Compare Constellations

Colt Press. Colt Press records, ca. 1941-1942.

Title: Colt Press records, ca. 1941-1942.

Collection contains correspondence with poets and other writers. Names are listed in the record as added entries.

ArchivalResource: 2 boxes (.5 linear ft.)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122550768 View

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Records. : Series I., General Correspondence, 1922-1977 (bulk 1946-1966).

Title: Records. : Series I., General Correspondence, 1922-1977 (bulk 1946-1966).

This series consists of the central editorial files of the Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Company. It contains the correspondence for the day-to-day operations of the firm, including letters from foreign publishers seeking publication and translation rights, contacts with young writers, inquiries from aspiring authors, correspondence on legal matters such as copyright, letters from literary agents, and requests for information about writers. The General Correspondence series also contains correspondence between editors and Knopf authors, many files of which follow the creation of a book from the original idea to its final publication. Taken as a whole, this series offers a comprehensive overview of the activities of the editorial offices. The main strength of the series derives from the individual files devoted to writers published by Knopf. These files typically reveal the writer's first connection with the company, which might have occurred when the firm contacted the writer expressing their interest in her or his work, or when the author submitted a manuscript. Files follow the correspondence between the editor and writer, revealing the relationship between the two as the manuscript progresses, continues once the book is published, and shows how the book is received and how well it sells. Especially interesting is the way the files reveal how an editor would guide the creative process, as she or he suggests changes, additions, or deletions. While the vast majority of files contain correspondence only, some files relate to the inner workings of the firm. These are labelled by department or, more often, by employee name; the most significant are for Blanche and Alfred A. Knopf, and can be found in most years. The files rely on the use of documentation in the form of internal memoranda that were sent from editors and employees of other departments to update the Knopfs on current activities. Folders titled with the name of a trip taken by Alfred or Blanche Knopf in a specific year often include narrative descriptions of the visit, including detailed lists of publishers, scouts, literary agents, and writers with whom they met. Further, information about writers is also available in these folders. For example, internal memos about the rejection of John Knowles' A Separate Peace are in one of Blanche Knopf's European trip folders. Other employee named files, like those of Secretary and later President William A. Koshland, give an overview of the firm's administrative history.

ArchivalResource: 500 boxes (208 linear feet)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122481717 View

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Records. Series VII., Other Department Files, 1916-1996 (bulk 1943-1969).

Title: Records. Series VII., Other Department Files, 1916-1996 (bulk 1943-1969).

This series contains selected files created outside of the Editorial Department, which dominates the rest of the collection. The series contains only two boxes of materials from the Sales and College Departments, with the great majority of the files originating from the Publicity Department. The Publicity Department files chronicle the activities and concerns of editors, authors, administrators, and publicity department personnel in the struggle to market their titles and bring authors and the company to international attention and acclaim. A vast selection of materials, including artwork, biographical information, book jackets, correspondence, clippings, memos, photographs, publication and planning forms, and reviews, among others, combine to give the user a comprehensive view of the promotional process. Correspondence in the Publicity and Permanent Title files is often routine, containing materials such as mass mailings of introductions, booksellers' comments, and requests for review copies from individuals, organizations, newspapers and journals. However, some files offer exchanges between authors, editors, and book designers, primarily concerning promotional strategies, itineraries, and editing or revisions of manuscripts. The Publicity Department subseries is also rich with photographs (some with accompanying negatives), including portraits, publicity stills, and candid snapshots. Renowned photographers such as Henri Cartier Bresson, E. O. Hoppe, Edward Steichen, and Carl Van Vechten contribute to the photo documentation of the collection, capturing such Knopf dignitaries as Willa Cather, John Hersey, Thomas Mann, H. L. Mencken, and many others. Additionally, this subseries holds thousands of snapshots and portraits of authors, colleagues, and family members taken by Alfred A. Knopf, an avid amateur photographer. Author questionnaires are found scattered throughout the Publicity subseries, but also in an alphabetically arranged collection of files of the biographical forms dating 1929-1965 (bulk 1948-1955). Valuable for their autobiographical content, the questionnaires also offer descriptions of an author's work. While some forms give scant information, others have been filled out in great detail, providing manuscript descriptions, author ideas for publicity, target audiences, previous awards, honors and publications, occupations, and family information. Other files in the Publicity Department subseries were created by publicity managers W. T. Loverd (ca. 1968-1970) and Jane Becker Friedman. Because Friedman advanced to Publicity Director, and also Vice President and Associate Publisher, her files reflect a lengthier time span (ca. 1966-1988), and a more narrow focus, especially in the later years, on the promotion of cookbooks. The Sales Department subseries contains the files of senior salesman Leon Anderson, focusing on his activities as a member of the Knopf sales department (1946-1960). The internal correspondence in this subseries is rich with encouragement, sales strategy, and advice from Knopf administrators such as Treasurer Joseph Lesser, Alfred and Blanche Knopf, and Sales Manager Alfred A. (Pat) Knopf, Jr. Also chronicled is Pat Knopf's resignation from the firm. The correspondence continues through Anderson's resignation in January 1960 and includes personal letters from Alfred Knopf as late as 1970. The College Department files contain correspondence and memos primarily concerning employee qualifications, expectations and duties, and suggestions for manuscripts. The file for the head of the College Department, John T. Hawes, includes ledger sheets containing comparisons of expected and actual sales, new title lists, and sales projections.

ArchivalResource: 341 boxes (142 linear feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122472973 View

Benton, Walter, 1907-. Correspondence to Van Wyck Brooks, 1942.

Title: Correspondence to Van Wyck Brooks, 1942.

ArchivalResource: 2 items (2 leaves)

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/173642340 View

Benton, Walter, 1907-. [Manuscript songs].

Title: [Manuscript songs]. [between 1950 and 1970]

ArchivalResource: 35 p. of ms. music ; 36 cm.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27414087 View

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Records. Series VI., Editorial Department Files, 1915-1984 (bulk 1948-1978).

Title: Records. Series VI., Editorial Department Files, 1915-1984 (bulk 1948-1978).

This series consists of selected files maintained by the editorial offices of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Containing internal forms and correspondence, it highlights numerous aspects of the publishing process. Subseries A.: Contract Data Sheets. This subseries contains the internal forms, called contract data sheets, that consolidated an author's contract and sales records, highlighting rights, contract options, translations, and royalties. While these single sheets make up the bulk of the subseries, occasionally other forms such as reprint contract sheets, contract proposals, and internal memoranda have been attached for reference. Subseries B.: Foreign Rights. These files contain correspondence and internal forms relating to the publication of Knopf books in other countries. Most of these files consist of correspondence from foreign publishers asking Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for the right to publish a particular title in their country. While some folders contain letters from many different publishers, others follow the lengthy negotiation process for foreign rights between Knopf and a particular publisher. Subseries C.: Manuscript Records. This subseries is made up of the internal forms called "white sheets" by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., and pertains only to manuscripts accepted by the firm. These manuscript record forms were attached to every incoming manuscript, to document how the manuscript arrived, its original title, and the date of its initial submission. The standard form included such information as the author's name, manuscript title and form (whether typescript, proofs, or sheets), name of the person submitting it, contract information, a list of the manuscript's readers, and space for remarks by those readers. In a few cases the white sheets were attached to internal memoranda, correspondence, contract proposals, or publishing summaries. Subseries D.: Reject Files. This largest subseries contains correspondence with rejected authors and/or their agents. Most consist of single contacts with aspiring authors who were never published. This correspondence generally contains an introductory letter from the author (or sometimes an agent) describing the manuscript, with a carbon negative reply from the firm. While most of the correspondence is routine, the subseries' chief importance derives from the known authors that Knopf rejected and the early appearance of authors who would later go on to prominence. Of particular interest is the appearance in this subseries of established Knopf authors such as Mildred Cram, Erna Fergusson, Yukio Mishima, and Elizabeth Taylor, showing that Knopf was reluctant to publish inferior works from even the best known of its list. Subseries E.: Rejection Sheets. This subseries consists of the manuscript "white sheet" forms for books rejected by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. These white sheets complement subseries D, though they represent only manuscripts actually submitted. The reject sheets are particularly interesting because a substantial minority of submitted manuscripts that were rejected by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. went on to be published elsewhere. As in the manuscript records in Subseries C, frank narrative reports of these rejected works by the manuscript readers and editors are present. Subseries F.: [Translations]. This small subseries contains a loose assortment of files pertaining mainly to translations of Spanish and Portuguese writers. The subseries documents the firm's growing interest in the publication of Latin American writers in the 1960s. Most of the files contain correspondence or internal documentation relating to writers and translators in which the company was interested. The subseries is strengthened by a number of annotated lists of current writers and translators working in the area, offering an overview of Latin American scholarship in the 1960s.

ArchivalResource: 239 boxes (99.5 linear feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122590288 View

Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Records. Series V., Editor Files, 1873-1984 (bulk 1960-1980).

Title: Records. Series V., Editor Files, 1873-1984 (bulk 1960-1980).

This series contains the working files of seventeen Knopf editors. The files consist largely of correspondence, with both incoming correspondence and carbon copy responses from the editor, but they also contain internal forms and memoranda that follow both the internal and external processes of book publication. Long-term strengths of the firm such as the expertise and interests of the editors, and the relationship between author and editor, are clearly revealed in this series. The files of William Koshland differ markedly from other editors' files, reflecting his role as administrator more than hands-on editor.

ArchivalResource: 198 boxes (82.5 linear feet).

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122597902 View