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Josephine Herbst papers

 Collection
Call Number: YCAL MSS 474

Scope and Contents

The Josephine Herbst Papers document the work of novelist and journalist Josephine Herbst. The papers consist of personal and professional correspondence, drafts of writings, notebooks, research files, printed material, personal and family papers, photographs, artwork, and personal effects spanning the years 1799 to 1969, with the bulk of the material dating from 1901 to 1969.

The bulk of the collection consists of Herbst's correspondence and drafts of writings. Correspondence includes letters from friends, colleagues, and family members regarding her personal and professional life. Among the correspondence is third party correspondence, including correspondence between various members of her extended family. Writings include autograph manuscript and typescript drafts, printed versions, notes, and notebooks of her writings, including novels, a play, reviews, magazine articles, short stories, essays, and her unfinished memoir, tentatively titled "A Year of Disgrace." Other papers include Frey and Herbst family correspondence and papers, writings of others, research material, early school material, photographs, financial and medical papers, artwork, personal effects, an unidentified sound recording, and printed material.

Dates

  • 1799 - 1969
  • Majority of material found within 1901 - 1969

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research. Access to original sound recording is restricted pending reformatting. Consult the Beinecke Library Access Services department for reformatting requests.

Box 134 (reel-to-reel sound recording): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.

Existence and Location of Copies

Microfilm service copies are available for film numbers 891, 973, 1151, 1171, 1722, 2480, 2589, and 3396.

Conditions Governing Use

The Josephine Herbst Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Josephine Herbst on the PL480 Fund, George B. Alvord Fund, Danford N. Barney, Jr. Fund, Hall Park McCullough Fund, William A. Taylor Memorial Fund, 1968 and on the Eugene G. O'Neill Memorial Fund, 1985. Gift of Elinor Langer, 1989-1993.

Arrangement

Organized into four series: I. Correspondence, 1845-1969. II. Writings, 1901-1969. III. Other Papers, 1866-1969. IV. Frey and Herbst Family Papers, 1799-1913.

Associated Materials

Associated material includes the Elinor Langer Collection of Josephine Herbst (YCAL MSS 475).

Other material by or relating to Josephine Herbst (various call numbers) can be found by searching the Uncataloged Acquisitions Database and Orbis (Yale's Online Catalog).

Extent

52.87 Linear Feet (134 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.herbst

Abstract

The Josephine Herbst Papers document the work of novelist and journalist Josephine Herbst. The papers consist of personal and professional correspondence, drafts of writings, notebooks, research files, printed material, personal and family papers, photographs, artwork, and personal effects spanning the years 1799 to 1969, with the bulk of the material dating from 1901 to 1969.

Josephine Herbst

Josephine Herbst (1892-1969) was an American writer and journalist. She was considered to be a radical writer, with communist leanings. Herbst's published works include Nothing is Sacred (1928); Money for Love (1929); the Trexler trilogy: Pity is Not Enough (1933), The Executioner Waits (1934), and Rope of Gold (1939); Satan's Sergeants (1941), Somewhere the Tempest Fell (1947), and New Green World (1954). Herbst was born in Sioux City, Iowa, on March 5, 1897 and died of cancer in New York City on January 28, 1969.

Processing Information

This collection includes materials previously identified by the following call numbers: ZA Herbst, Uncat ZA MS 108A, Uncat ZA MS 108B, Uncat ZA MS 175, Uncat ZA MS 205, Uncat ZA MS 371, and Uncat ZA File 309.

Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, and competing priorities. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.

This collection received a basic level of processing, including rehousing and minimal organization.

As a rule, descriptive information found in the Collection Contents section is drawn in large part from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing. .

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

Title
Guide to the Josephine Herbst Papers
Author
by Molly Wheeler
Date
June 2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository

Contact:
P. O. Box 208330
New Haven CT 06520-8330 US
(203) 432-2977

Location

121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

Access Information

The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.