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Guide to the James N. Tidwell American Folklore Collection
MS-0253  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Overview of the Collection
  • Biographical Information:
  • Access Terms
  • Administrative Information
  • Scope and Contents

  • Overview of the Collection

    Collection Title: James N. Tidwell American Folklore Collection
    Identification: MS-0253
    Creator: Tidwell, James Nathan, 1911-1989
    Physical Description: 2.17 linear ft
    Language of Materials: English
    Repository: Special Collections & University Archives
    5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
    San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
    URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
    Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
    Phone: 619-594-6791

    Biographical Information:

    Dr. James Tidwell was born in Texas in 1911. He earned his doctorate in English from the Ohio State University, and enlisted in the Navy during World War II. He taught at Ohio State University and Westminster College prior to joining the faculty at San Diego State College in 1947. He was a Fulbright Professor of American Literature and Language at the University of Athens in Athens, Greece from 1956-57.
    Tidwell is the author of many scholarly publications and of A Treasury of American Folk Humor, published in 1956. During his career, Tidwell was the regional editor for the Journal of Western Folklore, Counselor for the American Folklore Society, member of the Advisory Committee of American Speech, and also hosted a local television series on folklore in 1956. He served as acting dean of the School of Arts and Letters, and retired in 1976.

    Access Terms

    This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

    Genre/Form of Material:

    Personal Papers
    Publications

    Personal Name:

    Tidwell, James Nathan

    Topical Term:

    Folklore--United States
    Musical Americana
    Proverbs

    Administrative Information

    Conditions Governing Use:

    The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.  Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

    Conditions Governing Access:

    This collection is open for research.

    Preferred Citation:

    Identification of item, folder title, box number, James N. Tidwell American Folklore Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.

    Scope and Contents

    The James Tidwell American Folklore Collection primarily consists of examples of American folklore, and was created by James Tidwell.  It includes folklore in various genres, including stories, sayings, figures of speech, moral tales, anecdotes, legends, jokes, riddles, and music, among others.  The collection also contains some student work from Tidwell's San Diego State College courses, and note cards documenting music and sayings.  It is filed alphabetically by genre.