Summary Information
Art Buchwald Papers
1952-1976
U.S. Mss 45AF
2.2 cubic feet (6 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers of an author and humorist, consisting of correspondence and book and column manuscripts. The early correspondence, which dates from the period when Buchwald was a foreign correspondent, is limited and chiefly comprised of letters from celebrities such as Bernard Baruch, Jack Benny, Irving Berlin, Al Capp, Maurice Chevalier, C. Douglas Dillon, Rube Goldberg, Princess Grace of Monaco, Helen Hayes, George S. Kaufman, Walter Lippmann, Clare Boothe Luce, Groucho Marx, W. Somerset Maugham, Robert Moses, Edward R. Murrow, James Reston, William Saroyan, and Joseph N. Welch. The post-1962 correspondence consists entirely of sampled reader mail. Four of Buchwald's books, Don't Forget to Write (1960), How Much Is That in Dollars? (1961), Is It Safe to Drink the Water? (1962), and I Chose Capitol Punishment (1963), are represented in the collection by manuscript drafts, as are some syndicated columns, 1962-1969.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0045af ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Satirical columnist Art Buchwald was born in Mount Vernon, New York, October 20, 1925. On his seventeenth birthday in 1942, he joined the Marines, rising from private to sergeant. Assigned to the Fourth Marine Air Wing, he spent most of his three-year tour of duty in the Pacific.
On his return to civilian life, Buchwald entered the University of Southern California. There he became managing editor of the Wampus, the University's humor magazine, did a column for the college newspaper, the Daily Trojan, and wrote a variety show entitled No Love Atoll.
Without graduating, Buchwald left the University for Paris in 1948. He bought a one-way ticket to France and when his money ran low, took a job with Variety magazine in Paris. In January 1949, he presented a trial column he had developed to the European edition of the New York Herald Tribune. Presenting a witty American impression of French culture, it brought Buchwald a job on the staff. By 1952, his columns had become so popular that they were syndicated in the United States.
Ten years later, in August 1962, Buchwald returned to America and took up residence in Washington, D.C. Although he originally planned to return to Paris after two years, his column of humorous political and social satire achieved such fame that he remained in Washington, and by the 1960s Buchwald had become one of America's best-known columnists.
In addition to his newspaper writing, Buchwald has published many books, many of them collections of his columns. In 1970 he wrote a play, Sheep on the Runway, which enjoyed a brief run on Broadway. He also lectured extensively.
Art Buchwald died in Washington, D.C., on January 17, 2007.
Scope and Content Note
The Art Buchwald Papers primarily reflect his writing career, and are comprised of correspondence, book manuscripts, and column drafts.
Prior to 1962, the year of Buchwald's return to the United States, the CORRESPONDENCE is quite sparse and generally from individuals who were more than just fans. The celebrity mail has been segregated in a separate folder and includes such correspondents as Bernard Baruch, Jack Benny, Irving Berlin, Al Capp, Maurice Chevalier, D. Douglas Dillon, Rube Goldberg, Princess Grace of Monaco, Helen Hayes, George S. Kaufman, Walter Lippmann, Clare Booth Luce, Groucho Marx, W. Somerset Maugham, Robert Moses, Edward R. Murrow, James Reston, William Saroyan, and Joseph N. Welch. Correspondence of interest chiefly for its autograph value may be found from Faith Baldwin, Noel Coward, Joan Crawford, Anita Loos, and Abigail Van Buren.
The post-1962 correspondence, which is totally incoming, is primarily from Buchwald's readers. This portion of the correspondence has been randomly sampled leaving 1/10th of the fan mail Buchwald received each month. The researcher may be assisted in knowing that 10 cubic feet of fan mail were returned to the donor.
The collection contains MANUSCRIPTS for four of Buchwald's books: Don't Forget to Write (1960), How Much Is That in Dollars? (1961), Is It Safe to Drink the Water? (1962), and I Chose Capitol Punishment (1963). One cubic foot of galleys and page proofs were returned to the donor.
The collection also includes carbons of Buchwald's syndicated NEWSPAPER COLUMNS from 1962 to 1969. These exhibit evidence of occasional editing by the author.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Art Buchwald, Washington, D.C., 1962-1964, 1967-1969, and 1972-1974, placed on deposit, 1975-1976.
Processed by Kent Gulley, Karen Baumann, and Carolyn J. Mattern, August 24, 1973 and May 30, 1977.
Contents List
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U.S. Mss 45AF
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Series: Correspondence, 1952-1976
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Celebrity mail, 1954 June-1973 July
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General fan mail
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Box
1
Folder
2-6
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1952-1972 March
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Box
2
Folder
1-4
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1972 April, 1976 May
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Series: Book Manuscripts, 1960-1963
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Don't Forget to Write, Draft, 1960
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How Much Is That in Dollars?
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Draft, 1961
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Galley with author's corrections, 1961
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Is It Safe to Drink the Water?
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Draft, 1962
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Material for dust jacket, 1962
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I Chose Capitol Punishment
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Draft, 1963
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Material for dust jacket, 1963
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Series: Syndicated Columns, 1962-1969
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Box
4
Folder
1-7
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1962 November-1965 August
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Box
5
Folder
1-6
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1965 September-1967 September
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Box
6
Folder
1-6
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1967 October-1969 September
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