The Peter F. Neumeyer Papers document Neumeyer's professional and academic career, beginning as a student and ending as a critic. The papers date from 1950, when Neumeyer was an undergraduate, to 2004, when he and wife Helen co-curated an exhibition on illustrator Margot Zemach. The bulk of the papers are from the 1970s through the 1990s when Neumeyer was a professor and actively published academic articles, reviews, and poetry. A recent addition to the papers, includes the outgoing correspondence from Peter Neumeyer to Edward "Ted" Gorey, 1968-1971. The collection is divided into five series: Pedagogical Work, Professional Files, Published Work, Margot Zemach Art Show and Correspondence with Edward "Ted" Gorey. Neumeyer kept all of his papers in a series of labeled folders. This order was preserved, and the folders that comprise each of the five series are arranged alphabetically based upon, in most cases, Neumeyer's description or by chronological order.

Peter F. Neumeyer was born in Germany in 1929. Fleeing the Nazis, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1936. After receiving his undergraduate degree, master's degree, and doctorate (in 1963) in English at UC Berkeley, Neumeyer taught at Harvard University until 1969. It was there that Neumeyer taught one of the first literary courses on children's books in North America. Besides Harvard, Neumeyer has taught at State University of New York (Stony Brook) and West Virginia University. He has taught summer courses on children's literature at Columbia University. Additionally, Neumeyer has lectured and taught in Sweden and Finland on that subject.

9.46 Linear Feet

The copyright interests in the materials found in this collection will be transferred to San Diego State University on January 1, 2056.  Special Collections and University Archives can only grant permission to publish materials for which it is the copyright holder.  For further information, please consult the section on copyright in the rules for using the collections, or contact the United States Copyright Office at (202) 707-3000 or http://www.copyright.gov.

Researchers must receive Mr. Neumeyer's approval to use, duplicate, or publish materials from the collection.