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Charles William White Papers
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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
American Charles William White wrote historical novels about artists and writers under the pen name of "Max White." Active as a writer primarily in the 1930s through 1950s, White traveled in the same social circles as Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.
The collection consists of manuscripts and correspondence of Charles William White ("Max White"), including Alice B. Toklas material. Materials include: The Matchless Pleasure: novel (original manuscript and photocopy); Ghastly Shivaree (2 versions): play; The Man Who Carved Women From Wood: play based on his novel; "The Parrot", "Remember Lacey Jatter", "Grimmer than Anderson", "Alchemy for Late Summer": stories; Terror to Come (TV play); Hannah's Nighthouse (play); Blockheads: novel (3 binders); The Lonely Roads of Midnight: novel (2 binders); Oh, the Little Ticking Heart: novel (3 binders); Mr. Gaffajoli's Looking Glass: novel (2 binders; 1 manuscript); The Ballad of the Dead Sailor: novel (manuscript) ; How Do You Do: novel (manuscript); Death of a Cockroach: play (2 manuscripts); and a note in the hand of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. The Alice B. Toklas materials include 6 letters from the early months of 1958, all signed, from Alice B. Toklas on her 5 rue Christine Paris stationery to Max White regarding their friendship, thoughts, and proposed collaboration on her memoir of her life for Holt publishers in New York; 1 contract dated April 18, 1958, signed by and addressed from Alice B. Toklas to Max White, detailing their collaboration on the Toklas memoir for Holt; 1 letter signed from John Schaffner (Toklas's literary agent in New York) regarding the offer from editor Robert Lesscher at Holt for the memoir; 2 copies of Max White letters to his literary agent Mavis McIntosh in New York and 1 letter from her to Max (who was likewise living in Paris) c/o Toklas, regarding his collaboration on the proposed book; 1 copy of a letter from Max to Robert Lesscher at Holt, in June of 1958, ending the collaboration and cancelling the contract between himself and Toklas on the book in question at which point Max moved to New York.
Organized into the following two series: Series 1: Writings, Series 2: Correspondence.
Gift of Thomas Colchie, Princeton Class of 1964, in 2014.
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Folder inventory added by Kristine Gift in 2014.
Nothing was removed from the collection during 2014 processing.
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2014
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Collection Inventory
This series is arranged alphabetically by the title of the work, with groups of short stories at the end.
This series contains manuscript materials for several of White's works of fiction and drama, including various manuscripts, copies, and drafts of his novels, short stories, and plays, occasionally in several versions.
Physical Description4 boxes
2 folders
Contains chapter 11 through the end (page 163-348), not whole manuscript.
Physical Description1 folder
2 folders
Folder also contains a note on A Ghastly Shivaree, dated August 11, 1969, which was included in the play manuscript binder.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
2 folders
Bound copy
Physical Description1 folder
Fragile carbon copy paper, in poor condition
Physical Description1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Contains two copies each of "Remember Lacey Jatter?" and "Grimmer than Andersen." Some attributed to Max White, others to C.W. White.
Physical Description1 folder
The Plowshare Vol. 10, No. 3; Folder also contains a note in Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's hand
Physical Description1 folder
This series is arranged alphabetically by last name of correspondent, with unidentified correspondence and photographs at the end.
This series contains correspondence between Charles William "Max" White and a variety of publishers, editors and other literary professionals, as well as personal and business correspondence with Alice B. Toklas. Much of the business correspondence is related to either the publication of his work The Matchless Pleasure or the Alice B. Toklas autobiography on which he was set to collaborate with Toklas. This series also contains some personal correspondence with Gertrude Stein, who wrote to him a laudatory review of his novel Anna Becker, as well as correspondence to his friend Klaus Winkelmann which includes an informal will. The photographs included in the series are undated. One is of White as a young man, and the other is of White on his death bed.
Physical Description1 box
A.M. Heath & Co. Ltd. was a publishing company interested in White's "The Matchless Pleasure"
Physical Description1 folder
Informal will. Contains an original and a photocopy.
Physical Description1 folder
Donald Gallup was the Curator of the Collection of American Literature at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University Library at the time. Folder contains originals and photocopies of their correspondence.
Physical Description1 folder
Harper & Brothers publishing company
Physical Description1 folder
Ending agreement with Henry Holt & Co. regarding writing memoir with & about Alice B. Toklas
Physical Description1 folder
Correspondence between McIntosh and White regarding the contract of the autobiography of Alice B Toklas which White was slated to collaborate on
Physical Description1 folder
Letter from Schaffner to Alice B Toklas regarding his approval of Max White as her collaborator
Physical Description1 folder
Praise for White's novel "Anna Becker" (published 1937)
Physical Description1 folder
Postercard (date unknown), and handwritten correspondence from Toklas to White, and book contract dated April 18, 1958
Physical Description1 folder
Diana Vaughan was an editor of Argosy magazine. Rejection of White's "The Matchless Pleasure" for serial publication.
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten note and photocopy (both in very poor condition), as well as type-written notes and photocopies
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder