Special Collections Department
John E. Hart
Collection Regarding
Albert Halper
1962 - 1988
Manuscript Collection Number: 434
Accessioned: Gift of John E. Hart,
January 2002
Extent: .6 linear ft.
Content: Correspondence and research
notes, bibliographies, magazines
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: January 2002, by
Kevin Burke
Special Collections, University of Delaware Library
Newark, Delaware 19717-5267
(302) 831-2229
Table of Contents
Biographical Note
The novelist Albert Halper was born in Chicago in 1904 and died in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1984. After graduating from high school and working at a number of jobs in Chicago, Halper moved to New York City in 1929 with the goal of becoming a writer. His first published novel, Union Square, appeared in 1931 and was a Literary Guild selection. Halper followed this novel with a series of books based on his life in Chicago, notably a book of short stories, On the Shore (1934), and the novels, The Foundry (1934), The Chute (1937), Sons of the Fathers (1940), and The Little People (1942). Over the course of his career, Halper published three more novels (Only an Inch from Glory, Atlantic Avenue, The Fourth Horseman of Miami Beach), and two collections of essays and short stories. He also wrote two plays and the memoir, Good-bye, Union Square.
John E. Hart was born in Kansas in 1917. From 1954 until his retirement in 1981, he was professor of English and American Literature at Albion College in Albion, Michigan. Professor Hart’s study of the American novelist Floyd Dell was published by Twayne in 1971. His Albert Halper, also published by Twayne, appeared in 1978.
Sources:
Hart, John E. “Albert Halper.” The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Volume 1: 1981 – 1985. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: The Gale Group 2001. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC
Other information is derived from the collection.
Scope and Content Note
The John E. Hart Collection regarding Albert Halper consists of correspondence relating to research and publication for Professor Hart’s essay “Albert Halper’s World of the Thirties” (Twentieth Century Literature, v. 9:4, January 1964), and his book, Albert Halper (1978), part of the Twayne United States Authors Series. The collection contains both original correspondence and other material from Halper, as well as the correspondence Hart conducted with a number of individuals and institutions in connection with his research.
Hart’s correspondence with Halper was conducted between 1962 and 1983. The collection includes a bibliography of Halper’s work, compiled and annotated by Halper, as well as signed copies of two Halper stories that appeared in Boys’ Life and a signed copy of Halper’s American Scholar essay, “Thoughts on Being Twayned.”
Professor Hart’s other correspondents included Halper’s second wife, Lorna Blaine Halper, several academic libraries, and the Viking Press. The collection contains photocopies of Halper’s correspondence (1931 – 1969) with Richard Johns, editor of the literary magazine Pagany, obtained from the University of Delaware, and photocopies of the correspondence between Halper and the Viking Press (1931 – 1932), related to the publication of Halper’s first novel, Union Square (1931). The correspondence between Hart and G.K. Hall, publishers of the Twayne series, related to the publication of Hart’s book, is also part of the collection, as is a signed copy of Hart's book, Albert Halper.
Related Collection:
Ms 110 Archive of Pagany
Contents List
Box -- Folder -- Contents
1 F1 Albert Halper letters to John E. Hart, 1962 – 1967
1962 Jan 11 TLS 1p
Feb 9 TLS 1p
Oct 8 TLS 1p
Nov 9 TLS 2p
Note: Includes page 20 from a draft of Hart’s
Twentieth Century Literature essay on Halper.
Dec 11 TLS 1p
1964 Feb 3 TLS 1p
Note: Refers to “the enclosed bibliography” of
his work that Halper provided to Hart. (See F4)
Mar 14 TLS 1p
Jul 15 TLS 1p
1967 Jun 21 TLS 1p
F2 Albert Halper letters to John E. Hart, 1971-1983
1971 Apr 22 TLS 1p
Nov 27 TLS 1p
1973 May 11 TLS 4p
Note: Includes “Chronology” of Halper’s life sent
by Hart to Halper and returned with corrections
and annotations in Halper’s hand.
Jun 15 TLS 1p
1974 Nov 26 TLS 1p
1975 Apr 29 TLS 1p
1979 [Feb 16] TLS 1p
Note: Date derived from postmark on envelope.
Feb 27 TLS 1p
Mar 8 TLS 3p
Note: Includes 2-page hand-written “Errata” of
Halper’s corrections to Hart’s ms.
Mar 31 TLS 1p
1980 Jun 3 TLS 1p
Note: Mentions that Halper will send copies of his
stories that appeared in Boys’ Life.
Apr 4 TLS 1p
1
1983 Apr 7 TLS 1p
Oct 23 TLS 1p
F3 John E. Hart Letters to Albert Halper, 1962-1983
1962 Nov 2 TL (c) 1p
1967 Jun 14 TL (c) 1p
1971 Apr 12 TL (c) 1p
Nov 22 TLS (c) 1p
1973 May 7 TL (c) 1p
Jun 8 TL (c) 1p
Jul 19 TL (c) 1p
1974 Nov 18 TLS (c) 1p
1975 Apr 21 TLS (c) 1p
Aug 28 TLS (c) 5p
Note: Includes Hart’s original letter requesting
biographical information with annotations by
Halper, a carbon copy of the letter, and a
photocopy of Hart’s “Chronology” of Halper’s life
with annotations and corrections by Halper.
1979 Feb 12 TL (c) 1p
Note: Includes annotations and corrections in
Hart’s hand.
1980 Mar 29 TLS (c) 1p
May 27 TL (c) 1p
Jun 21 TL (c) 1p
Note: Acknowledges receipt from Halper of two
issues of Boys’ Life containing stories by Halper.
1983 Mar 31 TLS (c) 1p
Oct 19 TLS (c) 1p
F4 Albert Halper bibliography
Bibliography of Halper’s publications from Jan
1929 through Nov 1959 with annotations by Halper and
Hart, sent by Halper to Hart in 1964.
F5 Boys’ Life, Mar 1974
Includes Halper’s story, “His Father’s Shirt
Sleeves,” signed by Halper.
1 F6 Boys’ Life, Dec 1974
Includes Halper’s story, “The Hannukkah Bush,”
signed by Halper.
F7 The American Scholar, Winter 1981/1982
Includes Halper’s essay, “Thoughts on Being
Twayned,” signed by Halper.
F8 Twentieth Century Literature, Jan 1964
Includes Hart’s essay, “Albert Halper’s World of
the Thirties.”
F9 Lorna Blaine Halper and Thomas Halper
correspondence(6 items)
Includes copies of two typed letters from Hart to
Lorna Blaine Halper, Albert Halper’s second wife; a
note and a card from Lorna Halper to Hart; and a copy
of a letter from Hart to Thomas Halper, Albert Halper’s
son.
2 F10 Granville Hicks correspondence, 1967 - 1971
(3 items)
Includes 2 TNS from Hicks in response to queries from
Hart in connection with his research on Floyd Dell and
Halper, and a copy of a TL from Hart to Hicks.
F11 University of Delaware correspondence
Includes copies of Albert Halper’s correspondence with
Richard Johns, editor of Pagany magazine (originals at
University of Delaware Library).
F12 Viking Press correspondence
Includes responses from Marshall Best, senior editor at
Viking, to Hart’s requests for publication information
on Halper’s books; also contains copies of Halper’s
early correspondence with Viking (1931-1934) related to
the publication of his first book, Union Square.
F13 Correspondence related to Halper’s publication history
Includes correspondence with Harper & Row, The Literary
Guild, the Princeton University Library, and others
regarding publication of Halper’s books and
availability of Halper’s correspondence with his
publishers.
F14 Correspondence related to bibliographical research
Includes correspondence to a number of institutions and
individuals regarding bibliographic information on the
original periodical publication of Halper’s stories.
Correspondents include The Library of Congress, The
Newberry Library, and The University of Maryland
Library. A substantial portion of the correspondence is
concerned with identifying Parade magazine, an obscure
literary magazine of the 1930’s.
2 F15 Correspondence related to biographical research
Includes information about Halper’s early education and
employment, as well as his subsequent career.
Correspondents include the Chicago Board of Education,
The Library of Congress, The Newberry Library, and
others.
F16 Material related to the publication of Albert Halper
Includes correspondence and other material related to
the publication of John E. Hart’s book, Albert Harper,
in G.K. Hall’s Twayne United States Authors Series.
F17 Personal correspondence
Includes 3 TLS from “Lotus,” a professor at Keuka
College and a friend of Hart’s. Letters contain
commentary on the manuscript of Hart’s book.
F18 Signed copy of Albert Halper by John E. Hart.
Hart's book length study of Halper done for
Twayne's United States Author Series. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980.
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