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Collection Overview

Creator:
Beyer, Preston C., 1912-1999
Title:
Preston Beyer Collection of John Steinbeck
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/8g84mm29p
Dates:
1939-1995 (mostly 1970-1990)
Size:
19 boxes
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-19
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera by and relating to John Steinbeck collected by Preston Beyer, cofounder of the John Steinbeck Society of America. Included is a large amount of correspondence (circa 1939-1993) of Beyer with bibliographers, critics, collectors, biographers, universities, friends, and relatives concerned with the life and works of John Steinbeck.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, and ephemera by and relating to John Steinbeck collected by Preston Beyer. Included is a large amount of correspondence (circa 1939-1993) of Beyer with bibliographers, critics, collectors, biographers, universities, friends, and relatives concerned with the life and works of John Steinbeck. Some of these correspondents are Gwendolyn and Elaine Steinbeck (former wife and widow, respectively), Carlton Sheffield (Steinbeck's roommate at Stanford), John Hargraves, Adrian H. Goldstone, Robert J. Demott, John Ditsky, Warren G. French, author of John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited (1994), Tetsumaro Hayashi, author a A New Steinbeck Bibliography, 1971-1981 (1983), Roy S. Simmonds, Nelson Valjean, and Robert Wallsten, editor, with Elaine Steinbeck, of Steinbeck: A Life in Letters (1994). Also present is correspondence with university libraries containing collections of Steinbeck books and manuscripts, such as San Jose State University and Ball State University.

Original Steinbeck material includes 27 cards and letters (1951-1967), some written by his secretaries, to Lemuel and Shirley Ayers, Preston Beyer, Mary Bradford, one to Martin Luther King (March 31, 1965), June Hunderson, and a few others. In addition, there is a photograph (1962) of Steinbeck taken by Carlton Sheffield, a three-page, typed, signed article entitled "Rationale," and a signed copy of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech (1962). Related materials include a holograph review (1939) by George Stevens of Steinbeck's Uncovered Wagon, and a script (1954) for a dance-drama adaptation by John H. Jones of Steinbeck's The Pearl. Also included are 13 photographs from the 1992 John Steinbeck Conference in Nantucket, as well as other Steinbeck Society events.

Collection Creator Biography:

Beyer, Preston C., 1912-1999

Preston Beyer was a businessman and cofounder (1966) of the John Steinbeck Society of America.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Gift of Lynne B. Sagalyn, Barbara A. Rice, and Marilyn S. Shuffler. Some materials found in repository and added in 2018: AM 2018-106.

Appraisal

These items were not kept with the manuscript portion; they were separated out and put with the main book collection:

"Pacific Weekly, A Western Journal of Fact and Fiction," pub. Nov. 9, 1936, vol. V, no. 19, contains JS's story "Breakfast" (1 p.), later used in The Grapes of Wrath.

"Vanderbilt Clinic by John Steinbeck," a report for the friends and supporters of the Hospital, pub. March 1947.

"The Monterey Beacon, The Literary Magazine of the West," June 22, 1935, vol. 1, no. 44, stamped "This Book Belongs to Carol and John Steinbeck," contains JS's story "The Snake."

"The Smoker's Companion," March 1927, 2 photostat copies of JS's[?] story "The Gift of Iban" by John Stern (pseud.?), also photostat of the table of contents (2 pp.), order form for the copy from the New York Public Library, & letters to the National Assoc. of Tobacco Distribution in search of this story.

Dinner program in honor of Carl Sandburg on his 85th birthday, and the publication of his book of poems Honey and Salt, June 6, 1963, the guest list includes Mr. & Mrs. John Steinbeck.

Note: See the curator of the Rare Books Division for information concerning the Preston Beyer Collection of John Steinbeck books and related published material.

Processing Information

New materials added and finding aid updated by Chloe Pfendler in May 2018.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Preston Beyer Collection of John Steinbeck; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/8g84mm29p
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-19