F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers 1897-1944

Summary

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Overview

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Abstract

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers (C0187) is a comprehensive literary archive containing the original manuscripts, working drafts, corrected galleys, personal and professional correspondence, autobiographical scrapbooks, photographs, and other original materials of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), Princeton Class of 1917.

Description

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Description

This collection consists of manuscripts of all of the major literary efforts of Fitzgerald (Princeton Class of 1917), as well as related documents and correspondence, thus providing a comprehensive record of America's best-known writer of the "Jazz Age." The collection encompasses novels, short stories, tear sheets, articles, drama scripts, motion picture scripts, radio scripts, and poems; letters sent and received; photographs, drawings, and cartoons; clippings; memorabilia; scrapbooks; tape recordings; family papers; and papers of persons other than Fitzgerald.

Included are the autograph manuscript of The Great Gatsby and autograph and typewritten manuscripts (with the author's corrections) of The Beautiful and Damned, The Last Tycoon, Tender Is the Night, and This Side of Paradise. Among those well-represented in the correspondence are John Peale Bishop, Arnold Gingrich, Ernest Hemingway, Ring Lardner, Shane Leslie, H. L. Mencken, Harold Ober (the literary agent), Maxwell Perkins, Andrew Turnbull, and Edmund Wilson. Fitzgerald's correspondence with Zelda, his wife, is extensive.

Collection Creator Biography

F(rancis) Scott (Key) Fitzgerald (1896-1940), novelist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and author of short stories, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He entered Princeton University in 1913 as an undergraduate, and joined the famous Princeton Triangle Club, for which he wrote the scripts and lyrics for various shows. However, he withdrew from Princeton in January, 1916, ostensibly because of his health, though actually for bad grades. He returned to the University in 1917, but never graduated, opting to serve in the army to fight in World War I, from 1917-1919. During this time, while stationed at Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a writer, artist, and dancer. They married on April 3, 1920, a week after Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise, was published.

Fitzgerald went on to publish three more novels in his lifetime: The Beautiful and Damned (1922), The Great Gatsby (1925), and Tender Is the Night: A Romance (1934). His last, and unfinished, novel, The Last Tycoon, was published posthumously in 1941. Besides his novels, Fitzgerald also wrote numerous articles and short stories, which were published in such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post and Esquire. He also worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood, first with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (he had a hand in writing the script for Gone with the Wind), then as a freelancer for other studios. In Hollywood, he met Sheilah Graham, a film columnist. They had a relationship which was, at times, stormy, due to Fitzgerald's alcohol-abuse problem. He died at her apartment in Hollywood of a sudden heart attack on December 21, 1940.

1896Born on September 24 in St. Paul, Minnesota1913Entered Princeton University as an undergraduate student1916Withdrew from Princeton University1917Re-entered Princeton but did not graduate; entered army; appointed second lieutenant in October1918Met Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama1919Discharged from army; worked for a New York advertising agency1920March - published This Side of Paradise April 3 - married Zelda Sayre September - published Flappers and Philosophers (stories) 1921October - daughter Frances Scott Fitzgerald ("Scottie") born1922March - published The Beautiful and Damned September - published Tales of the Jazz Age (stories) 1925March - published The Great Gatsby1925-1926Met Ernest Hemingway in Paris1926February - published All the Sad Young Men (stories) 1927Met Irving Thalberg, producer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (later the primary model for the hero of The Last Tycoon) 1930Zelda had breakdown, hospitalized at a sanatorium in Switzerland1931Zelda released from sanatorium and the Fitzgeralds returned to live in the United States1933Zelda had two more breakdowns, entered various asylums1934April - published Tender Is the Night1935Published Taps at Reveille (stories) 1937July - went to Hollywood, California, to work as a screenwriter at MGM studios Met Sheilah Graham1940December 21 - died of sudden heart attack in Hollywood1941The Last Tycoon (unfinished) published posthumously

Collection History

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Acquisition

The papers are Fitzgerald's own, remaining in his possession at the time of his death in 1940; they are not an artificial collection. Frances Scott ("Scottie") Fitzgerald Lanahan (later Smith), the daughter of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, donated the papers to the Princeton University Library in 1950. Concerning this donation, see Matthew J. Bruccoli, "Where They Belong: The Acquisition of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers," Princeton University Library Chronicle, vol. 50, no. 1 (1988-89), pp. 30-37. Acquired at the same time were the Zelda Fitzgerald Papers (C0183) and annotated books from Fitzgerald's personal library (Rare Books Division).

In May 1999, the Princeton University Library was awarded a federal grant under the "Save America's Treasures" program, administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), to deacidify, repair, and rehouse the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers. Work was completed in August 2001. As a result of the preservation project, a number of the original boxes expanded in size to two or three boxes (e.g., Box 22 became 3 boxes, which were subsequently relabeled 22a, 22b and 22c).

Access and Use

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Access Restrictions

There are no closed or sealed materials in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers. However, for legal or preservation reasons, only microfilm, preservation photocopies, or digital surrogates are generally available for Fitzgerald manuscripts, scrapbooks, and photographs. The F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers have been heavily used since 1950, and a substantial portion of papers has been published and is widely available in research libraries. Accordingly, potential researchers should understand the relationship of the papers themselves to information available in print, as here described.

Manuscripts: Researchers should be aware that facsimiles of the manuscripts of Fitzgerald's books and articles were published in the multi-volume series F. Scott Fitzgerald Manuscripts, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli and Alan Margolies (New York: Garland Publishing Company, 1990). Complete sets of the facsimile edition are available at more than fifty research libraries (including Firestone Library). The original manuscript of Fitzgerald's ledger is not at Princeton. One should use F. Scott Fitzgerald's Ledger: A Facsimile, with an introduction by Matthew J. Bruccoli (Washington, D.C.: NCR/Microcard Editions, 1972) or refer to the photostats in Box 60 (C0187). With respect to using Fitzgerald's manuscripts at Princeton, researchers should be aware that the 1950 deed of gift stipulates that Fitzgerald's manuscripts were to be microfilmed to preserve the originals, and that researchers must use the microfilm for most purposes. Researchers who believe that there are compelling reasons why they must have access to the original manuscripts instead of the facsimile edition or microfilm must request permission in advance from the Curator of Manuscripts. Researchers should also be aware of the Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by James L. W. West III (Cambridge, England, and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991- ). Based on Fitzgerald's manuscripts and published editions, the Cambridge edition will eventually number 17 volumes.

Correspondence: A large portion of correspondence in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers and other collections at Princeton has been published in critical editions. The following editions of correspondence (listed alphabetically by editor) can be found in most research libraries: As Ever Scott Fitz- : Letters between F. Scott Fitzgerald and His Literary Agent Harold Ober,edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli with Jennifer Atkinson (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1972); A Life in Letters: F. Scott Fitzgerald,edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli with Judith S. Baughman (New York: Scribner's, 1994); Correspondence of F. Scott Fitzgerald,edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli and Margaret Duggan with Susan Walker (New York: Random House, 1980); Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, edited by Jackson R. Bryer and Cathy Barks (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002); Dear Scott/Dear Max: The Fitzgerald-Perkins Correspondence,edited by John Kuehl and Jackson R. Bryer (New York: Scribner, 1971); Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Andrew Turnbull (New York: Scribner, 1963); Scott Fitzgerald: Letters to his Daughter, edited by Andrew Turnbull with an introduction by Frances Fitzgerald Lanahan (New York: Scribner, 1965).

Photographs: Photographs of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald are very frequently requested by publishers, newspapers, magazines, and documentary film makers. Researchers should be aware that the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections maintains a large file of copy negatives to facilitate reproduction of these photographs. Most of the photographs in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers and other collections at Princeton were reproduced in The Romantic Egoists: A Pictorial Autobiography from the Scrapbooks and Albums of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli, Scottie Fitzgerald Smith, and Joan P. Kerr (New York: Scribner, 1974). Often-requested images can be viewed online by visiting the Library's RBSC Portfolio at http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/portfolio/fsf-all-list.html.

Books: Fitzgerald's library and his own published works have been one of the chief holdings of the department since 1951. There are 300 volumes by and about Fitzgerald on the shelves in the rare book collections. See the Collections Files (Vertical files) for both the rare book and the manuscript collections under FSF for lists and other details about FSF's books. The Provenance file offers immediate access to some of FSF's books held at Princeton. See listing updated during August 2001 ( http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/misc/Fitzgerald.pdf). An important highlight of the Library's Fitzgerald collection is that it holds first editions of all but four of the 34 separate publications of FSF, as identified by Matthew J. Bruccoli. See his F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Bibliography. Section A. (Pittsburgh, 1972.) ((ExB)Z8301.2.B69 and Supp.). The Library also has numerous later printings of these separate publications and these holding have been marked in ExB copy 2 of Bruccoli. Several important novels are in their first edition dust jackets, but the Library lacks those for This Side of Paradise, Flappers and Philosophers, Tales of the Jazz Age, and Tender Is the Night. In the Manuscript Division of the Library is Fitzgerald's own copy of The Great Gatsby and his own copy of Tender Is the Night, both with corrections and annotations in his own hand. Another highlight of the collection is the 119 separate editions of translations of works by Fitzgerald. The collection includes the first translation of a Fitzgerald novel into a foreign language ( Gatsby le magnifique. Paris, 1926), as well as numerous other more recent translations. A listing of the translations appears in the 1980 supplement of Bruccoli's bibliography. An important microfilm held by the Library is a two reel film of books in Sheilah Graham's personal library that were annotated by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Call number for the film is: (Film) MICROFILM 07287. (Film made circa 1961.) Fitzgerald undertook personally to educate his close friend, Sheilah Graham, in a course of study which came to be known as the College of One. Graham documented the story of the College of One in her book of that title. The curriculum which Fitzgerald prepared for her covered a broad spectrum of topics, but was especially strong in contemporary literature. It included: history, poetry, English, American, French, and Russian literature, music, art, and philosophy. In 1968, Graham presented Princeton Library with the books which she used in her College of One education. Some are formally inscribed by Fitzgerald, but others have notes by him in the margins, as well as casual jottings such as grocery lists. There are 246 volumes in the College of One Collection ( http://libweb2.princeton.edu/rbsc2/misc/College_of_One.pdf). The College of One Collection is separately shelved and arranged and has the Departmental location designator of: Coll. of One. See Department location file for details regarding physical whereabouts of the collection. There is a checklist of the collection, which is catalogued with call number: Z1035.xP7.1979 and (Ex) Z1035.xP7.1979.

Use Restrictions

Selected items in the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers can be photoduplicated at the expense of the researcher requesting photoduplication. Advanced estimates and payment are required. Most photoduplication will be in the form of duplicate microfilm and photographic prints. Photocopies are not provided when microfilm exists. Formerly closed materials relating to Zelda Fitzgerald's illness and hospitalization are not available for photoduplication. No photocopies may be made from photocopies, photostats, or other copied materials for which the Princeton University Library does not hold the originals. For general information on photoduplication and permissions, go to http://www.princeton.edu/~rbsc Requests to publish material from the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers should be addressed to the Curator of Manuscripts. The correct form of citation includes the name of the collection, box and folder numbers, and an indication that the originals are in the "Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library." However, the Princeton University Library owns the actual papers, not copyright or literary rights. Therefore, the Library is not responsible for copyright infringement or other legal problems involving the unauthorized publication of an edition, quotation, or facsimile of the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald copyright is owned by the Fitzgerald Literary Trust and administered by Harold Ober Associates, Inc. Researchers are therefore advised to address all questions about Fitzgerald literary rights to Harold Ober Associates Inc., 425 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10017 (Telephone: 212-759-8600; FAX: 212-759-9428). Publication, reproduction, and broadcast of the image of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald involve additional rights owned by the Fitzgerald Literary Trust and administered by Harold Ober Associates, Inc.

Preferred Citation

F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers; 1897-1944, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Find More

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Topics

• American literature

Subject Terms

• American fiction
• American literature
• Correspondence
• Manuscripts
• Novelists, American

Genre Terms

• Fiction
• Motion picture plays
• Photographs
• Radio scripts
• Scrapbooks
• United States

Related Material

Since 1950, the Princeton University Library has been successful in acquiring additional manuscripts and related materials to complement the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers. These materials include the F. Scott Fitzgerald Additional Papers (C0188), comprised of Fitzgerald manuscripts, letters, memorabilia, and other materials donated by the author's family, friends, and publishers; the Fitzgerald estate papers retained by his executor John Biggs (C0628); the author's extensive correspondence with his editor Maxwell Perkins, in the Charles Scribner's Sons Records (C0101); posthumous Fitzgerald files in the archives of his literary agency, Harold Ober Associates (C0129); the Craig House Medical Records of Zelda Fitzgerald (C0745); and the Fitzgerald files of his biographer Arthur Mizener (C0634). Fitzgerald letters are found in other Princeton manuscript collections, which can be identified using the MASC (Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections) online database at: http://www.princeton.edu/~rbsc/databases/masc.html. The Rare Books Division holds Fitzgerald first editions and inscribed books, annotated books from Fitzgerald's personal library, and the "College of One Collection," donated by his friend Sheilah Graham. There are selected items in the Visual Materials Collection and in University Archives.

Together with the F. Scott Fitzgerald Papers, these rich holdings have made Princeton the world center for primary research on Fitzgerald for more than a half century. As a result, innumerable monographs, scholarly articles, critical editions, and media adaptations based on the Fitzgerald Papers have been written and published since the papers came to Princeton over 50 years ago. Potential researchers are strongly urged to consult the standard Fitzgerald biographies, critical studies, descriptive bibliographies and other widely available scholarly works before considering a research trip to the Princeton University Library. For a general introduction, see Arthur Mizener, The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1951); Matthew J. Bruccoli, Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981); Matthew J. Bruccoli, F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Descriptive Bibliography (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1972) and Supplement to F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Descriptive Bibliography (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1980 ); The Romantic Egoists: A Pictorial Autobiography from the Scrapbooks and Albums of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli, Scottie Fitzgerald Smith, and Joan P. Kerr (New York: Scribner, 1974).

For University Archives records relating to Fitzgerald and/or Princeton during the period he was an undergraduate, please contact the Mudd Manuscript Library.

Also of interest:

Zelda Fitzgerald Papers (C0183): Box 7 - Family scrapbook (circa 1917-1926), contains clippings, photographs, and memorabilia of Zelda Fitzgerald and her family.

General Manuscripts Bound (C0199) Oversize - 9 scrapbook volumes (1926-1986), containing newspaper clippings, photographs, and theater programs relating to F. Scott Fitzgerald, his family and associates, compiled by Eleanor Hazard.

Contents and Arrangement

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Arrangement

The collection has been organized into the following series:

Series 1: Writings, 1910-1989

• Subseries 1A: Novels, 1951
• Subseris 1B: Short Stories, 1910-1989
• Subseries 1C: Tear sheets, with author's corrections, undated
• Subseries 1D: Articles, 1935-1954
• Subseries 1E: Drama Scripts, 1915
• Subseries 1F: Moving Picture Scripts, 1931 December 14-1939 March 30
• Subseries 1G: Poems, 1915 January 29-1919
• Subseries 1H: Radio Scripts, undated
• Subseries 1I: Television, undated
• Subseries 1J: Ballet, undated
• Subseries 1K: Book Reviews, undated
• Subseries 1L: Burlesque, undated
• Subseries 1M: Biographical Material, undated
• Subseries 1N: Notes, 1930 April-June
• Subseries 1O: Lists, 1927

Series 2: Correspondence, 1907 July 15-1940

• Subseries 2A: Letters sent by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1907 July 15-1940
• Subseries 2B: Letters received by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1909 July 30-1940

Series 3: Documents, 1926-1931

Series 4: F. Scott Fitzgerald as Subject, 1939 June-1944

Series 5: Photographs, Drawings, and Cartoons, 1938

Series 6: Clippings, undated

Series 7: Memorabilia, undated

Series 8: Family Papers, undated

Series 9: Papers of Persons Other than F. Scott Fitzgerald, undated

Series 10: Scrapbooks, undated

Series 11: Miscellaneous Oversize Material, undated