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Preston Beyer Collection of John Steinbeck
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Preston Beyer was a businessman and cofounder (1966) of the John Steinbeck Society of America.
The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera by and relating to John Steinbeck collected by Preston Beyer. Included is a large amount of correspondence (circa 1939-1993) of Beyer with bibliographers, critics, collectors, biographers, universities, friends, and relatives concerned with the life and works of John Steinbeck. Some of these correspondents are Gwendolyn and Elaine Steinbeck (former wife and widow, respectively), Carlton Sheffield (Steinbeck's roommate at Stanford), John Hargraves, Adrian H. Goldstone, Robert J. Demott, John Ditsky, Warren G. French, author of John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited (1994), Tetsumaro Hayashi, author a A New Steinbeck Bibliography, 1971-1981 (1983), Roy S. Simmonds, Nelson Valjean, and Robert Wallsten, editor, with Elaine Steinbeck, of Steinbeck: A Life in Letters (1994). Also present is correspondence with university libraries containing collections of Steinbeck books and manuscripts, such as San Jose State University and Ball State University.
Original Steinbeck material includes 27 cards and letters (1951-1967), some written by his secretaries, to Lemuel and Shirley Ayers, Preston Beyer, Mary Bradford, one to Martin Luther King (March 31, 1965), June Hunderson, and a few others. In addition, there is a photograph (1962) of Steinbeck taken by Carlton Sheffield, a three-page, typed, signed article entitled "Rationale," and a signed copy of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech (1962). Related materials include a holograph review (1939) by George Stevens of Steinbeck's Uncovered Wagon, and a script (1954) for a dance-drama adaptation by John H. Jones of Steinbeck's The Pearl. Also included are 13 photographs from the 1992 John Steinbeck Conference in Nantucket, as well as other Steinbeck Society events.
Gift of Lynne B. Sagalyn, Barbara A. Rice, and Marilyn S. Shuffler. Some materials found in repository and added in 2018: AM 2018-106.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
New materials added and finding aid updated by Chloe Pfendler in May 2018.
These items were not kept with the manuscript portion; they were separated out and put with the main book collection:
"Pacific Weekly, A Western Journal of Fact and Fiction," pub. Nov. 9, 1936, vol. V, no. 19, contains JS's story "Breakfast" (1 p.), later used in The Grapes of Wrath.
"Vanderbilt Clinic by John Steinbeck," a report for the friends and supporters of the Hospital, pub. March 1947.
"The Monterey Beacon, The Literary Magazine of the West," June 22, 1935, vol. 1, no. 44, stamped "This Book Belongs to Carol and John Steinbeck," contains JS's story "The Snake."
"The Smoker's Companion," March 1927, 2 photostat copies of JS's[?] story "The Gift of Iban" by John Stern (pseud.?), also photostat of the table of contents (2 pp.), order form for the copy from the New York Public Library, & letters to the National Assoc. of Tobacco Distribution in search of this story.
Dinner program in honor of Carl Sandburg on his 85th birthday, and the publication of his book of poems Honey and Salt, June 6, 1963, the guest list includes Mr. & Mrs. John Steinbeck.
Note: See the curator of the Rare Books Division for information concerning the Preston Beyer Collection of John Steinbeck books and related published material.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2002
- Access Restrictions
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Open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.
Collection Inventory
Includes correspondence (circa 1939-1993), arranged alphabetically, of Beyer with many bibliographers, critics, collectors, biographers, friends, libraries, and others concerned with the life and works of Steinbeck.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Physical Description16 boxes
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Postcard sent to Preston Beyer from attendees of the 1990 Steinbeck Festival.
Physical Description1 folder
(see also: DeMott, Robert)
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Consists of papers related to John Steinbeck, including correspondence and manuscripts.
This series is arranged into two subseries: John Steinbeck Letters, and John Steinbeck Manuscripts.
Physical Description1 box
Consists of the correspondence of John Steinbeck, with individuals such as Lemuel Ayers, Barnaby Conrad, and Herbert Sturz, as well as others.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Physical Description1 box
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Consists of the manuscripts of John Steinbeck, including "Rationale," a Nobel Prize acceptance speech, a photograph of John Steinbeck, and clippings of Steinbeck.
Arranged by genre of material.
Physical Description1 box
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See Sheffield's letter to Beyer, July 2, 1987.
Physical Description1 folder
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Consists of memorabilia and materials related to John Steinbeck, including reviews, articles, photographs, a t-shirt, and other printed matter.
Arranged by genre of material.
Physical Description3 boxes
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Includes black and white and color snap shots of Preston Beyer and associates, as well as black and white images (circa 1970s) of Steinbeck locales.
Physical Description1 folder
This series is arranged chronologically.
Consists of miscellaneous materials relating to Preston Beyer's interest in John Steinbeck, mainly his participation in The Steinbeck Society.
Physical Description1 box
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Materials and ephemera relating to the Steinbeck Society, founded in 1966 by Tetsumaro Hayashi and Preston Beyer, including membership forms, event descriptions, and publication announcements of the Steinbeck Quarterly.
Physical Description1 folder
Includes photographs of the Steinbeck Conference of 1992 in Nantucket, as well as other Steinbeck Society events. Also includes a group photograph of the Kyushu American Literary Society with an accompanying note. .
Physical Description1 folder