Finding Aid of the Irving Wallace papers 0144
Finding aid prepared by Rebecca Hirsch
The processing of this collection and the creation of this finding aid was funded by the generous support of the National
Historic Publications and Records Commission.
USC Libraries Special Collections
July 2010
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California, 90089-0189
213-740-5900
specol@usc.edu
Title: Irving Wallace papers
Collection number: 0144
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.5 Linear feet
3 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1934-1968
Language of Materials: The papers in this collection are in English, with the exception of the draft and proofs of
Los Disconformes, the Spanish edition of
The Square Peg.
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of the screenwriter and novelist Irving Wallace (1916-1990). His papers include correspondence,
research notes, proofs, and typescripts for some of his stories, screenplays, and novels.
creator:
Wallace, Irving, 1916-1990
[Box/folder# or item name], Irving Wallace papers, Collection no. 0144, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of
Southern California.
The collection contains published materials; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers
on reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers
when reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish,
quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
The books donated to USC with the Irving Wallace Papers have been cataloged as rare books in USC Libraries Special Collections.
Special Collections at the Libraries of the Claremont Colleges has more of Wallace's papers in their Irving Wallace Archive.
Irving Wallace was born in 1916 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He sold his first magazine story when he was 15. After dropping out
of college to write for film, he met his wife Sylvia Kahn. In 1942, Wallace enlisted in the Air Force, where he was placed
in the First Motion Picture Division. A year later, he was transferred to the Signal Corps Photographic Center, which stationed
him first in Los Angeles and later in New York. Upon his discharge from the Air Force in 1946, he returned to free-lancing
for periodicals but also started writing screenplays and treatments for movie studios. In 1953, he began writing book-length
works. His first published work was
The Fabulous Originals. Over the course of his career, he would go on to write sixteen novels and seventeen works of nonfiction, many of which became
sensational best-sellers. Wallace died in 1990.
Collection consists of correspondence, research notes, proofs, and corrected typescripts for various stories, screenplays,
and novels by Irving Wallace. Books represented in this collection include
The Plot,
The Man,
The Sunday Gentleman,
The Twenty-Seventh Wife,
The Fabulous Originals, and
The Writing of One Novel. While the papers are mostly copies, most items contain autograph notations by Wallace. Also included in this collection
are photographs, including original stills of Sarah Bernhardt, magazines in which interviews of Wallace and reviews or excerpts
of his work can be found, drafts of Wallace's memoirs, and a small amount of personal correspondence.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Knopf, Alfred A., 1892-1984 -- Correspondence
Wallace, Irving, 1916-1990 -- Archives
Weidman, Jerome, 1913-1998 -- Correspondence
Authors, American--20th century--Archival resources
Correspondence
Notes
Page proofs
Photographs
Screenwriters--United States--Archival resources
Typescripts
Box 2
Box 2-3
Interviews, Correspondence and Personal Papers
Box 2
Photographs
Map-case 5, Drawer 4
Movie Art