Collection Summary
Frederick Lewis Allen
Papers
1890-1954
(bulk 1933-1954)
1890-1954
(bulk 1933-1954)
MSS10470
Allen, Frederick
Lewis
10,500
items
30 containers
12 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Editor and author.
Correspondence, articles, biographies, date books, diaries, radio scripts,
histories, and speeches documenting Allen's career as editor of
Harper's Magazine, director of the Foreign Policy
Association, author of many popular works on American social history, and an
overseer of Harvard University.
Selected Search Terms
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.
People
Allen, Frederick Lewis, 1890-1954.
Allen, Hildegarde--Correspondence.
Conant, James Bryant, 1893-1978--Correspondence.
De Voto, Bernard, 1897-1955--Correspondence.
Dean, Vera Micheles, 1903-1972--Correspondence.
Highet, Gilbert, 1906-1978--Correspondence.
Lippmann, Walter, 1889-1974--Correspondence.
McKinney, Laurence--Correspondence.
Perkins, Milo, 1900- --Correspondence.
Pfeiffer, George--Correspondence.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945.
Wallace, DeWitt, 1889-1981--Correspondence.
Zuill, W. S. (William S.)--Correspondence.
Organizations
Foreign Policy Association.
Harvard University.
Subjects
American periodicals.
Industries--United States.
Journalism.
Places
London (England)--Description and travel.
San Francisco (Calif.)--Description and travel.
United States--History.
United States--Social conditions.
Titles
Harper's magazine.
Occupations
Authors.
Editors.
Provenance
The papers of Frederick Lewis Allen, editor and author, were donated
to the Library of Congress by his wife, Agnes Rogers Allen, and his son, Oliver
E. Allen, between 1954 and 1996.
Processing History
The papers of Frederick Lewis Allen were arranged and described in
1956. The collection was expanded between 1978 and 1996, and the finding aid
was revised in 2008.
Additional Guides
A press release on the Frederick Lewis Allen Papers was issued by the
Library of Congress on 22 September 1955, and an acquisitions note appeared in
the Library's
Information Bulletin
, Vol. 14, No. 38 (19 September 1955),
pp. 2-3. The collection was also described in the Library of Congress
Quarterly Journal of Current Acquisitions
, Vol. 13, No. 3
(May 1956), pp. 155-156.
Related Materials
Material on Allen can be found in the
Harper's Magazine Records also housed in the
Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress
Copyright Status
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Frederick Lewis Allen in
these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress
is reserved. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for
further information.
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Frederick Lewis Allen are open to research.
Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to
visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to
retrieve these items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Frederick Lewis Allen Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1890, July 5
Born, Boston, Mass.
1912
B. A., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1912
1914
English instructor, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Mass.
1913
M. A., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1914
1916
Assistant editor,
Atlantic Monthly
1916
1917
Managing editor,
Century Magazine
1918
Married Dorothy Penrose (died 1930)
1918
1919
Member, Council of National Defense
1919
1923
Secretary to Harvard Corporation, Harvard University,
Cambridge, Mass.
1923
1931
Assistant editor,
Harper's Magazine
1931
Published
Only Yesterday
. New York: Harper &
Brothers
1931
1941
Associate editor,
Harper's Magazine
1932
Married Agnes Rogers Hyde
1933
Published with Agnes Rogers Allen
The American Procession
. New York: Harper &
Brothers
1934
Published with Agnes Rogers Allen
Metropolis
. New York: Harper & Brothers
1935
Published
The Lords of Creation
. New York: Harper &
Brothers
1937
1944
Trustee, Bennington College, Bennington, Vt.
1940
Published
Since Yesterday
. New York: Harper
1941
1953
Editor-in-chief,
Harper's Magazine
1942
1948
Overseer, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1945
1950
Director, Foreign Policy Association
1947
Published
I Remember Distinctly
. New York: Harper
1949
Published
The Great Pierpont Morgan
. New York: Harper
1950
1954
Overseer, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1952
Published
The Big Change
. New York: Harper
1954, Feb. 13
Died, New York, N.Y.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Frederick Lewis Allen span the years 1890-1954, with
the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1933-1954. The papers are
organized in five series:
[
Diaries, Date
Books, and Biographical Material
](diar);
[
General
Correspondence
](corr);
[
Subject
File
](subj);
[
Literary
File
](lit); and an
[
Addition
](add).
The
[
Diaries, Date
Books, and Biographical Material
](diar) series covers the years 1933-1954 and
includes diaries kept by Allen during visits to London in 1943 and to San
Francisco in 1945.
The bulk of the
[
General
Correspondence
](corr) focuses on the period 1945-1954 and includes letters
written on a weekly basis by Allen to his sister, Hildegarde Allen.
Correspondence relating to a particular literary work is kept with other papers
related to that work in the Literary File. Prominent correspondents include
James Bryant Conant, Vera Micheles Dean, Bernard Augustine DeVoto, Gilbert
Highet, Walter Lippmann, Laurence McKinney, Milo Perkins, George Pfeiffer,
DeWitt Wallace, and W. S. Zuill.
Included in the
[
Subject
File
](subj) is material related to Allen's term as a member of the Board of
Overseers of Harvard University, 1942-1948; his work with the Foreign Policy
Association; and his speech to the National Publishers' Association in 1947 on
the "closed mind" of journalists regarding American industry.
The
[
Literary
File
](lit) contains manuscripts and notes related to Allen's writings,
including popular social histories of the United States such as
Only Yesterday
and
The Big Change
,
March of Time
movie scripts about the 1920s, biographies,
magazine articles, speeches, and other short works.
The
[
Addition
](add),
consisting of material added to the papers in 1978, 1983, and 1996, supplements
the original collection. A travel journal documenting Allen's trip to Great
Britain in 1953 was added in 1996.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in five series:
-
[
Diaries, Date
Books, and Biographical Material, 1933-1954
](diar)
-
[
General
Correspondence, 1913-1954
](corr)
-
[
Subject File,
1946-1952
](subj)
-
[
Literary File,
1930-1953
](lit)
-
[
Addition,
1890-1954
](add)
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Diaries, Date Books, and
Biographical Material,
1933-1954
1933-1954
Pocket diaries, travel journals, and biographical sketches.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
1
Biographical file,
circa 1942-1954
circa 1942-1954
1
Diaries
1
England,
1943
1943
1
San Francisco, Calif.,
1945
1945
1
Pocket diaries,
1933-1954
1933-1954
(22
vols.)
1-6
General Correspondence,
1913-1954
1913-1954
Letters sent and received.
Arranged chronologically.
1
1913-1933
1913-1933
2
1934-1941
1934-1941
(9
folders)
3
1942-1947
1942-1947
(7
folders)
4
1948-1950
1948-1950
(6
folders)
5
1951-1952
1951-1952
(5
folders)
6
1953-1954, undated
1953-1954, undated
(5
folders)
7
Subject File,
1946-1952
1946-1952
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and topical files.
Arranged alphabetically by topic.
7
Foreign Policy Association
(2
folders)
7
Harvard University, Cambridge,
Mass.
(3
folders)
8-25
Literary File,
1930-1953
1930-1953
Drafts of books, magazine articles, speeches, scripts, and
miscellaneous works.
Arranged by type of material or work and therein by title or
topic.
8
Articles
8
"Bermuda Base"
8
"Drafting This Army"
8
Life
articles
(3
folders)
8
Miscellaneous short
works
9
Published articles by
Allen
(2
folders)
9
Review of Whitaker Chambers's
Witness
9
Woman's Home Companion
articles
9
Books
9
The American Procession
9
The Big Change
(1
folder)
10
(7
folders)
11
The Great Pierpont Morgan
(4
folders)
12
(3
folders)
13
(3
folders)
14
I Remember Distinctly
(2
folders)
14
Lords of Creation
(2
folders)
15
Metropolis
15
Only Yesterday
(3
folders)
16
(2
folders)
16
Since Yesterday
(2
folders)
17
(3
folders)
18
(5
folders)
19
(5
folders)
20
(5
folders)
21
(5
folders)
22
(2
folders)
22
Unpublished
22
"The American
Tradition"
22
Roosevelt, Franklin D., notes
and other material for an uncompleted book
(2
folders)
23
Documentary films and radio and
television programs
23
"Golden Twenties," documentary
film
(2
folders)
23
Ford television
program
23
General plans for "Cowboys"
radio program
23
Memorandum re possible subjects
for a television series
23
Radio script of interview with
Allen re
Harper's Magazine
's one hundred years of
publication
24
Harper's Magazine
file
24
Miscellany
24
Speeches and
conferences
24
"Closed Mind," correspondence
re speech on journalism and industry
24
"Economic Security: A Look Back
And A Look Ahead,"
Economic Security for Americans
, Columbia
University, New York, N.Y.
25
Miscellany
(3
folders)
26-30
Addition,
1890-1954
1890-1954
Journals, correspondence, writings, notes, printed matter, and
clippings.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
26
Journals
26
Journal about Allen as a baby
by his father, Frederick B. Allen,
1890-1893
1890-1893
26
Travel journals
26
Trip to Great Britain,
1953
1953
26
"Thomas Jefferson Book: Notes
on How To Be More Like Thomas Jefferson," kept by Allen and Agnes Rogers Allen
during trip from Scarsdale, N.Y., to Chapel Hill, N.C.,
1936
1936
26
General
correspondence
26
1892-1908
1892-1908
(3
folders)
27
1910-1935
1910-1935
(4
folders)
28
1936-1954, undated
1936-1954, undated
(2
folders)
28
Writings
28
Books
28
The Big Change
drafts
28
Chapters 1-5
(2
folders)
29
Chapters 6-18
(4
folders)
30
Foreword, notes, research
material
30
Short works and
notes
30
Chronology of the 1930s and
notes used for
Since Yesterday
30
"Last Time and This Time:
Postwar Eras I and II"
30
"President Ell"
30
"Three Years of It: America
at War, 1941-1944"
30
"The State of the
States"
30
"The Transformation of
Suburbia"
30
"The Suburban
Crisis"
30
"Who's Getting the
Money?"
30
Miscellany
30
Book contracts
30
Printed matter
30
Clippings