Main content
Arthur H. Lewis Papers
Notifications
Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. 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
Arthur Lewis, journalist and writer, was born in Pennsylvania and educated at Columbia University. He worked as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and served as press representative for the State of Pennsylvania from 1939-1952. Lewis later became a freelance writer during which time he published over twelve books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is well known for his book, Those Philadelphia Kellys (biography of Grace Kelly and her family), as well as for, Murder by contract (the story of the Yablonski murder).
Papers of a Philadelphia journalist and biographer, consisting of the working files of books he published. The research materials include newspaper and magazine clippings, photocopies of articles, correspondence, photographs, and notes of interviews. There is also an extensive collection of cassette tapes and transcripts of interviews, as well as typescripts for each book (some copy edited and some with several drafts). Other interesting items in the collection include five scrapbooks of clippings concerning the Philadelphia Kelly family, reports and correspondence concerning the African Trade Fair (New York, 1957-61), a number of black and white photographs related to various writing assignments, and two framed collections of autographed letters. An addition to the collection consists of materials such as manuscripts, memos, clippings, correspondence, tapes, notes, and transcripts related to a forthcoming biography of Richard A. Sprague, a high profile Philadelphia prosecutor of the 1960s-1970s. The bulk of the materials concern the blackmail trial of Harry Karafin, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, and Sprague's tenure as chief counsel for the House Select Committee on Assassinations, 1976-1977. A later addition to the papers in 1993 is unprocessed.
Gift of Mr. Lewis to Temple in 1977 with Additions following in successive years. Received from Arthur H. Lewis April 15, 1982, 1 envelope of miscellaneous materials relating to Copper Beeches. The bulk of the papers were transferred from the Free Library of Philadelphia in 1977.
People
Organization
Subject
- Assassination -- Investigation -- United States
- Biography -- 20th century
- Carnivals -- Pennsylvania
- Detective and mystery stories
- Interviews
- Labor disputes -- Pennsylvania
- Monaco -- Prince and princesses
- Reportage literature
- Reporters and reporting
- United States. Congress. House. Select Committee on Assassinations
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- November 2023
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
Collection Inventory
pp.18-445
chapters 1-3, pp.1-57
chapters 1-4, pp.1-24
pp. 1-487
p.1-510
(See also boxes 100-101 and scrapbooks for Kelly material)
2 copies