Guide to the Material pertaining to biography of Sinclair Lewis, 1952-1962

Processed by The Bancroft Library staff
The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu
© 1997
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Note

This finding aid has been filmed for the National Inventory of Documentary Sources in the United States (Chadwyck-Healey Inc.)

Note

Arts and Humanities --Literature --American Literature

Guide to the Material pertaining to biography of Sinclair Lewis, 1952-1962

Collection number: BANC MSS C-H 149

The Bancroft Library



University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Contact Information:

Processed by:
The Bancroft Library staff
Date Completed:
ca. 1962
Encoded by:
Charlotte Gerstein
© 1997 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Collection Summary

Collection Title: Material pertaining to biography of Sinclair Lewis,
Date (inclusive): 1952-1962
Collection Number: BANC MSS C-H 149
Origination: Schorer, Mark, 1908-
Extent: Number of containers: 10 boxes and 8 cartons
Repository: The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Abstract: Correspondence re Lewis and re the book after its publication; research notes; bibliography; books by and about Lewis; transcripts of Lewis; diaries, 1900-1907; Schorer's interview notebooks; copies of the ms.; galley and page proofs; first unbound copy; copy with Schorer's corrections; his speeches re Lewis. Includes correspondence with Upton Sinclair.
Languages Represented: English

Information for Researchers

Access

Collection is open for research with the exception of Carton 4, which is unarranged and unavailable for use. Inquiries concerning materials from this carton should be directed, in writing, to the Head of the Manuscripts Division.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Material pertaining to biography of Sinclair Lewis, BANC MSS C-H 149, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Scope and Content

This material was given to The Bancroft Library by Professor Schorer in December 1962 and February 1963.

Boxes 1-4

Correspondence re Lewis, 1952-1962.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence with Lewis' family, friends, associates, etc. and with libraries and institutions possessing Lewis material. Included also is Schorer's correspondence with his publisher and agent. Arranged alphabetically by name of person or organization, with copies of Schorer's letters interfiled chronologically in each folder. Single letters are in miscellanies preceding each letter of the alphabet. A list of the more important correspondents is included herein.
Box 1

A - D

Box 2

E - Lh

Box 3

Li - M

Box 4

N - Z

Boxes 5-6

Correspondence re the book after its publication, 1961-1962.

Scope and Content Note

Mainly fan mail. Arranged alphabetically by name of person, with miscellanies for single letters. Schorer's replies are with the incoming letters. A list of the more important correspondents is included herein.
Box 5

A - L

Box 6

M - Z

Carton 1

Working materials.

Scope and Content Note

Included are photocopies and transcripts of letters to and from Lewis, recollections of Lewis written by some of Schorer's correspondents, clippings concerning Lewis and reviews of his books, photocopies of magazine articles written by him and a photocopy of his will. This material was arranged chronologically by Schorer, covering the period 1885-1951.
There are copies of letters from Jack London, H. L. Mencken, Edith Wharton, Upton Sinclair, Zona Gale, Horace Walpole, Mark Van Doren, Dorothy Thompson, Malcolm Cowley, W. E. Woodward and many others.
Carton 2

Working materials (cont'd.)

Scope and Content Note

Notes on Lewis' character and his autobiographical comments, photocopy of his record of his manuscripts, clippings concerning his literary reputation, transcripts and notes of correspondence, Lewis' itinerary, etc.
 

Photographs

 

Bibliographies and checklists

 

Interview notebooks kept by Schorer

 

Material re permissions and acknowledgments

 

Plot summaries of short stories by Lewis

 

Transcripts of his diaries, 1900-1907

 

Copy of script of "NBC Biography in Sound: Sinclair Lewis"

 

Manuscript, "I Visit Twin Farms," by Dale Warren

Carton 3

First draft of manuscript

 

Manuscript as submitted to the publisher

Carton 4 (Unarranged and unavailable for use)

Printer's copy

 

Corrected galleys and page proofs

 

Proofs of illustrations

 

First unbound copy

Carton 5

Copies of books written by Lewis and about Lewis

Carton 6

Copies of the English and paperback editions; book reviews; and film (bibliographic)

carton Cartons 7-8

Card Files

 

4 card files, "Working notes"

Scope and Content Note

4" x 6" cards, arranged chronologically.
 

Wooden card file, "Working bibliography"

Scope and Content Note

4" x 6" cards, arranged alphabetically by name of author.
Box 7

Copies of periodicals containing material about Lewis

Box 8

Corrected copy of the biography (Schorer's corrections in ink)

 

Articles and speeches by Schorer about Lewis

 

"Main Street" ( American Heritage, v. XII, no. 6, Oct. 1961)

 

"Sinclair Lewis and the Nobel Prize" ( Atlantic, v. 208, no. 4, Oct. 1961)

 

Introductory remarks to a lecture called "Sinclair Lewis: Midwest Protest" given at the University of Minnesota in the spring of 1961 (MS)

 

"The Burdens of Biography" - MS of Avery Hopwood Memorial Lecture delivered May 23, 1962, at Ann Arbor

 

Book-of-the-Month Club News, September 1961, announcing Schorer's book as the October selection

 

Schorer's list of correspondents and of manuscripts given in February 1963

 

Miscellany

Box 9

Correspondence re permissions and additional folder of fan mail

Box 10

Photographs


 

A Miscellany (single letters)

 

Allen, Robert Joseph, 1902-

 

Letter, Apr. 23, 1953

 

Arvin, Newton, 1900-

 

Letter, Mar. 18, 1959

 

Allen, Samuel Edward, 1873-

 

2 letters, 1954-1959

 

Aswell, Edward C. 1900-1958

See McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.

 

B Miscellany (single letters)

 

Bacon, Peggy, 1895-

 

Letter, June 14, 1959

 

Ball, Lucille, 1911-

 

Letter, Jan. 7, 1957

 

Barrett, Clifton Waller

 

Letter, June 2, 1954

 

Basso, Hamilton, 1904-

 

Letter, Feb. 22, 1959

 

Benjamin, Curtis G, 1901-

 

Letter, Mar. 13, 1959

 

Bottome, Phyllis, 1884-

 

Letter, Aug. 25, 1959

 

Braider, Donald

 

Letter, Apr. 24, 1959

 

Bransten, Joseph M.

 

Letter, Apr. 11, 1960

 

Breasted, Charles

 

Letter, Jan. 17, 1957

 

Breit, Harvey

 

Letter, July 14, 1952

 

Brink, Carol (Ryrie), 1895-

 

Letter, Mar. 30, 1954

 

Bryson, Lyman, 1888-

 

Letter, Jan. 22, 1958

 

Babcock, Frederic, 1896-

 

4 letters, 1959-1960

 

Baker, Carlos Heard, 1909-

 

2 letters, 1954

 

Banning, Margaret Culkin, 1891-

 

3 letters, 1957

 

Barnes, Nellie

 

3 letters, 1954

 

Behrman, Samuel Nathaniel, 1893-

 

6 letters, 1960

 

Belgion, Montgomery

 

3 letters, 1959

 

Billwiller, Primrose Sandiford

 

4 letters, 1952

 

Binder, Dorothy (Walton)

 

2 letters, 1954 & n.d.

 

Brandt & Brandt

 

120 letters, 1952-1962. Written primarily by Carol Brandt.

 

Bunn, George Wallace, 1890-

 

3 letters, 1959 & n.d.

 

Butcher, Fanny

 

2 letters, 1959

 

C Miscellany (single letters)

 

Cain, James Mallahan, 1892-

 

Letter, Jan. 7, 1957

 

California. University, Berkeley. Library

 

Letter, June 14, 1961. Written by Donald Coney.

 

Cantwell, Robert Emmett, 1908-

 

Letter, Feb. 17, 1959

 

Carter, Hodding, 1907-

 

Letter, Feb. 7, 1959

 

Chidester, Ann, 1919-

 

Letter, July 22, 1956. Signed: Ann Chidester O'Meara

 

Clark, James Mitchell

 

Letter, Feb. 2, 1959

 

Connelly, Marcus Cook, 1890-

 

Letter, June 6, 1960

 

Conrad, Barnaby, 1922-

 

Letter, June 29, 1956

 

Cousins, Margaret, 1905-

 

Letter, Jan. 31, 1961

 

Cowley, Malcolm, 1898-

 

Letter, Sept. 25, 1959

 

Cane, Melville Henry, 1879-

See Ernst, Cane & Berner

 

Cape, Jonathan

 

2 letters, 1958-1959

 

Cayton, Horace Roscoe

 

2 letters, 1959-1961

 

Cerf, Bennett Alfred, 1898-

 

5 letters, 1960

 

Cerwin, Herbert

 

2 letters, 1955-1961

 

Charnley, Mitchell Vaughn, 1898-

 

5 letters, 1953-1954

 

Collins, Alan C.

 

2 letters, 1959

 

Compton, Ida L

 

7 letters, 1954-1960

 

Cozzens, Bernice (Baumgarten) (Mrs. James Gould Cozzens)

 

3 letters, 1960

 

D Miscellany (single letters)

 

Davis, Curtis Carroll

 

Letter, Aug. 23, 1961

 

Degnan, June Oppen

 

Letter, Feb. 10, 1961

 

Dos Passos, John, 1896-

 

Letter, Feb. 18, 1959

 

Decker, Clarence Raymond, 1904-

 

2 letters, 1959

 

de Kruif, Paul, 1890-

 

5 letters, 1959

 

Derleth, August, 1909-

 

6 letters, 1958-1960

 

Dozier, William, 1908-

 

3 letters, 1957-1958

 

E Miscellany (single letters)

 

Evjue, William Theodore, 1882-

 

Letter, Jan. 18, 1954

 

Elias, Robert Henry, 1914-

 

2 letters, 1959

 

Ernst, Cane & Berner

 

65 letters, 1952-1962. Written primarily by Melville H. Cane.

 

Ernst, Morris Leopold, 1888-

 

2 letters, 1959-1961

 

F Miscellany (single letters)

 

Ferber, Edna

 

Letter, Jan. 11, 1957

 

Frankfurter, Felix, 1882-

 

Letter, Jan. 8, 1958

 

Frere, Alexander Stewart, 1896-

 

Letter, July 6, 1953

 

Fadiman, Clifton, 1904-

 

2 letters, 1953

 

Fenton, Charles A.

 

15 letters, 1954-1960

 

Fishbein, Morris, 1889-

 

6 letters, 1958-1959

 

Forgue, Guy Jean

 

4 letters, 1958-1959

 

Frank, Waldo David, 1889-

 

2 letters, 1959

 

G Miscellany (single letters)

 

Galantiere, Lewis, 1895-

 

Letter, Jan. 8, 1959

 

Gelhorn, Martha

 

Letter, ca. Jan. 13, 1959

 

Gish, Lillian

 

Letter, n.d.

 

Goetz, Ruth Goodman

 

Letter, Feb. 17, 1954

 

Gregory, Horace

 

Letter, Nov. 5, 1959

 

Gunther, John, 1901-

 

Letter, Jan. 28, 1958

 

Gallup, Donald Clifford, 1913-

See Yale University.

 

Gannett, Lewis Stiles, 1891-

 

4 letters, 1954-1956

 

Gill, Brendan, 1914-

 

2 letters, 1954-1955

 

Guthrie, Ramon

 

4 letters, 1953-1960

 

H Miscellany (single letters)

 

Hamilton, Hamish, 1900-

 

Letter, May 1, 1953

 

Harcourt, Alfred, 1881-1954

 

Letter, Oct. 25, 1953

 

Harcourt, Ellen Knowles (Mrs. Alfred Harcourt)

 

Letter, July 2, 1954

 

Harrison, Gilbert A., 1915-

 

Letter, Dec. 23, 1955

 

Hart, James David, 1911-

 

Letter, Apr. 9, 1959

 

Hart-Davis, Rupert

 

Letter, July 13, 1959

 

Hepburn, Katharine, 1909-

 

Letter, n.d.

 

Herron, Ima Homaker

 

Letter, Feb. 22, 1959

 

Hicks, Granville, 1901-

 

Letter, Mar. 1, 1959

 

Hornblow, Arthur, 1893-

 

Letter, n.d.

 

Haessler, Carl, 1888-

 

3 letters, 1959

 

Haggard, Edith

 

5 letters, 1958-1960

 

Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc.

 

10 letters, 1953-1962

 

Harris, Markham

 

2 letters, 1957-1959

 

Hepburn, Thomas N.

 

2 letters, 1958

 

Hersey, John, 1914-

 

3 letters, 1954-1960

 

Hillman, Serrell

 

13 letters, 1957-1960

 

Hoffman, Arthur Sullivant, 1876-

 

4 letters, 1957-1961

 

Huebsch, B. W.

 

7 letters, 1958-1960

 

I-J Miscellany (single letters)

 

Irwin, Inez (Haynes), 1873-

 

Letter, Apr. 27, 1959

 

Johnson, Nunnally, 1897-

 

Letter, Jan. 28, 1957

 

Jones, Howard Mumford, 1892-

 

Letter, Oct. 10, 1960

 

Johansen, Gunnar

 

2 letters, 1954

 

Jones, Bessie (Zaban) (Mrs. Howard Mumford Jones)

 

4 letters, 1960

 

K Miscellany (single letters)

 

Knopf, Blanche (Wolf)

 

Letter, Dec. 4, 1958

 

L Miscellany (single letters)

 

Langner, Lawrence, 1890-

 

Letter, Mar. 24, 1959

 

Lehman, Benjamin Harrison, 1889-

 

Letter, Oct. 14, 1960

 

Lippman, Walter, 1889-

 

Letter, Dec. 11, 1956

 

Lochner, Louis Paul, 1887-

 

Letter, Oct. 7, 1957

 

Longstreet, Stephen, 1907-

 

Letter, Jan. 6, 1956

 

Luhan, Mabel Dodge, 1879-

 

Letter, Jan. 28, 1959

 

Lynn, Kenneth S.

 

Letter, Aug. 8, 1955

 

Lewis, Claude B.

 

4 letters, 1952-1954

 

Lewis, Grace Hegger

 

15 letters, 1959-1961. Signed Grace Hegger de Casanova and Grace Casanova.

 

[Library Correspondence]

 

Correspondence with libraries and other institutions possessing Sinclair Lewis materials.

 

Longwell, Daniel, 1899-

 

2 letters, 1959

 

Lyons, Leonard, 1906-

 

2 letters, 1959

 

M Miscellany (single letters)

 

McKelway, St. Clair

 

Letter, May 28, 1959

 

Marquand, John Phillips, 1893-

 

Letter, Feb. 17, 1959

 

Mayes, Herbert Raymond, 1900-

 

Letter, June 13, 1960

 

Mizener, Arthur Moore, 1907-

 

Letter, Nov. 4, 1959

 

Munson, Gorham

 

Letter, Jan. 14, 1959

 

McComas, Gene (Baker)

 

7 letters, 1954-1956

 

McCormick, Kenneth Dale, 1906-

 

3 letters, 1959

 

McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.

 

154 letters, 1952-1962. Include letters from Harold W. McGraw, Jr., Edward Aswell, Edward Kuhn, Robert Gutwillig and Sonia Levinthal.

 

Manfred, Frederick Feikema, 1912-

 

4 letters, 1953-1954

 

Maule, Harry Edward, 1886-

 

5 letters, 1958-1960

 

Mencken, Henry Louis, 1880-1956

 

3 letters, 1954-1956. Written for him by his secretary.

 

Murphy, Edward Francis, 1892-

 

2 letters, 1959

 

N Miscellany (single letters)

 

North, Sterling, 1906-

 

Letter, Jan. 26, 1954

 

Nowell, Elizabeth

 

Letter, Nov. 6, 1956

 

O Miscellany (single letters)

 

O'Hara, John, 1905-

 

Letter, Feb. 17, 1959

 

Olds, Irving S., 1887-1963

 

Letter, July 21, 1954

 

Perkins, Frances, 1882-

 

2 letters, 1958-1959

 

Powers, Marcella

 

9 letters, 1959-1961

 

R Miscellany (single letters)

 

Rogers, Samuel Greene Arnold, 1894-

 

Letter, Nov. 12, 1953

 

Runyon, Alfred Melton, 1905-

 

Letter, June 29, 1959

 

Raphaelson, Samson, 1896-

 

2 letters, 1958

 

Reyher, Ferdinand

 

3 letters, 1959

 

Rous, Peyton, 1879-

 

2 letters, 1955-1958

 

S Miscellany (single letters)

 

Schary, Dore, 1905-

 

Letter, Jan. 8, 1957

 

Schlesinger, Arthur Meier, 1917-

 

Letter, Jan. 21, 1957

 

Secondari, John H.

 

Letter, Apr. 28, 1959

 

Sheean, Diana (Forbes-Robertson) [Mrs. Vincent Sheean]

 

Letter, Jan. 20, 1958

 

Sheean, Vincent, 1899-

 

Letter, Mar. 5, 1959

 

Shirer, William Lawrence, 1904-

 

Letter, June 11, 1960

 

Shulman, Max, 1919-

 

Letter, Mar. 11, 1959

 

Smith, Harrison, 1888-

 

Letter, Jan. 21, 1958

 

Smith, Henry Nash, 1906-

 

Letter, Feb. 16, 1959

 

Steele, Wilbur Daniel, 1886-

 

Letter, n.d.

 

Steinbeck, John, 1902-

 

Letter, Feb. 19, 1959

 

Stout, Rex Todhunter, 1886-

 

Letter, Nov. 6, 1955

 

Strong, Anna Louise

 

Letter, Aug. 30, 1957

 

Seldes, George

 

2 letters, 1959

 

Seldes, Gilbert, 1893-

 

5 letters, 1959

 

Shaplen, Robert

 

2 letters, 1959

 

Sions, Harry

 

2 letters, 1959

 

Smith, William Jay

 

2 letters, 1955-1961

 

Soule, George Henry, 1887-

 

2 letters, 1957

 

T Miscellany (single letters)

 

Thurber, James, 1894-1961

 

Letter, Aug. 11, 1955

 

Thompson, Dorothy, 1894-1961

 

30 letters, 1953-1961

 

Traeger, Cornelius Horace

 

3 letters, 1960-1961

 

Troubridge, Una Vincenzo

 

2 letters, 1953

 

U-Z Miscellany (single letters)

 

Ueland, Brenda

 

Letter, Dec. 29, 1956

 

Van Doren, Irita, 1891-

 

Letter, Jan. 29, 1959

 

Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-

 

Letter, Jan. 9, 1959

 

Vorse, Mary (Heaton)

 

Letter, n.d.

 

West, Rebecca, pseud., 1892-

 

Letter, June 29, 1953

 

Weybright, Victor, 1903-

 

Letter, Feb. 16, 1959

 

White, Katharine (Sergeant), 1892-

 

Letter, July 28, 1955

 

White, Poppy (Cannon) [Mrs. Walter F. White]

 

Letter, Mar. 18, 1959

 

Wilder, Thornton, 1897-

 

Letter, Feb. 29, 1959

 

Williams, Ronald John, 1906-

 

Letter, Sept. 14, 1955

 

Williams, William Carlos, 1883-

 

Postcard, ca. Jan. 10, 1959

 

Wray, Fay

 

Letter, Jan. 8, 1957

 

Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-

 

3 letters, 1956-1958

 

Warren, Dale

 

7 letters, 1958-1960

 

Werner, Morris Robert, 1897-

 

2 letters, 1958-1959

 

Yale University

 

36 letters, 1952-1961. Mainly from Donald C. Gallup, Curator, Collection of American Literature.


 

A - B Miscellany (single letters)

 

Babb, James Tinkham, 1899-

 

Letter, Oct. 31, 1961

 

Baker, Carlos Heard, 1909-

 

Letter, Oct. 13, 1961

 

Baker, Dorothy, 1907-

 

Letter, [Dec. 1961]

 

Behrman, Samuel Nathaniel, 1893-

 

Letter, Oct. 22, 1961

 

Busch, Niven, 1903-

 

Letter, Oct. 24, 1961

 

Belgion, Montgomery

 

6 letters, 1962

 

Bliven, Bruce, 1889-

 

2 letters, 1961

 

C-D Miscellany (single letters)

 

Caen, Herbert Eugene, 1916-

 

Letter, Sept. 27, 1961

 

Cane, Melville Henry, 1879-

 

Letter, Oct. 30, 1961

 

Cayton, Horace Roscoe

 

Letter, Oct. 11, 1961

 

Cerf, Bennett Alfred, 1898-

 

Letter, Oct. 11, 1961

 

Chidester, Ann, 1919-

 

Letter, Nov. 26, 1961

 

De Kruif, Eleanor (Mrs. Paul de Kruif)

 

Letter, [Dec. 1961]

 

Derleth, August, 1909-

 

Letter, Sept. 16, 1961

 

Conrad, Barnaby, 1922-

 

2 letters, 1961

 

E-G Miscellany (single letters)

 

Frank, Waldo David, 1889-

 

Letter, Apr. 1962

 

Gannett, Lewis Stiles, 1891-

 

Letter, Jan. 27, 1962

 

Gaus, John Merriman, 1894-

 

Letter, Mar. 3, 1962

 

Guthrie, Ramon

 

Letter, Aug. 11, 1961

 

Gunther, John, 1901-

 

2 letters, 1961

 

H-I Miscellany (single letters)

 

Haggard, Edith

 

Letter, Sept. 26, 1961

 

Harris, Mark

 

Letter, June 27, 1962

 

Hersey, John, 1914-

 

Letter, Nov. 17, 1961

 

Huebsch, B. W.

 

Letter, June 28, 1962

 

Isherwood, Christopher, 1904-

 

Letter, ca. Nov. 10, 1961

 

J-K Miscellany (single letters)

 

Jones, Howard Mumford, 1892-

 

Letter, Sept. 2, 1961

 

Katkov, Norman

 

Letter, Oct. 21, 1961

 

Kent, Sherman, 1903-

 

Letter, June 1, 1962

 

Kerr, Clark, 1911-

 

Letter, n.d.

 

L Miscellany (single letters)

 

Laughlin, James, 1914-

 

Letter, Oct. 2, 1961

 

Lehman, Benjamin Harrison, 1889-

 

Letter, Feb. 3, 1962

 

Lehman, Henriette (Blanding)

 

Letter, Dec. 6, 1961

 

Loeb, Harold

 

Letter, Dec. 17, 1961

 

M Miscellany (single letters)

 

Miller, Nolan

 

Letter, Sept. 19, 1961

 

Murphy, Edward Francis, 1892-

 

Letter, Oct. 17, 1961

 

McComas, Gene (Baker)

 

2 letters, 1961

 

N-R Miscellany (single letters)

 

Orton, Vrest Teachout, 1897-

 

Letter, Feb. 8, 1962

 

S-T Miscellany (single letters)

 

Seldes, George

 

Letter, Sept. 26, 1961

 

Sinclair, Upton Beall, 1878-

 

Letter, Sept. 17, 1961

 

Snow, Charles Percy, 1905-

 

Letter, Nov. 22, 1961

 

U-Z Miscellany (single letters)

 

Warren, Austin, 1899-

 

Letter, Nov. 20, 1961

 

Weybright, Victor, 1903-

 

Letter, Oct. 10, 1961

 

White, Katharine (Sergeant), 1892-

 

Letter, Dec. 13, 1961

 

Updegraff, Allan

 

5 letters, 1961-1962

 

Warren, Dale

 

4 letters, 1960-1961