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Pearl S. Buck and Richard J. Walsh papers
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Held at: Pearl S. Buck International [Contact Us]520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA, 18944
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Pearl S. Buck International. 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
Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker was born on June 26, 1892 in Hillsboro, West Virginia. Her parents, Absalom Sydenstricker (1852-1931) and Caroline Stulting (1857-1921), were Southern Presbyterian missionaries stationed in China. Pearl was born while her parents were on furlough in the United States. They returned to China when Pearl was five months old. She would spend most of the first forty years of her life there.
In 1910, Pearl enrolled in Randolph-Macon Woman's College (now Randolph College) in Lynchburg, Virginia, graduating in 1914. She returned to China after learning that her mother was seriously ill. In 1917, she married John Lossing Buck, an agricultural economist.
Pearl had begun to publish stories and essays in the 1920s in magazines such as Woman's Home Companion, The Chinese Recorder, Asia, and Atlantic Monthly. Her first novel, East Wind, West Wind, was published by the John Day Company in 1930. John Day's publisher, Richard J. Walsh, would become Pearl's second husband in 1935 after both received divorces.
In 1931, John Day published Pearl's second novel, The Good Earth. This became the best-selling book of both 1931 and 1932, won the Pulitzer Prize and the Howells Medal in 1935, and would be adapted as a major MGM film in 1937. Other novels and books of non-fiction quickly followed. In 1938, Pearl won the Nobel Prize in literature, the first American woman to do so. By the time of her death in 1973, Pearl would publish over seventy books: novels, collections of stories, biographies and autobiographies, poetry, drama, children's literature, and translations from the Chinese. She also authored numerous short stores and articles in popular magazines.
In 1934, because of conditions in China, and to be closer to her daughter Carol, whom she had placed in an institution in Vineland, New Jersey, Pearl moved permanently to the United States. She bought an old farmhouse, Green Hills Farm, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Pearl became active in promoting civil rights and women's rights. She published essays in both Crisis, the journal of the NAACP, and Opportunity, the magazine of the Urban League; she was a trustee of Howard University for twenty years. She was also an advocate for birth control, the repeal of Chinese Exclusion laws, and the Equal Rights Amendment.
In 1942, Pearl and Richard founded the East and West Association, dedicated to cultural exchange and understanding between Asia and the West. In 1949, outraged that existing adoption services considered Asian and interracial children unadoptable, Pearl established Welcome House, the first international, interracial adoption agency. In 1964, to provide support for Amerasian children who were not eligible for adoption, Pearl also established the Pearl S. Buck Foundation (now called Pearl S. Buck International) which provided sponsorship funding for children in Asian countries.
Pearl Buck died in March, 1973, two months before her eighty-first birthday. She is buried at Green Hills Farm.
The collection of papers of Pearl S. Buck and her husband, publisher, and partner Richard J. Walsh document their literary, philanthropic and business endeavors spanning over sixty years, from about the 1890s to 1972. The papers represent home office files, the editorial files of Asia magazine for the time period when Richard J. Walsh served as editor, and the files of the East and West Association, which was active from 1942 to 1951. There are also some papers of Chinese author Lin Yutang (1895-1976), a good friend of Buck and Walsh, who published several books through Walsh's publishing company. An item-level inventory is available on-site.
The Pearl S. Buck and Richard J. Walsh papers are arranged into six record groups which preserve how the papers were originally filed and stored.
Record Group 1: Papers of Pearl S. Buck Series 1. Writings Series 2. Correspondence Series 3. Contracts Series 4. Scrapbooks
Record Group 2: Papers of Richard J. Walsh Series 1. Writings Series 2. Correspondence Series 3. Scrapbooks
Record Group 3: Financial and household records of Pearl S. Buck and Richard J. Walsh
Record Group 4: Records of Asia magazine Series 1. Magazine issues Series 2. Editorial correspondence Series 3. Manuscripts Series 4. Financial records
Record Group 5: Records of the East and West Association Series 1. Alphabetical files Series 2. Geographical files Series 3. International files Series 4. Administrative files Series 5. Financial records, ledgers, account books, and scrapbooks
Record Group 6: Papers of Lin Yutang
In 1966, Pearl Buck transferred ownership of Green Hills Farm to the Pearl S. Buck Foundation. In 1972 she wrote that "inasmuch as the house in Pennsylvania is being declared a national historic monument and insofar as it is my wish that my final resting place be there, be it hereby known that it is also my desire that the contents of the Bucks County house remain as nearly as possible exactly as they have been during my lifetime" [Aug. 14, 1972, PSB to Gale Raphael]. Green Hills Farm was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 and the house was open for tours.
These boxes of personal and business papers of Pearl S. Buck and Richard J. Walsh (who died in 1960) had been stored in numerous attics in the main house, cottage and barn. In 2005, through a grant from the William Penn Foundation, they were brought together, placed in acid-free archival boxes and moved into a new storage room in the International Headquarters Building.
Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2014-2016 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project.
In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Pearl S. Buck International directly for more information.
People
- Buck, Pearl S. (Pearl Sydenstricker), 1892-1973
- Lin, Yutang, 1895-1976
- Walsh, Richard J. (Richard John), 1886-1960
Organization
Subject
- Adoption agencies
- Authors
- Authors and publishers
- Authors, Chinese
- Intercountry adoption
- Interracial adoption
- Personality and culture--China
- Publishers and publishing
- United States--Relations--China
- Women authors
- Women Nobel Prize winners
Place
- Publisher
- Pearl S. Buck International
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by staff of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories using data provided by Pearl S. Buck International
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Access Restrictions
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Contact Pearl S. Buck International for information about accessing this collection.
- Use Restrictions
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Please note that it is the responsibility of the researcher to identify the copyright owner and to obtain permission before making use of this material in any way. Information on copyright can be obtained from the Library of Congress Copyright Office, http://www.copyright.gov. Duration of copyright depends on when an item was first copyrighted and the date of any renewals. See below for additional information on copyright relating to materials at Pearl S. Buck International.
Pearl S. Buck International does not hold copyright to materials in Record Groups 4 and 5, Records of Asia magazine and Records of East and West Association. Some materials, including textual materials and photographs found in this collection, may be copyrighted.
Pearl S. Buck International holds copyright to works written by Pearl S. Buck for the Pearl S. Buck Foundation and Welcome House, including writings for brochures and articles. Pearl S. Buck International also holds copyright to the following works: For Spacious Skies (1966); Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (1967); To My Daughters With Love (1967); The New Year (1968); The Good Deed (1969); Three Daughters of Madame Liang (1969); Mandala (1970); China As I See It (1970); Once Upon a Christmas (1972); The Rainbow (1974); East and West (1975); Secrets of the Heart (1976); The Lovers (1977); The Woman Who Was Changed (1979).
Request to quote or reprint these materials must be obtained in writing from:
Pearl S. Buck International 520 Dublin Road Perkasie, PA 18944-3000 Phone: 215-249-0100
The Pearl S. Buck Family Trust retains copyright to all other published and unpublished works of Pearl S. Buck, including books, magazine articles, speeches, and published or unpublished manuscript materials, including privately held papers.
Request to quote or reprint these materials must be obtained in writing from:
Pearl S. Buck Family Trust Email: psbft@aol.com
Collection Inventory
The arrangement of the papers reflects the original filing system used by the professional staff who worked for Pearl Buck and Richard Walsh. An item-level inventory is available on-site.
This record group has been arranged into four series:
1. Writings of Pearl S. Buck: Original handwritten drafts or typescripts of articles, speeches and other writings of Pearl S. Buck
2. Correspondence: Arranged by year, then alphabetically by name of correspondent or organization
3. Contracts: Contracts for books, plays, movie scripts and foreign language rights to works by Pearl S. Buck
4. Scrapbooks: Scrapbooks presented to Pearl S. Buck
Most materials, including published and unpublished textual materials and photographs found in this record group, are copyrighted. For further information, see the Conditions Governing Use note for the collection. Please note that it is the responsibility of the researcher to identify the copyright owner and to obtain permission before making use of this material in any way. Information on copyright can be obtained from the Library of Congress Copyright Office, http://www.copyright.gov. Duration of copyright depends on when an item was first copyrighted and the date of any renewals.
Physical Description50.0 boxes
This series consists of original handwritten drafts or typescripts of articles, speeches and other writings of Pearl S. Buck.
Physical Description2.0 boxes
This series consists of original letters sent to Pearl S. Buck and carbon copies of her replies. The majority of correspondence was prepared by professional secretaries employed by Pearl S. Buck and Richard J. Walsh. Subjects include correspondence about Pearl S. Buck's literary works, speaking engagements, her interests in political, social and military topics, personal letters, and fan mail.
Correspondence is filed by year, and then alphabetically by the name of correspondent or organization. In many cases, in-letters and replies are stapled together. The original filing system, which is broken down alphabetically but includes several subject files, has been retained. Box 2 of the correspondence contains letters between Pearl S. Buck and her literary agent, David Lloyd, from 1939 regarding contracts, serial rights, foreign language translations, and proposals for new stories. Boxes 24 and 25, which contain correspondence relating to the East and West Association, 1945, consist principally of carbon copies of outgoing correspondence, with only a few incoming letters. Additional correspondence of Pearl S. Buck for the East and West Association is found in Record Group 5, Records of the East and West Association.
Physical Description44.0 boxes
This series consists of contracts for books, plays, movie scripts and foreign language rights to works by Pearl S. Buck. The materials are arranged alphabetically.
Physical Description2.0 boxes
This series contains three scrapbooks presented to Pearl S. Buck.
Scrapbook 1. Photographic scrapbook of the Elizabeth Saunders Home in Oiso, Japan. The orphanage was founded in 1947 by Miki Sawada to care for and educate children of mixed race born to Japanese mothers. Many of the children were placed with adoptive families in the United States. The photographs were taken by a Japanese photographer, Koyo Kageyama and his son and daughter, Masahide and Kazuyo Kageyama, between 1947 and 1957. An exhibition of their work was held at a gallery in Japan. This scrapbook includes the photographs from that exhibition. There are also typed reminiscences by Miki Sawada with the scrapbook.
Scrapbook 2. "Memory of Korea" photographic scrapbook. Title page reads, "From 1st Nov. '60 to 10 Nov. '60 invited by Mr. Kim Myung Yup, president of Yowon Co., Photographed by Kim Kyu Heuk." The scrapbook documents Pearl S. Buck's visit to Korea. During her stay, she visited orphanages in Pusan, and an orphanage run by Henry Holt in Seoul. Miki Sawada also appears in some of the photographs.
Scrapbook 3. Scrapbook of the Myung-Sung Child Care Centers, Pu Pyung (Ascom City), Korea. The photographic scrapbook compiled by Seung-Kyu Kim, circa 1966, depicts scenes of the orphanage, baseball team, folk dancing programs, and American soldiers visiting the children.
Physical Description2.0 boxes
The papers consist of original letters sent to Richard J. Walsh and carbon copies of his replies. Subjects include editorial work for Judge, Woman’s Home Companion, and the John Day Company; Harvard alumni activities; and investments, loans and other business matters. Walsh was active in committee work for a number of political and philanthropic causes, including United China Relief, INDUSCO (Committee in Aid of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives), and Committee for the Repeal of Chinese Exclusion Laws. An item-level inventory is available on-site.
The arrangement of the papers reflects the original filing system used by the professional staff who worked for Pearl Buck and Richard Walsh. Richard J. Walsh’s papers were kept as much as possible in their original filing order. Correspondence was filed by year, then alphabetically. Writings and other loose papers were kept by subject.
The papers are arranged in three series:
1. Writings of Richard J. Walsh: college writings, typescripts of articles, editorial writings and speeches, arranged alphabetically by title.
2. Correspondence: Arranged by year, then alphabetically by name of correspondent. Box 23 of the correspondence (Citizens Committee for the Repeal of Chinese Exclusion, 1943) contains carbon copies and original correspondence of the committee and requests for copies of the pamphlet, "Our Chinese Wall." Richard J. Walsh served as chairman of this committee.
3. Scrapbooks
Physical Description34.0 boxes
4.0 boxes
28.0 boxes
This series includes four scrapbooks and two account/cash books. One box of oversized materials is also included in this series.
1. Scrapbook of editorial columns of Richard J. Walsh, 1920–1931 [Includes editorials for Women's Home Companion, 1925–1931, and for other publications including The Nation and Collier's, 1920–1924]
2. China Emergency Relief Committee, 1940–42 [Account book of cash disbursements, 1940–1942 and analysis of mail solicitation]
3. John Day Co. Publicity Scrapbook, 1928 [book reviews]
4. John Day Co. Publicity Scrapbook, 1928 [book reviews]
5. John Day Co. Publicity Scrapbook, 1933 [includes reviews of Pearl S. Buck's The First Wife]
6. China Emergency Relief Committee, Cash receipt book, 1940–1942 [Cash receipts and donations in kind, 1940–1942]
7. Oversize Materials [1 box; oversized materials including advertising copy for Curtis Publishing Company, Kiddie Kars, and Kauffmann's department store, and a photostatic map of "The Itineraries of Marco Polo"]
Physical Description2.0 boxes
This record group consists of bills, receipts, correspondence, tax returns and other documents relating to household and business expenses of Pearl S. Buck and Richard J. Walsh for Green Hills Farm (Bucks County, Pennsylvania) and their apartment in New York City.
The files are arranged by year, and then alphabetically by subject. An item-level inventory is available on-site.
Physical Description8.0 boxes
The records of Asia magazine are arranged in four series:
1. Magazine issues (loose and bound copies)
2. Editorial correspondence (includes correspondence with authors, writers submitting manuscripts for consideration, and internal memos). Box 2 in this series contains original photographs, some of which were purchased but not published.
3. Editorial files/manuscripts (marked up typescripts, galley and page proofs for each monthly issue)
4. Financial records (account books and vouchers)
An item-level inventory is available on-site.
Pearl S. Buck International does not hold copyright to materials in this record group. Some materials, including textual materials and photographs found in this collection, may be copyrighted. For further information, see the Conditions Governing Use note for the collection. Please note that it is the responsibility of the researcher to identify the copyright owner and to obtain permission before making use of this material in any way. Information on copyright can be obtained from the Library of Congress Copyright Office, http://www.copyright.gov.
Physical Description38.0 boxes
Loose copies of the magazine include issues from 1917 to 1946 (incomplete). Bound volumes include issues from 1917 to 1941 (incomplete).
Physical Description9.0 boxes
15.0 boxes
This series consists of marked up typescripts, galley and page proofs for each monthly issue of the magazine, 1939-1944. Box 7 contains Asia manuscripts that were "killed" (not selected for publication), 1929-1947.
Physical Description7.0 boxes
This series consists of ledger books and vouchers for the publication of Asia magazine. There are also scrapbooks with articles, press and publicity clippings, and direct mail marketing materials. One box of oversized materials is also included in this series.
Physical Description7.0 boxes
The files of the East and West Association were kept as much as possible in their original filing order. Numerous moves over the years have made a logical order for some papers difficult to ascertain. Whenever possible, the original folder titles have been retained. An item-level inventory is available on-site. This record group contains 45 boxes and 4 volumes (scrapbooks).
Papers were originally kept in four series:
1. Alphabetical files: General correspondence, including correspondence with national organizations and key people, and all correspondence that did not relate to activities in state or local areas. This series consists of general correspondence filed by last name or name of organization.
2. Geographical files: Working files, divided by state, relating to interest and activities at the local level. This series consists of correspondence with the state and local chapters of the Association, including plans for the organization, China Clubs, lectures, and publicity. It is organized alphabetically by state.
3. International files: Correspondence with individuals and organizations abroad. This series consists of printed bibliographies and pamphlets on different countries, as well as correspondence organized alphabetically by country related to books and pamphlets. Most of the correspondence dates from 1942 to 1943. Later correspondence on the same subjects was apparently filed in the East and West Administrative files (Series 4).
4. Administrative files: Subject files organized alphabetically concerning the mechanics of the organization, departmental activities, plans, programs, finances.
5. Financial records, ledgers, account books, and scrapbooks: Membership files, contribution receipts, financial ledgers, voucher books, check registers, four scrapbooks with news releases, publicity materials, photographs, materials from direct mail campaigns, and samples of East and West Association publications and bibliographies.
The arrangement of the files is described in a memo from Florence Rose dated March 22, 1945, "Central Correspondence Files" (original in Record Group 5. Records of the East and West Association, Series 1. Alphabetical files, Box 3).
Pearl S. Buck International does not hold copyright to materials in this record group. Some materials, including textual materials and photographs found in this collection, may be copyrighted. For further information, see the Conditions Governing Use note for the collection. Please note that it is the responsibility of the researcher to identify the copyright owner and to obtain permission before making use of this material in any way. Information on copyright can be obtained from the Library of Congress Copyright Office, http://www.copyright.gov.
This record group consists of correspondence between Lin Yutang, Richard J. Walsh, and Pearl S. Buck from 1933 until 1947. The papers are organized chronologically within folders. The bulk of the collection consists of editorial correspondence concerning Lin's books published by the John Day Company and articles for Asia magazine. There are also some personal letters from Lin Yutang and his wife and daughters to Pearl S. Buck and Richard J. Walsh, as well as photographs and ephemera. Topics discussed in the letters relate to Yutang's third book, The Importance of Living, the Second Sino-Japanese War, Buck and Walsh's trip to Sweden for the Nobel Prize, the Mingkwai "Clear and Quick" Chinese-language typewriter (invented by Yutang), Chinese relief efforts, World War II and Japanese internment camps, the East and West Association, and other subjects. An item-level inventory is available on-site.
The papers were originally part of the editorial files of Asia magazine and the John Day Company, but were removed from those files in the 1940s by Richard Walsh in order to compile a volume of letters of Lin Yutang for publication. Notes indicate that in 1948 Richard J. Walsh began work on a volume of the letters of Lin Yutang, tentatively entitled "Letters of an Author to His Publisher and Others." The book apparently never got beyond the planning stage and the correspondence remained in a file box.
Physical Description3.0 boxes