This collection contains research materials used by author David Battan as he compiled information for a biography of William Saroyan that was never published. The materials include postmarked envelopes, letters to Battan, and miscellaneous documents Battan collected that were written by or related to Saroyan. This is not an exhaustive collection of Battan’s materials, which were dispersed among private collectors and various university special collections.

David Battan (1938-1987) was a Fresno handwriting expert and a collector and dealer of original manuscripts and autographs. In 1984, he published the book Handwriting Analysis, and at his death was writing a biography about William Saroyan that was never completed or published. He was a member of the board of trustees of the International Manuscript Society and was a prominent collector on the West Coast. He also served as the personnel director of the Fresno County Welfare Department. In the 1980s, while the UC Berkeley Bancroft Library processed Saroyan’s papers on behalf of the William Saroyan Foundation, all items within the collection were blocked from access. More than five years of this embargo kept Battan from performing research on the many unpublished manuscripts, journals, and correspondences within the Saroyan collection, and he died before access opened. Battan collected individual records relating to Saroyan and befriended Saroyan while they both lived in Fresno.

1 folder or 32 scanned digital items

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

This collection is open and available for use. Digital scans of all records are available on request.