Children's Literature Research Collection
113 Elmer L. Andersen Library
University of Minnesota
222 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Children's Literature
Research Collection
113 Elmer L. Andersen Library
University of Minnesota
222 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Summary Information
Collection Number: CLRC-135
Collection Size: Ca. 1.8 linear ft. (Manuscript and other material)
Abstract/Notes: Lorenz B. Graham's papers focus on his work as an author of young adult books, in particular his "Town" series of novels that depict the experiences of an African-American family in the 1950s and 1960s. The collection includes production material for six titles published between 1958 and 1980. Production materials include typescripts, galley proofs, front matter, a layout, and one piece of correspondence.
Lorenz B. Graham gave part of this collection to the University of Minnesota in 1971 with additional material placed on permanent loan at the University in 1972 and 1980.
Collection is non-circulating, in-house use only.
This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Titles 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all the necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.
Prepared by Christina Cowan, January 1999.
This collection was processed with financial assistance from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical/Historical Notes
Lorenz B. Graham was born January 27, 1902 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from Virginia Union University in 1936 and later received a M.S.W from Columbia University in 1954. Lorenz B. Graham worked as a missionary teacher in Liberia in the 1920s and drew on this experience for several of his books. His first book, How God Fix Jonah, a collection of biblical tales told in the Liberian dialect was published in 1946. He also used Liberia as the backdrop in I, Momolu (1966), a story told from the perspective of a young boy that focused on the growing conflict between rural and urban in Africa. The book was praised by critics for showing Africans in a realistic and positive light. He also focused on the African-American experience in the United States. He had experienced firsthand the devastating effects of segregation and racism in America and in his "Town" series sought to portray these effects on one family. The central character of this series, David Williams, a young African-American who longs to be a doctor and finally achieves this goal, experiences racism and the changes beginning to be brought about by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The series also shows African-Americans as "fully realized" people and presents positive images of the "black" family. He tried to promote understanding and tolerance amongst the races and his books have been widely praised for their belief in an "ultimate resolution of racial conflicts." Lorenz B. Graham died on September 11, 1989 in West Covina, California.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection contains production material for six titles published between 1958 and 1980, including four books in the "Town" series. Production materials include corrected typescripts, corrected carbon typescripts, a corrected photocopy typescript, front matter, corrected galley proofs, a layout, and one piece of correspondence. The materials are arranged alphabetically by title with folder and box level control.
See attached inventory for folder and box contents.
Collection Inventory
I, Momolu, 1966
-Typescript, corrected,
163 p.
(M.F. 358, folders 1-3)
-Typescript, corrected,
171 p.
(M.F. 358, folders 4-7)
-Holograph and typescript, corrected,
176 p.
(M.F. 358, folders 8-11)
-Typescript, partial photocopy, galley proof, corrected,
18 p.
(M.F. 358, folder 12)
-Galley proof, corrected,
60 p.
(M.F. 358, folder 13)
John Brown: A Cry for Freedom, 1980
-Typescript, corrected, 178 p. with front matter, 7 p. (M.F. 359, folders 1-4)
North Town, 1965
-Holograph,
16 p.
(M.F. 360, folder 1)
-Typescript, corrected,
281 p.
(M.F. 360, folders 2-7)
-Typescript, corrected,
177 p.
(M.F. 360, folders 8-11)
-Typescript, corrected carbon,
154 p.
(M.F. 360, folders 12-14)
-Galley proof, corrected,
74 p.
(M.F. 360, folder 15)
-Layout,
1 p.
(M.F. 360, folder 15)
Return to South Town, 1976
-Typescript, corrected photocopy,
220 p.
(M.F. 261, folders 1-5)
-Galley proof, corrected,
81 p.
(M.F. 360, folders 6-7)
South Town, 1958
-Typescript, corrected, partial holograph,
190 p.
(M.F. 361, folders 1-4)
-Typescript, corrected carbon, partial holograph,
165 p.
(M.F. 361, folders 5-7)
-Typescript, corrected,
217 p.
(M.F. 361-362, folders 8-12)
-Correspondence [from 1947],
1 p.
(M.F. 362, folder 12)
-Typescript, corrected miscellaneous,
9 p.
(M.F. 362, folder 13)
Whose Town? 1969
-Typescript, corrected,
202 p.
(M.F. 362, folders 1-4)
-Typescript, corrected,
169 p.
(M.F. 362, folders 5-7)
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