Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm82030932
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982), poet, playwright, government official, and Librarian of Congress, were given to the Library of Congress from 1939 to 1970 by MacLeish, who also bequeathed a subsequent series of deposits, 1970-1977, to the Library in 1982. The Library received additional material, 1934-2012, through gifts, transfers, deposit, and purchases from various sources, including material formerly held by MacLeish's estate.
The papers of Archibald MacLeish were arranged and described in 1962 by Grover Batts. In 1983, portions of the collection were reorganized and the finding aid revised by Michael J. McElderry. Additional material was incorporated into the collection and the finding aid revised in 1989 by Paul D. Ledvina; in 1997 by Patrick Kerwin; and in 2020 by Matthew Darby, with the assistance of Emily Flint and Maria Farmer. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
The Archibald MacLeish Papers are described in
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. Audiocassettes have been transferred to the Recorded Sound Section of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Archibald MacLeish Papers. Patrons are encouraged to contact these divisions in advance of a research visit.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Archibald MacLeish in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
The papers of Archibald MacLeish are open to research. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Archibald MacLeish Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of
Few items remain for the period prior to 1923 when MacLeish left the
MacLeish was one of a number of American literary expatriates living in
During the 1930's MacLeish became increasingly politicized and was outspoken in support
of an American commitment to protect the liberal democratic principles which he felt
were being threatened by the rise of fascism in
MacLeish more fully explicated his political philosophy in a series of prose pieces
written for various journals and magazines throughout the 1930s and 1940s as well as in
the many radio broadcasts and speeches he made during the same period. Notes and
manuscript drafts for the writings are contained in the Literary File, while similar documents for the broadcasts
and speeches are located in the Speeches and Lectures File. The latter series also contains copies and drafts
for speeches which MacLeish prepared for
From 1929 to 1938 MacLeish worked as a writer and editor for
In 1939,
The Correspondence series
contains correspondence and copies of memoranda with many of MacLeish's associates, as
well as with public figures, both in and out of government, whom MacLeish came to know
during the war years. Correspondents of interest include
The Literary File contains an
extensive set of notes for a series of classroom lectures which MacLeish delivered at
With time afforded him after his retirement from public service, MacLeish published several books of poetry, produced dramatic pieces for various media, and wrote prose works, including social and political commentary. The Literary File contains correspondence and manuscript material for collections of poems such as
MacLeish continued to produce verse plays for stage, radio, and television, and the Literary File contains important material relating to these dramatic productions. Manuscript drafts and worksheets are contained in the collection for MacLeish's Pulitzer Prize-winning play,
The greatest literary treasure of the collection is a set of notebooks kept by MacLeish from 1919 through the 1940s located in the Literary File. Containing drafts of much of his poetry and prose, the notebooks help trace the creation and development of some of MacLeish's finest work. They also include notes about his travels and readings and his reflections about other writers and their conversations on literature.
A notebook kept by MacLeish in
This collection is arranged in six series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm82030932
Letters received and copies of letters sent, memoranda, telegrams, postcards, and miscellaneous enclosures.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent and chronologically therein.
Handwritten and typewritten drafts, correspondence, trial lines, printed copies, notes and worksheets, outlines, notebooks, proofs, and miscellaneous items relating to plays, poetry, prose pieces, screenplays and scripts, and books.
Arranged by type of material and alphabetically by title therein, except for the notebooks, which are arranged chronologically.
Handwritten and typewritten drafts, correspondence, trial lines, printed copies, notes and worksheets, outlines, proofs, and miscellaneous items relating to classroom lectures, interviews, and radio and television broadcasts.
Arranged by type of material and chronologically therein, except for the classroom lectures, which are arranged alphabetically by course title.
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, printed matter, and miscellaneous items.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Printed matter, manuscript drafts, correspondence, miscellaneous personal records, and notes.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Diary, notebooks, correspondence, a playscript, interview transcript, and printed matter.
Arranged by type of material and chronologically therein.