The collection consists mainly of correspondence (both letters written to Jackson and his replies); manuscripts of a few books and articles; notes and research materials; royalty statements; clippings of his book review columns; and some photographs. They cover the period 1931-1955 but date mainly from 1949. Jackson apparently shared the failing of many newspaper men, in not saving papers. What remains of the earlier period are chiefly the clippings and letters from famous authors. Correspondents include: Melvin Belli, Alistair Cook, Edith M. Coulter, George Creel, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, James D. Hart, James Laughlin, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Upton Sinclair, Wallace Stegner, Carl Van Doran, Carl I. Wheat, Erskin Caldwell, Earl Stanley Gardner, Owen Lattimore, Carey McWilliams, H.L. Mencken, Wright Morris, Irving Stone, Dalton Trumbo, Robert Penn Warren, and Edward Weston.

Joseph Henry Jackson was born in Madison, New Jersey on July 21, 1894, and received his schooling in the East. After World War I he moved to California and began his literary career. He was associate editor and managing editor of Sunset magazine from 1920-1926, and editor from 1926-1928. In 1929 he became literary editor of the San Francisco Argonaut, and in 1931 he joined the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle, also as literary editor. He gained a wide following with his daily book review column, "A Bookman's Notebook", and with his radio program, "The Reader's Guide", broadcast over NBC's Pacific network. In addition to his work on the Chronicle, he wrote a number of books, including Mexican Interlude(1936), Tintypes in Gold (1939), Anybody's Gold(1941), and My San Francisco (1953), and edited several more -notably Continent's End, a collection of California writing (1944), San Francisco Murders (1947) and The Western Gate: a San Francisco Reader (1952).

Number of containers: 14 boxes, 1 portfolio, 7 cartons

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Collection is open for research.