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Robert Silverberg Papers: Finding Aid
mssSIL 1-1882  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Overview of the Collection
  • Access
  • Administrative Information
  • Items Transferred to Rare Books
  • Related Materials in the Huntington Library
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement
  • Indexing: Added Entries
  • Indexing: Subjects
  • Indexing Terms

  • Overview of the Collection

    Title: Robert Silverberg Papers
    Dates (inclusive): 1953-1992
    Collection Number: mssSIL 1-1882
    Creator: Silverberg, Robert.
    Extent: 1,882 pieces + ephemera in 89 boxes + 1 oversize folder
    Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department
    1151 Oxford Road
    San Marino, California 91108
    Phone: (626) 405-2129
    Email: reference@huntington.org
    URL: http://www.huntington.org
    Abstract: This collection contains the papers of American author and science fiction writer Robert Silverberg (born 1935). Includes manuscripts of a selection of Silverberg’s literary works, mostly dating from 1973-1995, as well as correspondence, dating from 1954-1992, that chiefly concerns his professional dealings in relation to his writings and his business relationships with publishing companies.
    Language: English.

    Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Administrative Information

    Publication Rights

    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]. Robert Silverberg Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    Gifts of Robert Silverberg, 1980-1988 (accession numbers: 511, 841, 852, 855, 930, 1011, 1168, 1169, 1170, 1171, 1172, 1173, 1174, 1175, 1176, 1177, 1178, 1179, 1180, 1181,1182, 1183, 1184, 1185, 1300, 1311, 1381, 1446, 1548, and 1596).

    Items Transferred to Rare Books

    These printed publications were removed from the collection and transferred to the Rare Books Department:
    • Asimov’s Science Fiction vol. 19 no. 3 March 1995
    • Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine vol. 9 no. 12 December 1985
    • Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine vol. 14 no. 5 May 1990
    • Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction vol. 14 no. 2 February 1990
    • TransVersions Volume 1 Number 2
    • Amazing Stories vol. 69 number 3 Winter 1995
    • Analog Science Fiction and Fact vol. CXIV no. 14 December 1994
    • Analog Science Fiction and Fact vol. CXIV Mid-December 1994
    • Analog Science Fiction and Fact vol. CXV Nos. 1 & 2 January 1995
    • Galaxy Number Eight vol. II issue 2 Mar/Apr 1995
    • Galaxy Number Seven vol. II issue 1 Jan/Feb 1995
    • Portti Science Fiction 3/1985 (In Russian?)
    • Science Fiction Age vol. 2 no. 1 November 1993
    • Locus: the Newspaper of the Science Fiction Field. Issue 376 vol. 28 no.5 May 1992

    Related Materials in the Huntington Library

    Biographical Note

    Robert Silverberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 15, 1935, to Michael and Helen Silverberg. He was an only child. At an early age Silverberg began writing, and by the time he entered his teenage years, he was submitting stories to science fiction magazines. His first published novel Revolt on Alpha C was released in 1955. In 1956, he won the Hugo Award for “Most Promising New Author.” He was the youngest person ever to receive this award. Simultaneously, Silverberg attended Columbia University where he earned a degree in Comparative Literature in 1956. Upon graduation, Silverberg became a full time writer.
    For a brief period of time, Silverberg took a break from writing science fiction and dabbled in other genres including nonfiction in the area of pre-history, archeology, and exploration for both adults and the young adult audience. In addition to writing nonfiction, he wrote a number of soft- core pornography novels under the pseudonym Don Elliot and Elliot.
    By the mid-1960s, Silverberg returned to the science fiction scene when Frederik Pohl, the editor of Galaxy, convinced him that the science fiction audience had changed and a new more literate kind of story would sell. In order to help entice Silverberg, Pohl gave him complete freedom which allowed Silverberg’s writing to evolve. His major works released during this time include Nightwings, Dying Inside, Tower of Glass, Thorns, Downward to the Earth, The Book of Skulls, and Shadrach in the Furnace. He also wrote a number of short stories which received much acclaim including Sundance, Born with the Dead, Caliban, and In Entropy’s Jaws . All of these works are considered to be vastly different from his earlier ones and received the main concentration of his awards.
    During Silverberg’s career, he wrote over 60 novels, 10 books in the Majipoor series, 22 short story collections, 52 nonfiction works, and 16 anthologies. He has written under various pseudonyms: Walker Chapman; Ivar Jorgenson; Calvin M. Knox; David Osborne; Robert Randall; and Lee Sebastian. Silverberg has served as the President for the Science Fiction Writers of America and was the American guest of Honor at the 28th World Science Fiction Convention in Heidelberg, Germany in 1970. He has won the Hugo award three times: in 1956 for Most Promising New Author; in 1969 for the novella Nightwings; and in 1990 for best novelette Enter a Solider. He has also won the Nebula award five times: in 1969 for best short story Passengers; in 1971 for best novel A Time of Changes and best short story Good News from the Vatican; in 1974 for best novella Born with the Dead; and in 1985 for best novella Sailing to Byzantium; and the Prix Apollo in 1976 for Nightwings. In addition, he has won a Jupiter award and the Locus award nine times. Silverberg has written for various magazines and Ace Doubles. Since 2007, he has served as President of the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. Currently, Silverberg resides in San Francisco, California, with his wife, science fiction writer Karen Haber. In his spare time he likes to garden and raise fuchsias and cacti. He also enjoys traveling and is interested in contemporary literature and music, as well as, medieval geography.

    Scope and Content

    The papers of Robert Silverberg consists of manuscripts (Boxes 1- 52), correspondence (Boxes 53-78), ephemera (Box 79), and oversize (Boxes 80-89 + oversize folder).
    The Manuscripts series (Boxes 1-52, 80-89) is arranged alphabetically by author and title. The manuscripts include a selection of Silverberg’s literary works, mostly dating from 1973-1995. Included in this series are: novels, anthologies, short stories, novellas, essays, articles, book reviews, interviews, pilot scripts, galley proofs, page proofs, and confirmation proofs. Most of the manuscripts in this series are typed and appear to be close too, if not, the final revision.
    Some of Silverberg’s works found within this series include: Born with the Dead, Capricorn Games, Galactic Dreamers, Gilgamesh the King, How they Pass the time in Pelpel, The Nebula Awards, New Dimensions 2, 6, 7, and 8, Nightwings, Revolt on Alpha C, Sundance and other science fiction stories, and Time Gate Volume Two: Dangerous Interfaces. This series also includes manuscripts by other authors, most notably Isaac Asimov, A.A. Attanasio, Gregory Benford, Orson Scott Card, C.J. Cherryh, Ellen Datlow, Tom DeHaven, Samuel R. Delany, Gordon R. Dickson, L. Ron Hubbard, Wolfgang Jeschke, Marc Laidlaw, H.P. Lovecraft, Janet Morris, Larry Niven, Kim Stanley Robinson, Charles Sheffield, S.P. Somtow, Bruce Sterling, Theodore Sturgeon, Harry Turtledove, Jack Vance, and Dave Wolverton. There is also a biography of Philip K. Dick and a copy of his last interview. Some of the manuscripts are too large to be stored with this series and have been placed in oversize boxes 80-89.
    The correspondence series (Boxes 53-78) is arranged alphabetically by author and dates from 1954-1992. The series consists of letters regarding Silverberg’s professional dealings in relation to his writings and his business relationships with publishing companies. Publishing Companies found within the series include the following: Arbor House Publishing Company, Ballantine Books (firm), Chilton Book Company, Crowell- Collier Press, Donald I. Fine, Doubleday, Doran and Company, Harper & Row Publishers, Macmillan Publishing Company, Random House (Firm), Scott Meredith Literacy Agency, and Thomas Y. Crowell.
    Also found within this series are letters from fellow science fiction authors and editors including Isaac Asimov, Forrest J. Ackerman, Thomas D. Clareson, John Kilian Houston Brunner, Richard Curtis, Jack Dann, Gerry de la Ree, Judy-Lynn Del Rey, Howard DeVore, Phyllis Eisenstein, Alex Eisenstein, David Gerrold, Horace Leonard (H.L.) Gold, Martin H. Greenberg, James E. Gunn, Wolfgang Jeschke, Wallace Macfarlane, Steven E. McDonald, Sam Moskowitz, Frederik Pohl, Marta Randall, Charles C. Ryan, Ivan Terence Sanderson, Michael Conner, Susan Wood, Günther M. Schelwokat, S. P. Somtow, Bob Tucker, Bruce McAllister, George Slusser, Bud Webster, James W. Wiggins, and Sidney Zion. In addition, there is a small amount of fan mail.
    The Ephemera series (Box 79) is arranged alphabetically and the materials in the series date from 1958-1984. Within the series are book covers from Silverberg’s novels, a science fiction reading list for a course taught during the summer of 1976, indexes to science fiction and fantasy magazines, miscellaneous notes, programs from conventions, proofs of illustrations from Amazing Science Fiction, science fiction newsletters, and trade catalogs.

    Arrangement

    The collection is arranged in the following series:
    • 1. Manuscripts (Boxes 1-52)
    • 2. Correspondence (Boxes 53-78)
    • 3. Ephemera (Box 79)
    • 4. Oversize (Boxes 80-89)
    Additional names in the collection include:
    • Analog Magazine. Addressee of Ernest Luning letter (1976, Aug. 30). SIL 909.
    • Arbor House Publishing Company. Addressee of Sidney Zion letter (1984, Jan. 3). SIL 1879.
    • Asher, Ellen. Signer of letter under Literary Guild of America (1974, July 30) to Random House (Firm). SIL 887.
    • Asimov, Isaac, 1920-1992. Addressee of Robert Silverberg letters (1973-1974). SIL 1216-1217.
    • Baig, Shirley. Signer of letter under New York times (1962, July 23) to Robert Silverberg. SIL 987.
    • Bakker, Robert T. Addressee of Robert Silverberg letter (1980, Apr. 24). SIL 1218.
    • Ballantine, Betty. Signer of Ballantine Books (Firm) letter (1972, Mar. 27) to Charles Scribner’s Sons. SIL 216.
    • Ballantine Books (Firm). Addressee of Scott Meredith Literary Agency letter (1976, July 2). SIL 1159.
    • Bantam Books (Firm). Addressee of Chilton Book Company letter (1972 May 24). SIL 324.
    • Biggle, Lloyd, 1923-2002. Addressee of Doubleday, Doran & Company letter (1967, Aug 4). SIL 494.
    • Burger, Knox. Signer of letter under Fawcett world library letters (1967) to Scott Meredith. SIL 667-668.
    • Chichak, Ted. Signer of letter under Scott Meredith Literary Agency (1976, July 2) to Ballantine Books (Firm). SIL 1159.
    • Chichak, Ted. Signer of letter under Scott Meredith Literary Agency (1975-1980) to Doubleday, Doran & Company. SIL 1162-1164, 1169, 1170.
    • Chichak, Ted . Signer of letter under Scott Meredith Literary Agency (1976-1979) to New American Library. SIL 1171-1175.
    • Chilton Book Company. Addressee of Bantam Books (Firm) letter (1972, May 26). SIL 276.
    • Chilton Book Company. Addressee of Natural History Book Club letter (1962, Oct. 24). SIL 985.
    • Chilton Book Company. Addressee of Schocken Books letter (1965, Mar. 17). SIL 1153.
    • Chilton Book Company. Addressee of Scott Meredith Literary Agency letter (1966, Jan. 14). SIL 1160.
    • Clareson, Thomas D. Addressee of Robert A. Tibbetts letter (1981, Jan 12). SIL 1846.
    • Cosmo Publication (Firm). Addressee of Thomas D. Clareson letter (1980, Dec. 22). SIL 421.
    • Curtis Brown Ltd. Addressee of Thomas Y. Crowell, Publishers letter (1968, June 11). SIL 1720.
    • Del Rey, Judy-Lynn. Signer of numerous letters under Ballantine Books (Firm) (1973- 1981) to Robert Silverberg. SIL 257, 258, 260-275.
    • Dirda, Michael. Signer of Washington Post Company letter (1980, Sep. 15) to Robert Silverberg. SIL 1865.
    • Donald I. Fine Books. Addressee of Kirby McCauley letters (1986). SIL 972-973.
    • Donald I. Fine Books. Addressee of Scott Meredith Literary Agency letter (1985, Feb. 26). SIL 1161.
    • Doubleday, Doran & Company. Addressee of Science Fiction Writers of America letter (1970, Nov. 3). SIL 1157.
    • Doubleday, Doran & Company . Addressee of Scott Meredith Literary Agency letters (1975- 1980). SIL 1162-1170.
    • Gordon, Charlotte. Signer of letter under Grosset & Dunlap (1970, Aug. 10) to Robert Silverberg. SIL 742.
    • Gotschalk, Felix C. 1929-. Addressee of Martin Harry Greenberg letter (1976, July 7). SIL 740.
    • Groban, Betsy. Signer of letter under Little Brown and Company (1982, Mar. 23) to “Dear Reviewer.” SIL 908.
    • Harper & Row, Publishers. Addressee of Alex Eisenstein letters (1977). SIL 655-656.
    • Harper & Row, Publishers. Addressee of Alex Eisenstein and Phyllis Eisenstein, 1946-, letters (1977) to Harper & Row, Publishers. SIL 657-659.
    • Literary Guild of America. Addressee of Robert Silverberg letters (1968-1974). SIL 1561-1563.
    • LoBrutto. Addressee of Lloyd Weyant letter (1979, Mar. 28). SIL 1871.
    • MacMillan Publishing Company. Addressee of American Geographical Society of New York letter (1970, Apr. 7). SIL 185.
    • Mikesell, Phillip D. Signer of Wabash College letter (1980, Dec. 12) to Robert Silverberg. SIL 1860.
    • New American Library. Addressee of Scott Meredith Literary Agency letters (1976-1979). SIL 1171-1175.
    • Pohl, Frederik. Addressee of Howard Dale Hixson letter (1966, Mar. 26). SIL 859.
    • Rome, T. Herzl. Signer of letter under Schocken Books (1965, Mar. 17) to Chilton Book Company. SIL1153.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of American Museum of Natural History letter (1964, Aug. 20). SIL 187.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Ballantine Books (Firm) letters (1958-1970). SIL 217-218.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Chilton Book Company letters [1964-before 1974]. SIL 325-330.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Collier Books (Firm) letter (1969, July 2). SIL 442.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Doubleday, Doran & Company letters (1966-1977). SIL 497-506.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Macmillan Publishing Company letter (1971, July 13). SIL 912.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of New American Library letters (1976-1978). SIL 988-996.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Frederik Pohl letter [before 1992]. SIL 1024.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Random House (Firm) letters (1964, 1975). SIL 1102-1105.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Ivan Terence Sanderson, 1911-1973, letters (1963). SIL 1150-1151.
    • Scott Meredith Literary Agency. Addressee of Sue letter (1980, June 30). SIL 1714.
    • Thomas Y. Crowell, Publishing. Addressee of Mario Abriani letter (1968, May 29). SIL 182.
    • Thomas Y. Crowell, Publishing. Addressee of Scott Meredith Literary Agency letter (1954, Aug. 3). SIL 1181.
    • Torgeson, Roy. Signer of Zebra book letter (1979, Apr.) to “SFWA members.” SIL 1877.
    • Turner, Alice K. Addressee of Donald I. Fine letter (1985, July 12). SIL 727.
    Additional subjects in the collection include:
    • Dick, Philip K. Subject in Gregg Rickman Philip K. Dick: In His Own Words : biography: pages I-255 (1984). SIL 60.
    • Dick, Philip K. Subject in Gregg Rickman Philip K. Dick’s Last Interview : interview: 17 pages (1981, Apr. 22). Includes a printed copy of the article dated 1982, May. SIL 61.
    • Dick, Philip K. Subject in Robert Silverberg “Quantity and Quality: The Short Fiction: The Short Fiction of Philip K. Dick:” short story: 16 pages (1991). Note published in book More Amazing stories by Kim Mohan. SIL 133.
    • Dick, Philip K. Subject in Ephemera: Science Fiction Newsletters (1977-1984). Box 79 (7).

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.  

    Subjects

    Dick, Philip K.
    Silverberg, Robert -- Archives.
    Authors, American -- 20th century -- Archives.
    Authors, American -- California -- Archives.
    Publishers and publishing -- United States -- Correspondence.
    Science fiction, American.
    Science fiction, American -- Women authors.

    Forms/Genres

    Articles -- United States.
    Business letters -- United States.
    Ephemera -- 20th century.
    Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century.
    Manuscripts for publication -- United States -- 20th century.
    Notes -- United States.
    Personal Papers -- United States.
    Professional Papers -- United States.

    Additional Contributors

    Ackerman, Forrest J.
    Asimov, Isaac, 1920-1992.
    Attanasio, A. A.
    Benford, Gregory, 1941-.
    Brunner, John, 1934-1995.
    Card, Orson Scott.
    Cherryh, C. J.
    Clareson, Thomas D.
    Curtis, Richard.
    Dann, Jack.
    Datlow, Ellen.
    De Haven, Tom.
    De la Ree, Gerry.
    De Rey, Judy-Lynn.
    Delany, Samuel R.
    DeVore, Howard.
    Dickson, Gordon R.
    Gerrold, David, 1944-.
    Gold, H. L. (Horace Leonard), 1914-1996.
    Greenberg, Martin Harry.
    Gunn, James E., 1923-.
    Hubbard, L. Ron (La Fayette Ron), 1911-1986.
    Eisenstein, Alex.
    Eisenstein, Phyllis, 1946-.
    Jeschke, Wolfgang.
    Laidlaw, Marc.
    Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips), 1890-1937.
    McDonald, Steven E.
    Moskowitz, Sam.
    Morris, Janet, 1946-.
    Niven, Larry.
    Pohl, Frederik.
    Rickman, Gregg.
    Robinson, Kim Stanley.
    Ryan, Charles C.
    Sanderson, Ivan Terence, 1911-1973.
    Sheffield, Charles.
    Somtow, S. P.
    Sterling, Bruce.
    Sturgeon, Theodore.
    Tucker, Bob.
    Turledove, Harry.
    Vance, Jack, 1916-.
    Wolverton, Dave.
    Webster, Bud.
    Wiggins, James W. (James Wilhelm), 1914-.
    Zion, Sidney.
    Arbor House Publishing Company.
    Ballantine Books (Firm)
    Bantam Books (Firm)
    Charles Scribner's Sons.
    Chilton Book Company.
    Crowell-Collier Press.
    Doubleday, Doran & Company.
    Harper & Row, Publishers.
    Literary Guild of America.
    Macmillan Publishing Company.
    New American Library.
    Random House (Firm)
    Scott Meredith Literary Agency.
    Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
    Donald I. Fine Books.