George Rippey Stewart papers, 1914-1984

Summary

Creators:

Stewart, George Rippey, 1895-1980

Abstract:

Contains correspondence with publishers, editors, agents, writers, teachers, research associates, family, friends and fans; research notes and documents; manuscripts of writings including: Ordeal by Hunger, Storm, Fire, Names on the Land, U.S. 40, Earth Abides, The California Trail, Pickett's Charge, Year of the Oath, American Place Names, Names on the Globe; proofs, publicity, reviews; notes for speeches. Also includes bibliographies of his writings and bibliographies compiled by Stewart.

Extent:

Number of containers: 7 boxes, 12 cartons, 1 oversize folder and 2 oversize items Linear feet: approx. 19

Language:

Collection materials are in English and German

Background

Scope and content:

The George Rippey Stewart Papers contain correspondence with publishers, editors, agents, writers, teachers, research associates, family, friends and fans; research notes and documents; manuscripts of writings including: Ordeal by Hunger, Storm, Fire, Names on the Land, U.S. 40, Earth Abides, The California Trail, Pickett's Charge, Year of the Oath, American Place Names, Names on the Globe; proofs, publicity, reviews; notes for speeches. Also includes bibliographies of his writings and bibliographies compiled by Stewart.

These papers primarily document Stewart's life, and duel careers as a writer of fiction and non-fiction, and as a teacher at the University of California, Berkeley; and they reflect his longstanding interest in the history of the American West.

Significant reorganization of the collection was required due to the fact that the papers were donated and transferred to The Bancroft Library at various times dating from 1938-1986, and there was no overall organization ordering the collection as a whole. However, wherever possible, internal groupings within a series reflect Stewart's own filing system. The papers found in BANC MSS 70/88 c consist principally of personal papers, biographical information, financial records and family papers. BANC MSS 70/88 also includes literary correspondence and royalty statements.

Biographical / historical:

George Rippey Stewart, writer and academician, was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, on May 31, 1895, the son of George Rippey and Ella Wilson Stewart. The family moved to Pasadena, California, when Stewart was 12. After graduation from high school, Stewart went to Princeton, receiving his A. B. in 1917. From 1917 to 1919 he served in the U. S. Army. In 1920 Stewart obtained his M. A. in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and in 1922 he was awarded a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University.

While teaching for a year at the University of Michigan, Stewart met and married Theodosia Burton, daughter of the president of the University. Upon returning to Berkeley in 1923, he joined the faculty of the English Department of the University of California, where he remained until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 1962. Stewart served as a visiting professor at several universities, including a year as Fulbright Professor of American Literature and Civilization at the University of Athens, 1952-1953.

Stewart's first important work was a biography of Bret Harte (1931). Other non-fiction works include: Ordeal by Hunger, a study of the Donner Party (1936); Names on the Land (1945); Man, an Autobiography (1946); U.S. 40 (1953); American Ways of Life (1954); N. A. 1 (1957); Pickett's Charge (1959); The California Trail (1963); American Place Names (1970); Names on the Globe (1975); and American Place Names (1979). He also wrote several non-fiction books for juvenile readers.

Stewart's first novel was East of the Giants (1938). Other fiction works include: Doctor's Oral (1939); Storm (1941); Fire (1948); Earth Abides (1949); Sheep Rock (1951); and Years of the City (1955).

That Stewart was a man of many interests is reflected in his prolific writings, which comprise both published and unpublished fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama, and include such diverse subjects as history, ecology, onomatology, meteorology, and science fiction. His advocacy of academic freedom involved him in political controversy and provided material for a book, Year of the Oath (1950). Both his fiction and non-fiction works have been awarded prizes, among them medals from the Commonwealth Club of California for Ordeal by Hunger and East of the Giants, the International Fantasy Award for Earth Abides, and the Hillman Award for Not so Rich as You Think.

Several of his works have appeared in foreign language editions. Stewart also published a children's book, To California by Covered Wagon (1954), and wrote numerous articles and reviews for scholarly as well as general interest publications.

After his retirement from the University of California, Stewart continued to write and publish. Though in his last years he suffered from Parkinson's disease, Stewart continued working on various literary projects until the time of his death on August 22, 1980.

Acquisition information:

The George Rippey Stewart Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by George Rippey Stewart and his wife Theodosia Stewart from the years 1938-1986. Additions were made by Mr. and Mrs. Hobart M. Lovett of the bound typescript of "I Wish I Might" in 1970; by Richard P. Hafner of the manuscript "The English Department Fire" in 1978.

Physical location:

Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Rules or conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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