Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biography
Scope and Content
Organization and Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Herman Petersen Papers,
Date (inclusive): ca. 1920-1948
Collection number: 1339
Creator:
Petersen, Herman, b. 1893
Extent:
6 boxes (3 linear ft.)
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library.
Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Abstract: Herman Petersen (1893-1973) was an author of mystery and detective fiction. He sold his first story, “The seven gilded balls,”
to
Black mask in June 1922, and sold 17 more while the magazine was under the direction of editor George W. Sutton, Jr. He also worked
for Utica newspapers, and in 1934, became a fourth-class postmaster for Poolville, New York. He sold his first full length
mystery novel,
Murder in the making, in 1940. His historical novel,
The covered bridge (1950), was later adapted for television and aired in 1952 The collection consists of Petersen's correspondence and published
and unpublished manuscripts. There is also a checklist of Petersen's stories published by professor E.R. Hagemann (in box
6).
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department
of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including
copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds
the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Herman Petersen Papers (Collection 1339). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Neil J. Petersen, purchase, 1983.
Biography
Petersen was born in Utica, New York on September 9, 1893; he sold his first story, “ The seven gilded balls, ” to
Black mask in June 1922; in all, he sold 18 pieces to
Black mask while it was under the direction of editor George W. Sutton, Jr.; Petersen's best times in the pulp business were between
1922-33; Petersen did not depend on the pulps for his livelihood, as he worked for Utica newspapers and in 1943 became a fourth-class
postmaster for Poolville, New York; he sold his first full length mystery novel,
Murder in the making, in 1940; other novels include
Murder R.F.D.,
Old bones, and
The D.A.'s daughter; he also published a humorous autobiography titled,
Country chronicle (1945); his historical novel,
The covered bridge (1950), was later adapted for television and aired in 1952; his final mystery novel was
The house in the wilderness (1957) Petersen died July 1973.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of correspondence and published and unpublished manuscripts of pulp fiction writer Herman Petersen. Correspondence
in the collection is usually between Petersen and various publishers. Also includes a checklist of Petersen's stories published
by professor E.R. Hagemann (in box 6).
Expanded Scope and Content
Herman Petersen was a sucessful fiction writer during the 1920's-1930's and his short stories were published extensively in
the popular pulp magazines of the day. The collection includes both published and unpublished manuscripts as well as correspondence
between Petersen and his various publishers. The collection is arranged alphabetically by pulp magazine. In addition, in Box
6, there is a checklist of Petersen's stories published by Professor E.R. Hagemann.
Organization and Arrangement
Collection arranged alphabetically by pulp magazine.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the repository's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Petersen, Herman, b. 1893--Archives.
Novelists, American--New York (State)--Archival resources.
Genres and Forms of Material
Mystery and detective fiction.
Manuscripts for publication.