William McFee Papers, ca. 1927-1942

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Summary

Creators:
McFee, William, 1881-
Abstract:
William McFee (1881-1961) was born at sea en route to England from India. He was an engineer before becoming a full-time writer in 1923. He wrote novels, short stories, and essays, almost all of which concerned the sea. He also wrote reviews and columns for the New York Sun and New York Times, and incidental pieces for magazines. The collection consists of holograph manuscripts of McFee's article After Seven Years and McFee's reviews of the novels Lives of a Bengal Lancer and East Southeast.
Extent:
1 box (0.5 linear ft.)
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of holograph manuscripts of McFee's article After Seven Years and McFee's reviews of the novels Lives of a Bengal Lancer and East Southeast. In addition there are 86 letters to Harold Kamp, to whom all the above manuscripts were presented, and a mounted clippings file.

Biographical / historical:

McFee was born on June 15, 1881 at sea en route to England from India; attended schools in London and the East Anglian School, Bury St. Edmunds, West Suffolk; furthered his education by evening study of technical subjects at Northampton Institute and by reading at the British Museum; apprenticed in McMuirland's Engineering Shops, London, 1897-ca. 1900, and then worked as a mechanical engineer; went to sea as junior engineer in 1906, and began to write while at sea, completing two books before moving to the U.S. to write; served as an engineer in British Navy during World War I; returned to U.S. after the war, working as an engineer at sea for the United Fruit Company; left the sea and became a full-time writer in 1923, producing novels, short stories, and essays, almost all of which concerned the sea; became U.S. citizen in 1925; wrote reviews and columns for the New York Sun and New York Times, and incidental pieces for magazines; received honorary MA from Yale University in 1936; elected to National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1941; died on July 2, 1966 in New Milford, Connecticut.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  1. Manuscripts.
  2. Letters.

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.

Access and use

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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