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John E. Hart collection regarding Albert Halper
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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. 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
The novelist Albert Halper was born in Chicago in 1904 and died in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1984. After graduating from high school and working at a number of jobs in Chicago, Halper moved to New York City in 1929 with the goal of becoming a writer. His first published novel,
Union Square, appeared in 1931 and was a Literary Guild selection. Halper followed this novel with a series of books based on his life in Chicago, notably a book of short stories, On the Shore (1934), and the novels, The Foundry (1934), The Chute (1937), Sons of the Fathers (1940), and The Little People (1942). Over the course of his career, Halper published three more novels (Only an Inch from Glory, Atlantic Avenue, The Fourth Horseman of Miami Beach), and two collections of essays and short stories. He also wrote two plays and the memoir, Good-bye, Union Square.John E. Hart was born in Kansas in 1917. From 1954 until his retirement in 1981, he was professor of English and American Literature at Albion College in Albion, Michigan. Professor Hart's study of the American novelist Floyd Dell was published by Twayne in 1971. His
Albert Halper, also published by Twayne, appeared in 1978.Biographical information derived from the collection.Hart, John E. "Albert Halper." The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Volume 1: 1981 – 1985. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group 2001. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC
The John E. Hart Collection regarding Albert Halper consists of correspondence relating to research and publication for Professor Hart's essay "Albert Halper's World of the Thirties" (
Twentieth Century Literature, v. 9:4, January 1964), and his book, Albert Halper (1978), part of the Twayne United States Authors Series. The collection contains both original correspondence and other material from Halper, as well as the correspondence Hart conducted with a number of individuals and institutions in connection with his research.Hart's correspondence with Halper was conducted between 1962 and 1983. The collection includes a bibliography of Halper's work, compiled and annotated by Halper, as well as signed copies of two Halper stories that appeared in
Boys' Life and a signed copy of Halper's American Scholar essay, "Thoughts on Being Twayned."Professor Hart's other correspondents included Halper's second wife, Lorna Blaine Halper, several academic libraries, and the Viking Press. The collection contains photocopies of Halper's correspondence (1931 – 1969) with Richard Johns, editor of the literary magazine
Pagany, obtained from the University of Delaware, and photocopies of the correspondence between Halper and the Viking Press (1931 – 1932), related to the publication of Halper's first novel, Union Square (1931). The correspondence between Hart and G.K. Hall, publishers of the Twayne series, related to the publication of Hart's book, is also part of the collection, as is a signed copy of Hart's book, Albert Halper.Boxes 1-2: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes
Gift of John E. Hart, January 2002
Processed by Kevin Burke, January 2002. Encloded by Jaime Margalotti, July 2021.
- Publisher
- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2021 July 22
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Collection Inventory
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Includes page 20 from a draft of Hart's
Twentieth Century Literature essay on Halper. Physical Description2 pages
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Refers to "the enclosed bibliography" of his work that Halper provided to Hart. (See F4)
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Includes "Chronology" of Halper's life sent by Hart to Halper and returned with corrections and annotations in Halper's hand.
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Note: Date derived from postmark on envelope.
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Includes 2-page hand-written "Errata" of Halper's corrections to Hart's ms.
Physical Description3 pages
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Mentions that Halper will send copies of his stories that appeared in Boys' Life.
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Includes Hart's original letter requesting
biographical information with annotations by
Halper, a carbon copy of the letter, and a photocopy of Hart's "Chronology" of Halper's life with annotations and corrections by Halper.
Physical Description5 pages
Includes annotations and corrections in Hart's hand.
Physical Description1 page
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Acknowledges receipt from Halper of two issues of
Boys' Life containing stories by Halper. Physical Description1 page
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Bibliography of Halper's publications from Jan 1929 through Nov 1959 with annotations by Halper and Hart, sent by Halper to Hart in 1964.
Includes Halper's story, "His Father's Shirt Sleeves," signed by Halper.
Includes Halper's story, "The Hannukkah Bush," signed by Halper.
Includes Halper's essay, "Thoughts on Being Twayned," signed by Halper.
Includes Hart's essay, "Albert Halper's World of the Thirties."
Includes copies of two typed letters from Hart to Lorna Blaine Halper, Albert Halper's second wife; a note and a card from Lorna Halper to Hart; and a copy of a letter from Hart to Thomas Halper, Albert Halper's son.
Physical Description6 items
Includes 2 Typed Notes Signed from Hicks in response to queries from Hart in connection with his research on Floyd Dell and Halper, and a copy of a Typed Letter from Hart to Hicks.
Physical Description3 items
Includes copies of Albert Halper's correspondence with Richard Johns, editor of
Pagany magazine (originals at University of Delaware Library).Includes responses from Marshall Best, senior editor at Viking, to Hart's requests for publication information on Halper's books; also contains copies of Halper's early correspondence with Viking (1931-1934) related to the publication of his first book,
Union Square.Includes correspondence with Harper & Row, The Literary Guild, the Princeton University Library, and others regarding publication of Halper's books and availability of Halper's correspondence with his publishers.
Includes correspondence to a number of institutions and individuals regarding bibliographic information on the original periodical publication of Halper's stories. Correspondents include The Library of Congress, The Newberry Library, and The University of Maryland Library. A substantial portion of the correspondence is concerned with identifying
Parade magazine, an obscure literary magazine of the 1930's.Includes information about Halper's early education and employment, as well as his subsequent career. Correspondents include the Chicago Board of Education, The Library of Congress, The Newberry Library, and others.
Includes correspondence and other material related to the publication of John E. Hart's book,
Albert Harper, in G.K. Hall's Twayne United States Authors Series.Includes 3 Typed Letters Signed from "Lotus," a professor at Keuka College and a friend of Hart's. Letters contain commentary on the manuscript of Hart's book.
Hart's book length study of Halper done for Twayne's United States Author Series. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980