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/mm77031195
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 Arthur Mann, sportswriter, baseball executive, and author, were given to the Library of Congress by his widow, Marion Mann, in 1969. A small addition was sent to the Library by Mary B. Bowling, Curator of Manuscripts, New York Public Library, in 1990.
The papers of Arthur Mann were arranged and described by Wilhelmena B. Curry in 1978. The collection was expanded and revised by Patrick Kerwin in 1997, and additional revisions were made to the finding aid in 2009. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Photographs and drawings have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. Maps have been transferred to the Geography and Map Division. Music scores have been transferred to the Music Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Arthur Mann Papers.
Related collections in the Manuscript Division include the papers of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Arthur Mann in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved.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.
The papers of Arthur Mann 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.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Arthur Mann Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Arthur William Mann (1901-1963), sportswriter, baseball executive, and author, span the years 1901-1969, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the years 1945 to 1962. The collection is composed of correspondence, drafts of books and articles, memoranda, notes, numerous newspaper clippings, printed matter, and miscellaneous items relating primarily to major league baseball, particularly to Branch Rickey and his contributions to the game. Also included are items relating to Rickey's innovations, such as organization of farm teams or minor league baseball clubs. Other items relate to boxing, football, the Olympic Games, and horse racing. The collection is arranged in six series: General Correspondence , Subject File , Writings File , Miscellany , Addition , and Oversize .
The numerous documents in the papers which focus on Branch Rickey are the result of Mann's decision to write a biography of Rickey. Many baseball and sports figures contributed information for this biography. In 1946, Mann became Branch Rickey's assistant with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Together they launched the major league career of Jackie Robinson in 1947 and later furthered the careers of other Black players. Mann's stand on matters such as expansion of major league baseball after World War II and the elimination of racial barriers brought him close to Rickey's pioneering views. There is also much material on Jackie Robinson, but very little on Mann himself.
Mann became one of the most respected sportswriters in America as a reporter for the
The papers reflect other events that enabled Mann to become an effective, if controversial, baseball executive. These include his efforts in 1945 to integrate organized baseball and his "behind-the-scenes" action with Rickey to bring Jackie Robinson into the major leagues and to promote the careers of Donald Newcombe, Roy Campanella, Junior Gilliam (James William Gilliam), and Maury Wills.
Other items in the Mann Papers include a draft of
Correspondents include William B. Arthur, William Edward Benswanger, Andrew Bernhard, Leonard Broom, Archibald J. Carey, Emanuel Celler, Happy Chandler, Bill Corum, Ed Fitzgerald, Ford C. Frick, Eric Frederick Goldman, James C. Hagerty, Harry Keck, Dan D. Mich, Westbrook Pegler, Branch Rickey, Ralph W. Sockman, and Casey Stengel.
This collection is arranged in six series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm77031195
Letters sent and received, memoranda, and miscellaneous attachments.
Arranged chronologically within each file.
Drafts of manuscripts and printed matter on various subjects.
Arranged alphabetically by name of person or organization and topic.
Drafts of manuscripts for books and articles by Mann and others.
Arranged alphabetically by author.
Notebook, notes and fragments, clippings, printed matter, baseball scorebooks, and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Carbon typescript novel by Mann about prize fighting, entitled "Boxer Rebellion."
Oversized clippings and a scrapbook.
Arranged according to the series and folder from which they were removed.