, Eldridge's writing focused on issues of World War II, the Israeli-Palestine conflict, and Zionist and Jewish issues more generally. This collection consists of manuscripts, typescripts, and reprographic copies of Eldridge's poems, stories, and essays; scrapbooks of clippings related to Eldridge's writing and other activities; dustjackets; photographs; issues of newspapers and periodicals in which his columns appeared; and correspondence related to Eldridge's writing and career.

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