Henry Miller Literary
Society
Henry Miller Literary
Society Records
1955-1972
University of
Minnesota Libraries. Literary Manuscripts Collection, Manuscripts
Division [mss]
11 boxes
(6 linear feet)
The collection includes
business correspondence (1956-1972) and personal correspondence of Eddie
Schwartz and others about Henry Miller and his works, material relating to
lawsuits connected with the sale of Miller's 1935
Tropic of Cancer, society mailing lists and
newsletters, reviews of Miller's works, and clippings relating to the 1967
marriage of Miller and Hoki Tokuda. Included in the collection are 283 letters
(1956-1968) mostly to Schwartz from Henry Miller.
Mss 18
English
Mezzanine
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
Some restrictions on use; please see curator for details.
Restrictions on Use
Copyright for correspondence is retained by the authors.
Preferred Citation
Henry Miller Literary Society Records (Mss 18), Literary Manuscripts
Collection, University of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis.
Acquisition
Donated by Eddie Schwartz from 1968-1972.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Alan
Lathrop, 1975.
Historical Note
Eddie Schwartz was a Minneapolis journalist and editor of
<emph render="italic">Skyway News</emph>. He was also the
president of the Henry Miller Literary Society, an organization founded in
1957. Beginning in 1958 they published their own newsletter regarding the
international efforts to secure freedom of passage for the works of Henry
Miller.
The Society was disbanded in 1967 when it had attained an
international membership of over 700 subscribers
Scope and Content Note
The collection documents the activities of the Henry Miller Literary
Society and its successes and failures as an influence in the life and work of
Miller.The collection includes business correspondence (1956-1969) and personal
correspondence of Eddie Schwartz and others about Henry Miller and his works,
material relating to lawsuits connected with the sale of Miller's 1935
<emph render="italic">Tropic of Cancer</emph>, society
mailing lists and newsletters, reviews of Miller's works, and clippings
relating to the 1967 marriage of Miller and Hoki Tokuda. Included in the
collection are 283 letters (1956-1968) mostly to Schwartz from Henry Miller.
Organization of the Collection
The collection is organized in four series:
- Correspondence
- Clippings and Correspondence
- Newsletters
- Miscellaneous
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings.
Miller,
Henry, 1891- -- Correspondence
Schwartz,
Eddie -- Correspondence
Henry Miller
Literary Society -- Archives
Tropic of Cancer
Detailed Contents
The following section contains a detailed list of the materials in the
collection.
Correspondence,
1956-1972
All correspondence is from Henry Miller and is addressed to Eddie
Schwartz, unless otherwise noted. Also, all correspondence is addressed from
either Big Sur or Pacific Palisades, unless otherwise noted. There are numerous
letters and postcards from Miller from various locations in Europe from 1959
through1961. An item listing of correspondence is available in the
archives.
1
Correspondence,
1956 -- January-June, 1961
2
Correspondence,
July-December, 1961 -- May-August,
1962
3
Correspondence,
September-December, 1962 --
1969
4
Correspondence,
undated
4
Schwartz-Fink correspondence
4
Tom Moore correspondence,
1968-1971
One Miller item; remainder consists of letters from Miller fan,
Nancy Howarth and William Witherspoon, condemned inmate at Cook County
(Chicago) jail.
Clippings and correspondence
5
Correspondence to and from Karl Shapiro,
1958-1964
Shapiro was editor of Prairie
Schooner, University of Nebraska. Clippings by and about Shapiro are
also included. (Folder I)
5
Correspondence to and from Henk van Gelre,
1958-1968
van Gelre was publisher of the International Henry Miller Letter, Nijmegen,
Netherlands; also included is the June 1961 issue of the Letter. (Folder
II)
5
Correspondence relating to re-issue of George Dibbern's
Quest by Henry Miller,
1958-1959
Contains sketches of layouts for advertising brochure by Eddie
Schwartz, letters exchanged by Miller and Schwartz regarding the brochure, and
letters from Dibbern to Schwartz. (Folder III)
5
Correspondence, book catalogs, and other material from
Elias Guzman,
1960-1963
Guzman was a Mexico City dealer. This includes correspondence to
Guzman from Schwartz and a letter from Miller to Schwartz enclosing a Guzman
letter. (Folder IV)
5
Brochure: "Dream of a Book" advertising Miller's
Into the Night Life,
1958
Includes correspondence between Miller and Schwartz and layouts,
paste-ups, proofs, etc. of the brochure. (Folder V)
5
Correspondence and book lists from Judson Crews,
1958-1964
Crews was a book dealer in Taos, New Mexico. Also includes
correspondence from Schwartz. (Folder VI)
5
Clippings and correspondence relating to arrest and
acquittal of Honolulu book dealer who sold copies of Miller's
Tropic of Cancer.
1961-1962
(Folder VII)
5
Clippings relating to trial of Los Angeles book dealer
charged with selling Tropic of Cancer,
1962
(Folder VIII)
5
Clippings and correspondence pertaining to banning the
sale of Tropic of Cancer in Las Vegas,
1963
(Folder IX)
5
Clippings, courtroom exhibits, and correspondence
relating to obscenity trial in Chicago centering around the sale of
Tropic of Cancer,
1961
(Folder X)
5
Clippings and correspondence largely between Schwartz
and David Sliger,
1962
Sliger was from Syracuse, NY. Material concerns that city's
controversy over the sale of Miller's books. (Folder XI)
5
Clippings relating to Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling
that Tropic of Cancer was not obscene,
1963
(Folder XII)
5
Clippings concerning San Francisco trial of book dealer
for selling Tropic of Cancer,
1961
Newsletters
6
Newsletter No. 4
Typescript copy only. (Folder 5A)
6
Newsletter No. 5
Typescript copy, clippings, and proofs. (Folder 5B)
6
Newsletter No. 6
Typescript copy, proofs clippings, and correspondence.(Folders
6-7)
6
Newsletter No. 8
Typescript copy, proofs, clippings, and correspondence. (Folders
8-9)
7
Newsletter No. 8
Clippings. (Folders 10-11)
7
Newsletter No. 9
Clippings, typescript copy, and proofs. (Folder 12)
7
Newsletter No. 10
Typescript copy, proofs, clippings. (Folders 13-15)
8
Newsletter No. 11
Clippings and correspondence. (Folder 16)
8
Newsletter No. 12
Clippings. (Folders 17-20)
8
Newsletter No. 13
Clippings. (Folder 21)
9
Clippings and correspondence for unidentified
newsletter
(Folder 22)
Miscellaneous
5
Bills and receipts for expenses incurred by Henry Miller
Literary Society,
circa 1960-1966
(Folder XIV)
6
Clippings of marriage of Miller and Hoki Tokuda,
1967
(Folder 1)
6
Henry Miller
Bibliography
Includes some of the material used in compiling the bibliography
plus lists of purchasers or subscribers. (Folder 2)
6
Mailing lists of Society
6
Rare Miller items,
1958-1959, undated
Includes brochures, posters, clippings, press release, leaflet,
greeting cards, etc. A detailed listing is available in the archives. (Folder
4)
9
Postal card informing membership of forthcoming
publication of Tropic of Cancer in the U.S.,
1961
Includes copy, proofs, and final print.
9
Membership application cards
Copy, proofs, and final print
9
Miller's letterhead and envelopes (samples)
9
Reviews of Miller's works (clippings from German
newspapers)
9
Proofs and samples of Society letterheads
9
Tropic of Cancer
(clippings),
1961
Includes reviews and comments regarding publication of the book
in the United States. Also includes copies of several Grove Press newsletters
dealing with the book.
9
Dorothy Upham lawsuit,
1961
Clippings concerning Mrs. Upham's legal fight to have
Tropic of Cancer import ban lifted in the United
States.
9
Big Sur and the Oranges of
Hieronymus Bosch (clippings),
1957-1960
Reviews and other material concerning the book.
9
The Henry Miller Reader
(clippings),
1959-1960
Reviews and other material relating to the book.
9
Lady Chatterley's Lover
(clippings)
Reviews and comments
9
Lawrence Durrell (clippings)
Articles about the author and his works.
9
Pornography and the Law,
Kronhausens (clippings)
Concerning the book and its authors
9
Henry Miller Literary Society. Miscellaneous
Publications, clippings, memos, and other material by and about
the activities of the Society.
10
Censorship and Civil Rights
Reprints, clippings, newsletters, and other material from
various groups or relating to censorship and civil rights generally.
10
Other Miller reviews,
circa 1960-1965
Clippings and publications which feature reviews of other Henry
Miller works or works about him.
10
Henry Miller clippings (I & II),
circa 1956-1968
Clippings taken from newspapers or magazine by or about Miller
as a literary figure.
10
Henry Miller as a Painter,
1955-1956
Clippings, reproductions of his works, and posters of
exhibitions.
11
Miscellaneous (I & II)
Consists of restaurant menus, book catalogs, notices, lists,
assorted clippings on subject mostly not concerned with Miller
11
Magnetic recording tape,
circa 1961 and undated
(2 7-inch reels)
HMLS-1 contains letter, Bob Fink to Tom Moore and Eddie
Schwartz; undated
HMLS-2 contains Part 3 of radio program on Miller. Interview by
Audrey June Booth of Elmer Gertz; 1961. Produced at KUOM, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis.
11
"Profile of an Iconoclast," by Robert Fink,
undated
A profile of Miller, xerox copy of manuscript, 83 pp.
11
Paste-ups for two sheets of clippings about Miller taken
from various newspapers.
11
Tape recording of Miller talking to his pet dog Beanie
at home of Robert Fink in California,
Spring 1954.