James Baldwin early manuscripts and papers

The James Baldwin Early Manuscripts and Papers contain material documenting a short period of Baldwin's young adult life between 1941-1945, when Baldwin was just beginning his literary career. The material has been organized into four series: Writings, Correspondence, Artwork, and Personal Papers.

Series I, Writings (1941-45, n.d.), consists of works by Baldwin and other writers. The various draft stages of Baldwin's "Crying Holy" include at least two distinct plotlines. The first group of drafts, focusing on the subtitle "The Prisoner", concern a plot which varies from the final version of the decade-long project which culminated in Go Tell it on the Mountain in 1953. The second group of drafts, "The Sacrifice" et seq., follows more closely with the themes and characters of the finished novel. Other works by Baldwin are a section of an untitled short story featuring the characters Julius Greenberg and Mark Hayward, notes for a play entitled "Vanguard", a folder of poetry, including a lengthy narrative poem, and an issue (missing its cover) of what is likely to be The Magpie, the literary magazine of Baldwin's alma mater, De Witt Clinton High School, featuring several items by Baldwin.

Writings of Others includes two folders of material by Werner Loeb - poems, press releases, short stories, and play scenarios, evidently written for a school class. The unidentified writings at the end of the series are in several different hands and include poetry, essays, and stories.

Series II, Correspondence (1941-45, n.d.), contains principally letters addressed to Baldwin between 1941 and 1945. Many of these are addressed to Baldwin by friends serving in the military, including Sheldon Beigel, Paul Gertz, and Arthur Moore. A series of letters from 1944 is from Tom Martin, with whom Baldwin had lived during his brief stay in New Jersey in 1942-43. There are two drafts of outgoing letters, apparently in the hand of Baldwin. One is most likely to Tom Martin, while the other is to a "Dan'l". There are also two letters signed with this name only in the "Unidentified" folder.

Among the third-party letters is one addressed to "Sister" by James's brother, David Baldwin. Remaining letters are a rejection form letter from Harper's Magazine and a letter of recommendation for Baldwin from a Clinton High School advisor.

The majority of the pieces in Series III, Artwork (1945, n.d.) are not by James Baldwin, though there are a few pencil doodles which were found with manuscripts he wrote. Identified artwork includes one folder of watercolor sketches by "Leon K." and a group of ink sketches and etching proofs by Martin Weissman, a high school friend of Baldwin's. The remaining pieces, principally academic studies and sketches are unidentified.

The varied assortment of items which make up Series IV, Personal Papers (1943-45, n.d.), provides a snapshot of Baldwin's early life in New York. Here are a bank book, military papers (some of which document Baldwin's attachment to the Office of War Information), notices from PM Magazine (another temporary assignment for Baldwin), a single photograph of what appears to be a very young James Baldwin, and tax documents from 1944. The group of printed items consists mainly of issues of small-circulation newsletters for Socialist organizations. A few of these bear a mailing label for Martin Weissman.