Millar (Philip D. Nathanson collection of Kenneth) Materials, 1945-1980

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Summary

Title:
Philip D. Nathanson collection of Kenneth Millar materials
Dates:
1945-1980
Creators:
Macdonald, Ross, 1915-1983
Abstract:
A collection of material related to the author Kenneth Millar who wrote the Lew Archer mysteries under the pseudonym Ross Macdonald.
Extent:
1.76 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Philip D. Nathanson collection of Kenneth Millar materials, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of material assembled by Philip D. Nathanson related to the writer Kenneth Millar (Ross Macdonald). The collection includes drafts of novels, notebooks, screenplays, book reviews, essays, correspondence, and ephemera. The manuscript material includes drafts, notes, and introductions for the novels Black Money, The Galton Case, The Instant Enemy, and The Underground Man. Significant correspondents and companies in the collection include, among others: Don Freeman, Lydia Freeman, Douglas Heyes, Walter Hill, Marc Jaffe, Robert R. Kirsch, Margaret Millar, Dorothy Olding, Lorenzo Semple, Jr., Jack Smith, Harold Norling Swanson, Tracy Keenan Wynn, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., and Harold Ober Associates.

Biographical / historical:

Kenneth Millar (1915-1983) was born in Los Gatos, California; his parents were Canadian, and he was raised in the town of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. His father abandoned the family when Millar was four years old, and he was raised by his mother; they moved multiple times while he was growing up, but he moved back to Kitchener as a young adult. Millar graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an Honors degree in History and English; he received a PhD in literature from the University of Michigan in 1952. He married Margaret Sturm in 1938; they had one daughter. During World War Two, Millar served as a naval communications officer from 1944 to 1946; after the war, the family moved to Santa Barbara, California. Millar began writing stories for pulp magazines and by 1944 had written four novels under his own name; his fifth novel in 1949 was written as John Macdonald, then he briefly used John Ross Macdonald before settling on Ross Macdonald from the mid-1950s onward. Millar decided to use a pseudonym to avoid confusion with Margaret who was also a successful mystery writer as Margaret Millar. Kenneth Millar primarily wrote crime fiction novels set in Southern California which featured a private detective named Lew Archer; most of the books were set around the fictional town of Santa Teresa which was based upon Santa Barbara. Millar's Archer novels are widely considered to be some of the most significant American mystery books of the mid-20th century for the psychological depth of his characters, his use of language, and the sophisticated imagery he employed. Several of his novels have been made into movies and television pilots including: The Moving Target (filmed as Harper with Paul Newman), The Drowning Pool (also filmed with Paul Newman), and The Underground Man (television series pilot). He won the 1965 CWA Gold Dagger Award for The Far Side of the Dollar among other awards. Millar published eighteen novels, short story collections, and many omnibus editions featuring the character of Lew Archer. In 1980, Millar was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and he died of complications of the disease in Santa Barbara on July 11, 1983.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Philip D. Nathanson, May 2022.
Processing information:

Processed by Gayle M. Richardson in August 2022.

Arrangement:

Organized in the following series: 1. Manuscripts; 2. Correspondence; 3. Ephemera.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Gayle M. Richardson
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-08-23 10:32:59 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Philip D. Nathanson collection of Kenneth Millar materials, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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