Legal Records Relating to Sinclair Lewis
Scope and Contents
The Legal Records Relating to Sinclair Lewis consist of records maintained by Mellville H. Cane (executor of Lewis's estate), Pincus Berner, Paul Gitlin, Eugene Winick and other attorneys affiliated with the law firm of Ernst, Cane and Berner and its later iterations. In addition to correspondence between Lewis and his attorneys, the records include drafts and copies of Sinclair Lewis's will; correspondence and documents concerning his death and estate; records regarding his writings, including contracts and agreements, and permissions and rights inquiries handled by attorneys after Lewis's death. Also included is a photograph of Lewis and his wife, the journalist Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961), and photographs of an unidentified exhibition of Sinclair Lewis books and manuscripts. Additional records received in 2017 include legal and financial documents relating to the divorce of Sinclair Lewis and his first wife, Grace Hegger Lewis, and subsequent alimony issues, and correspondence relating to the publication of a biography of Lewis by Mark Schorer.
Dates
- 1919 - 1984
Language of Materials
In English.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Legal Records Relating to Sinclair Lewis 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 Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, Inc. on the Sinclair Lewis Fund, 2015.
Arrangement
Organized into three series: I. Wills and Estate Records, 1919-1982. II. Records Relating to Sinclair Lewis's Writings, 1935-1984. III. May 2017 Addition Regarding the Estate of Sinclair Lewis, 1927-1968.
Extent
4.0 Linear Feet (10 boxes + 1 broadside)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The Legal Records Relating to Sinclair Lewis consist of records maintained by Mellville H. Cane, Pincus Berner, Paul Gitlin, Eugene Winick and other attorneys affiated with the law firm of Ernst, Cane and Berner and its later iterations. In addition to correspondence between Lewis and his attorneys, the records include drafts and copies of Sinclair Lewis's will; correspondence and documents concerning his death and estate; records regarding his writings, including contracts and agreements, and permissions and rights inquiries handled by attorneys after Lewis's death.
Processing Information
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, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. 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.
The records were removed for preservation purposes from original accordion file folders maintained by attorneys. Labels and file numbers have been transcribed and included in the finding aid.
- Authors -- United States -- 20th century
- Authors, American -- 20th Century
- Berner, Pincus
- Cane, Melville, 1879-1980
- Executors and administrators -- New York (State) -- New York
- Gitlin, Paul
- Lawyers -- New York (State) -- New York
- Lawyers -- New York (State) -- New York -- 20th Century
- Lewis, Sinclair, 1885-1951
- Photographs
- Schorer, Mark, 1908-1977
- Thompson, Dorothy, 1893-1961
- Winick, Eugene
- Title
- Guide to the Legal Records Relating to Sinclair Lewis
- Author
- by Susan Brady
- Date
- December 2016
- 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
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.