Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
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Papers of John Dos Passos, Accession #5950, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
The collection is a consolidation of gift and other acquisitions received in the Special Collections Department of the University of Virginia over the period 1958-1999 from: John Dos Passos, his wife Elizabeth Holdridge Dos Passos, his daughter Lucy Dos Passos Coggin and from a number of friends and associates that include: Thomas Pym Cope, Mrs. Lloyd (Marion) Lowndes, Mrs. Harold Weston, Connie and William White, Edmund Berkeley, Jr., Charles W. Bernardin, Jack Diggens, Kenneth C. Duckett, Philip L. Gerber, Townsend Ludington and Ray Lewis White.
The following accession numbers originally assigned to various parts of the collection were eliminated and all items interfiled in the single number 5950: 4804, 4804-a 5950-a, 5950-b, 5950-c, 5950-d, 5950-e, 5950-f, 5950-g, 5950-h, 5950-i, 5950-j, 5950-k, 5950-l, 5950-m, 5950-n, 5950-o, 5950-p, 5950-q, 5950-r, 5950-s, 5950-t, 5950-u, 5950-v, 5950-w, 5950-x, 5950-y, 5950-z 5950-aa, 5950-ab, 5950-ac, 5950-ad, 5950-ae, 5950-af, 5950-ag, 5950-ah, 5950-ai, 5950-aj, 5950-ak, 5950-al, 5950-am, 5950-an, 5950-ao, 5950-ap, 5950-aq, 5950-ar, 5950-as, 5950-at, 5950-au, 5950-av, 5950-aw, 5950-ax, 5950-ay, 5950-az 5950-ba, 5950-bb, 5950-bc, 5950-bd, 5950-be, 5950-bf, 5950-bg, 5950-bh, 5950-bi, 5950-bj, 5950-bk, 5950-bl, 5950-bm, 5950-bn, 5950-bo, 5950-bp, 5950-bq, 5950-br, 5950-bs, 5950-bt, 5950-bu, 5950-bv, 5950-bw, 5950-bx, 5950-by, 5950-bz 5950-ca, 5950-cb, 5950-cc, 5950-cd, 5950-ce, 5950-cf, 5950-cg, 5950-ch, 5950-ci, 5950-cj, 5950-ck, 5950-cl, 5950-cm
Sound and video recordings and artistic material have been placed in appropriate custodial sections of the Library and are identified as part of these papers.
The Dos Passos papers at the University of Virginia present a vivid chronicle of the author's activities, thoughts and literary skills as he analyzed, reported on and criticized the turbulent events of the 20th century. Dos Passos, identifying with the leftist radical sympathies of the post-World War I period, experimented in expressing these sentiments with innovative writing techniques in some of his most important and successful works: One Man's Initiation--1917 (1920), Three Soldiers (1921), Manhattan Transfer (1925) and the trilogy, USA ( The 42nd Parallel, 1930; Nineteen Nineteen, 1932; The Big Money, 1936).
The collection highlights the Dos Passos chronicle principally through a large body of manuscripts, letters and other personal and family related papers that have been assembled at the University of Virginia over the past 40 years from a series of gifts from Dos Passos and later, from his widow Elizabeth, and his daughter Lucy Dos Passos Coggin. Also included is a small quantity of gift acquisitions from several close friends and associates.
The major portion of the papers is comprised of manuscript material (published and unpublished) of most of his novels, plays, poems, articles, speeches, lectures, readings and his reportage on history, politics, society and travel. Included are corrected and uncorrected typescripts, galley and page proofs, notes, outlines, related research material and an extensive assemblage of publisher and literary agent correspondence. Of particular interest are his diaries and notebooks filled with recorded observations, thoughts, verse and sketches that may have served as the basis for some of the character development and themes found in his published writings and in his works of art.
Another large part of the collection contains letters written to him over his lifetime from close friends, literary associates and random correspondents which comprise a narrative, of sorts, of the conflicting political, social and cultural ideas that he and others of his generation grappled with in the period between the two World Wars. Letters from his close friends and literary associates include, among others, those from E.E. Cummings, Ernest Hemingway, John Howard Lawson, Archibald MacLeish, Walter Rumsey Marvin, Gerald Murphy, Dudley Poore and Edmund Wilson.
The balance of the collection consists of Dos Passos family papers, along with a small assortment of other miscellaneous material. The family papers contain correspondence Dos Passos exchanged with his parents, his wife Katharine and other collateral relatives. Included among Dos Passos' personal papers are financial, legal, and household data; mementos of his awards and honors; originals and copies of his drawings and paintings; articles and newsclips about his life and his writings; and a collection of photographs of his childhood years, portraits and snapshots of him as a young adult and family photographs of the period 1950 through 1960. In later years, Dos Passos turned from the radicalism of his youth. He settled in the family home in Westmoreland County in northern Virginia with his wife Elizabeth Holdridge Dos Passos and their daughter Lucy where he continued to pursue, with his characteristic vigor, the engagement of his new found political and social ideas into his writings, lectures and speeches.
He died on September 28, 1970 and remains as one of the pre-eminent writers of the 20th century.
The collection is arranged in four series: I--Correspondence, II--Writings, III--Personal, IV--Miscellaneous.
Series I: Correspondence General correspondence with Dos Passos: (Boxes 1-11) Correspondence with attached and related material exchanged between John Dos Passos and lifelong friends and associates, literary colleagues, critics, editors, organizations and the general public. Material is organized alphabetically by the name of the correspondent and is listed separately for both the items sent to Dos Passos and those prepared by him. Included among others, are letters exchanged with E.E. Cummings, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Hillyer, John Howard Lawson, Archibald MacLeish, Walter Rumsey Marvin, Dudley Poore and Edmund Wilson. General correspondence between others: (Box 11) A small amount of third party correspondence not directly involved with Dos Passos. Listed alphabetically by the name of the recipient. Family correspondence with Dos Passos: (Boxes 12-15) The largest portion is of the correspondence exchange between Dos Passos and his parents (1890-1917) and the letters exchanged with his first wife, Katharine Smith Dos Passos (1928-1946). The remaining smaller portion is with other collateral relatives. Family correspondence between others: (Boxes 16-17) Mostly letters to his mother, Lucy S. Madison from his father, John Randolph Dos Passos before and after their marriage (1892-1913) and letters by his father to a cousin, Ida Pifer (1900-1912). Publisher-related correspondence with Dos Passos: (Boxes18-21) Correspondence between Dos Passos and his domestic and foreign literary agents relating to the publication and marketing of his writings. Also included are permission requests from authors and editors to use his work, communications and contracts concerning his lecture activities and, from the Brandt and Brandt literary agency, their "Dos Passos office file" with almost 2500 items of their worldwide correspondence dealings regarding Dos Passos' writings.
Series II: Writings Published works on society, politics, history and travel: (Boxes 22-109) Manuscripts, galleys, notes, outlines, typed drafts, research material, correspondence and reviews relating to Dos Passos' published writings. Arranged alphabetically by the title of the work. Contributions to books, periodicals and newspapers: (Boxes 110-112) Manuscripts, notes, outlines, typed drafts, research material and print copies of Dos Passos' prose and verse contributions. Arranged alphabetically by the title of the work and listing the name and date of the publication. Dos Passos' prose and verse of undetermined publication: (Boxes 113-117) Manuscripts and typescripts that appear to be in his hand and that contain his notations but that have not been determined to have been published. Some appear to be manuscript portions that may relate to earlier versions of a published work. Arranged alphabetically by the title of the work or the opening line. Prose and verse of undetermined authorship and publication: (Box 117) Manuscripts not in Dos Passos' hand and typescripts that do not bear any of his notations. Arranged alphabetically by the title of the work or the opening line. Speech material: (Boxes 117-118) Notes, outlines, background and presentation drafts for specific speech events, readings from his published books and for other unidentified talks. Research and background: (Boxes 118-121) Background print material, notebooks, outlines and miscellaneous loose drafts relating to various research topics. Emphasis on Jefferson and on American and English history.
Series III: Personal Artwork by Dos Passos: (Box 122) His pencil sketches, black and white photographs and color reproductions of his watercolor art, and catalogues of his artwork showings. Artwork collected by Dos Passos: (Box 122) Drawings, sketches and watercolors from a variety of artists collected over the years by Dos Passos. Included also are classical and contemporary musical recordings and sheet music. Awards: (Box 122-125) Mostly certificates and accompanying correspondence and mementos of the honorary tributes bestowed upon Dos Passos for his writings, his educational activities, his influence in the political arena and for his service (non-combative) in the two World Wars. Also included is a video produced in 1996 that commemorates his 100th Anniversary. Diaries and note books: (Box 125-126) Literary and travel books with prose, verse, sketches, observations and commentary compiled by Dos Passos in the years 1911-1927 during his sojourns in Europe and the Middle East. Memorabilia: (Boxes 127-129) An assortment of personal papers, certificates, newsclips, passports, postcards, school records, mementos of World Wars I and II and other keepsakes collected and saved by Dos Passos during his lifetime. Arranged and listed alphabetically by the descriptive name of each item. Personal data: (Boxes 129-130) A small collection of personal papers and documents organized and arranged chronologically by date in financial, legal, medical and household property categories. Photographs: (Boxes 130-133) Photographs of Dos Passos, his family, his close friends and associates and of his activities from his childhood to his later years. Organized alphabetically by subject, location, event or name of person. Writings and reviews about Dos Passos: (Boxes 133-139) Published and unpublished articles, interviews, newsclips and other writings about the life and work of Dos Passos. Arranged and listed alphabetically by the title of the writing.
Series IV: Miscellaneous Papers pertaining to other family members: (Boxes 139-142) Of particular interest are the writings of his father John Randolph Dos Passos, a prominent lawyer active in the national party politics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and author of articles and essays on the Supreme Court, the recognition of Cuba, woman suffrage and the war in Europe. His papers also include a number of autograph signed letters from some of the notable personalities of the period: William Borah, William Jennings Bryan, Josephus Daniels, Jay Gould, Benjamin Harrison, Charles Evans Hughes, Henry Cabot Lodge and Woodrow Wilson. The papers of Dos Passos' first wife, Katharine contain a number of her short story manuscripts and correspondence that includes autograph signed letters and a poem from Ernest and Pauline Hemingway. The other family papers are primarily correspondence, writings and memorabilia organized under the name of the person to whom the material pertains. Papers pertaining to friends and associates: (Box 143) A small quantity of correspondence, writings and memorabilia of his close friends, Arthur McComb, Wright McCormick and Dudley Poore that relate to the period of the early 20th century. The papers of Charles W. Bernardin, who interacted extensively with Dos Passos while attempting to write and publish a biography about him, contain a scholarly dissertation and unpublished manuscripts on Dos Passos and his writings. Included also are Dos Passos family photographs and a large volume of correspondence that was exchanged with Dos Passos during 1942-1966. The Bernardin material has been relocated to the appropriate sections of the collection (See boxes 1, 2, 94, 130-133, 137-139). The personal papers relating solely to Bernardin are in box 143. Other writings and print matter: (Boxes 143-144) Miscellaneous manuscripts by named and anonymous authors and other print matter that may have been of interest to Dos Passos as memorabilia or as background.
Correspondence with attached and related material exchanged between John Dos Passos and lifelong friends and associates, literary colleagues, critics, editors, organizations and the general public. Material is organized alphabetically by the name of the correspondent and is listed separately for both the items sent to Dos Passos and those prepared by him. Included among others, are letters exchanged with E.E. Cummings, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Hillyer, John Howard Lawson, Archibald MacLeish, Walter Rumsey Marvin, Dudley Poore and Edmund Wilson.
re: leave application (by John Dos Passos)
re: his resignation (by John Dos Passos)
re: Peabody Library (by John Dos Passos)
re: wife's burial stone
by John Dos Passos
re: Francesca Dos Passos
Contains undated typescript notes on John Dos Passos's book, The Head and Heart of Thomas Jefferson (1954)
re: William F. Buckley (by John Dos Passos)
re: The Big Money controversy at University of Texas
re: Mediæval Academy of America
by John Dos Passos
with ANS, S. Panjay Seizlauseco[?]
re: Carlo Tresca (by John Dos Passos)
by John Dos Passos
re: Mihajlo Mihajlov
by John Dos Passos
with poems about the IWW
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
with Sheila Hibben ALS
by John Dos Passos
with Valerie Danby-Smith TLS
with KSDP ALSs
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
re: "Dream Factory"
re: Nineteen Nineteen
by John Dos Passos
with poem and photo
re: Ellen Wilson Holmes
re: John Dos Passos's article on Hemingway
re: National Conference of Christians and Jews
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
with photo
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
with untitled poem
(photo)
by John Dos Passos
with photo
re: Sophia Louise Meakin [Auntie Lou's] will
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by Katy Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
re: cousin, Ida L. Pifer
by John Dos Passos
with photos
by John Dos Passos
with photos
with photos and verse
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
envelope only
re: Rosenberg case
by John Dos Passos
to: Cousin John
biographical data by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
Asia Peoples Anti-Communist League
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
with his TMs, "A Missionary Farm"
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
re: Edmund Wilson
to: "Dear Buddy"
by John Dos Passos
re: Edmund Wilson
to: "Master Madison"
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
re: telegram to Dumas Malone
with photos; by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos and family
The Emporia Gazette
biographical entry by John Dos Passos
re: lecture
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
by John Dos Passos
"Dos Passos File"
Manuscript draft, ca. 1939 (4 folders) Background data, 1931 Publisher's setting copy, ca. 1939
Manuscript draft, Act III, n.d. Author's text emendations, 1925-1929 (also includes The Garbage Man text
Notes and outlines, ca. 1965-1966 Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1965-1966 (7 folders) Final manuscript drafts, ca. 1965-1966 (6 folders) Reviews, 1966-1968
Notes and outlines, ca. 1932-1936 (3 folders) Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1932-1936 (4 folders) Publisher's setting copy, ca. 1932-1936 (4 folders) Later revisions, TV adaptation and correspondence, ca. 1932-1956[?], n.d.
Notes and outlines, 1959-1963 (3 folders) Manuscript drafts, ca. 1962-1963 (6 folders) Publisher's setting copy and galleys, 1963 (2 folders) Background data and photos (5 folders) Portuguese books on Brazil, 1945-1961, n.d. (8 folders) Reviews, 1963-1964
Notes and outlines, Parts I-V, n.d. (2 folders) Miscellaneous notes, n.d. (2 folders) Manuscript drafts, Part I, n.d. (8 folders) Manuscript drafts, Part II, n.d. (11 folders) Manuscript drafts, Part III, n.d. (6 folders) Manuscript drafts, Part IV, n.d. (5 folders) Manuscript drafts, Part V, n.d. (7 folders) Manuscript drafts not used in final version, n.d. Printer's master copy, 1975 (9 folders) TMs, final version, 1975 (8 folders) Research, Parts II, III, V and miscellaneous, 1959-1970, n.d. (5 folders) Related correspondence, 1967-1969, 8 items
Notes and outlines, 1949-1950 Early manuscript drafts, 1949-1950 (8 folders) Later manuscript drafts, 1949-1950 (5 folders) Publisher's setting copy, 1949-1950 (4 folders) TMs, final version, 1949-1950 (4 folders) Print copies: Omnibook abridgement and Chapter 7 fragment, 1952, n.d.
Manuscript drafts, n.d. (5 folders) Galleys, proofs and photographs, ca. 1970-1971 (4 folders) Research and background data, 1970, n.d. (2 folders) Related correspondence, 1970
Early manuscript drafts, 1920s Newsclip, John Dos Passos letter to Harvard president, Lawrence Lowell, 8 Aug. 1927
Notes, ca. 1930 Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1930 (2 folders) Later reworked manuscript drafts, ca. 1956, ca. 1956 Print copy text excerpts, ca. 1930 Correspondence re: Czech edition, 1964 Reviews, 1930
Early manuscript draft, ca. 1925 Author's text emendations, 1925-1929
Notes and outlines, 1945-1949, n.d. (3 folders) Early manuscript drafts, 1945-1949 (3 folders) Later manuscript drafts, 1945-1949 (4 folders) Publisher's setting copy, 1949 (2 folders) Background data, 1949
Notes, ca. 1956-1958 Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1956-1958 (3 folders) Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1956-1958 Final manuscript drafts, ca. 1956-1958 (3 folders) TMs, final version, ca. 1956-1958
Notes, ca. 1941 Manuscript drafts, Parts I-III, ca. 1941 (7 folders) Publisher's setting copy, ca. 1941 (3 folders) Book's dust jacket, ca. 1941 Reviews, 1941-1942
Early manuscript drafts, 1944-1954 (8 folders) Later manuscript drafts, 1944-1954 (6 folders) Publisher's setting copy, 1944-1954 (4 folders) Background research and miscellaneous, 1941-1954, n.d. (3 folders) Reviews, 1954
Notes, manuscript drafts, proofs, and reworked articles, 1927-1929, n.d. Reviews, 1934-1935
Notes, n.d. Manuscript drafts, n.d. (2 folders) Reviews, 1938-1939
Notes, ca. 1920s Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1924 Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1925 (3 folders) Manuscript draft of "Introduction" text to Portuguese translation, 1960 Review (by D.H. Lawrence), n.d.
Notes and outlines, ca. 1957 (6 folders) Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1957 (12 folders) Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1957 (10 folders) Related correspondence, 1955-1956
Notes and outlines, ca. 1960-1963 (2 folders) Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1960 (7 folders) Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1960 (3 folders) TMs, final version, ca. 1960 (4 folders) Publisher's setting copy, ca. 1960 (4 folders) Galleys, proofs and print excerpts, 1960 (3 folders) Background and related correspondence, 1954-1958, n.d. (4 folders) Reviews, 1960-1964
Notes and outlines, n.d (8 folders) Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1961-1962 (12 folders) Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1961-1962 TMs, final version, 1962 (11 folders) Publisher's setting copy, 1962 (7 folders) Source notes and related correspondence, 1961-1962, n.d. Reviews, 1962-1963
Manuscript notes, ca. 1954 Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1954 (5 folders) Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1954 Final manuscript drafts, ca. 1954 (2 folders) Reviews, n.d.
Manuscript drafts, ca. 1932 (4 folders) Miscellaneous print copy excerpts, ca. 1932
Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1943-1948 (3 folders) TMs, theater version, 1948 TMs with autograph changes used as prize in WW-II Bond campaign, n.d.
Early manuscript drafts, n.d. (4 folders) Later manuscript drafts, n.d. (3 folders) TMs, final version (2 folders)
Typescript (with Dudley Poore, TLS), ca. 1917, 1970 TMs, First Sight of War , "A Preface Twenty Five Years Later," n.d. Print text, chapter VI of First Encounter , [a reprinted version of OMI , ca. 1945] Reviews, 1920, 1969
Notes, ca. 1968 (4 folders) Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1968 (4 folders) Later manuscript drafts with corrections, ca. 1968-1969 (3 folders) TMs, final version, ca. 1968-1969 (4 folders) TMss, "A Preface to the Portuguese Edition," 1968 Publisher's setting copy, 1968-1969 Galleys and proofs, 1968-1969 (3 folders) Publisher's unused manuscript The Enterprise of the Indies ), n.d. (3 folders) Reviews, 1969
Notes and outlines, 1940s-1950 (2 folders) Early manuscript drafts, 1945-1950 (4 folders) Later manuscript drafts, 1945-1950 (6 folders) Miscellaneous manuscript pages, 1945-1950 (2 folders) TMs, final version, 1945-1950 (2 folders) Publisher's setting copy, 1945-1950 (5 folders) Publisher's uncorrected proof, 1950
Notes, ca. 1958 (2 folders) Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1959 (5 folders) Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1959 (6 folders) Background data, n.d. Related correspondence, 1957-1958
Manuscript drafts with corrections, ca. 1916-1919, n.d. Publisher's setting copy with changes, n.d. Background poetry about Spain, ca. 1916-1919
Manuscript drafts, 1917-1918 (2 folders) TMs, final version, 1917-1918 (3 folders) TMs, final version (Robert Hillyer signed copy), 1917-1918 Related correspondence, 1919-1920
Notes and outlines, 1958-1965, n.d. (13 folders) Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1966 (5 folders) Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1966 (5 folders) TMs, randomly arranged, unmarked pages, ca. 1966 (6 folders) Publisher's setting copy, 1966 (6 folders) Publisher's proofs, ca. 1966 (4 folders) Reviews, 1966
Notes, ca. 1942-1944 Manuscript drafts, ca. 1942-1944 (6 folders) Miscellaneous manuscript drafts, ca. 1942-1944 Publisher's setting copy, 1944 (2folders) Reviews, 1944
Manuscript drafts, 1922
Miscellaneous manuscript drafts, essays and notes, ca. 1956 (5 folders) Final manuscript drafts, ca. 1956 (2 folders)
TMs, Fortune Heights , ca. 1934 (2 folders) Reviews, 1934-1936
Manuscript draft, "Introduction" to Three Soldiers , n.d. TMs drafts of "Preface" to the novel, 1932 Review ("John Dos Passos Lies!" by Norman S. Hall), 1921
Publisher's setting copy, 1964
Notes and outlines, including a notebook entitled "Berlin 1945, " ca. 1944-1945, n.d. (3 folders); Early manuscript drafts, ca. 1944-1945, n.d. (3 folders); Later manuscript drafts, ca. 1944-1945, n.d. (6 folders); Miscellaneous manuscripts not used in final version, ca. 1942-1945, n.d. Publisher's setting copy, 1945 (2 folders); Background relating to WWII Europe and the Pacific, ca. 1942-1946, n.d. (3 folders)
Notes on organization of the trilogy, n.d. Publisher's proofs Reviews, 1938 TS: A Suggested Treatment of the Dos Passos Trilogy: U.S.A. , ca. 1956 Notes of dramatic and "proposed" film versions of U.S.A. , 1956-1960 (5 folders) Record set: U.S.A. Selections from the 42nd Parallel (See audio T-150)
TMs, with corrections, ca. 1960 (2 folders) TMss, final versions, ca. 1950 (2 folders) Print programs and photo of U.S.A. drama presentations, 1971-1983, n.d.
Page proofs, 1965 (2 folders) Reviews, 1966
Japanese first edition reprint (1989)
reprint edition (1973)
his first published poem
John Dos Passos autograph signed excerpt
w/Hemingway ALS
w/Hemingway APC
Letters by E. E. Cummings, Theodore Dreiser, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John F. Kennedy, H. R. Mencken, Henry Miller, Richard Nixon, and Upton Sinclair removed from other areas of the papers.