Title: William Lederer papers
Inclusive Dates: Late 1940s, 1958

Creator:

• Lederer, William, 1912-2009

Unique Identifier: MS 590

Quantity:

• .5 Linear Feet
• 1 letter document box

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Madison. Department of Special Collections

Abstract:

The papers of William Lederer, an American author and Naval officer, about his first book "All the Ships at Sea" which was published in 1950. Most of the collection consists of manuscript drafts for various chapters of his book, which contains comedic accounts of Lederer's military service during World War II. The collection also contains some brief biographical information about Lederer from published articles and a book sleeve for his most well-known book, "The Ugly American."

Language: English .

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-sc-ms590

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William Lederer was born on March 31, 1912. He joined the Navy in 1930 and eventually graduated from the Naval Academy in 1936. He then served during World War II both in China and in the Atlantic fleet, taking part in the invasion of Sicily in 1943. His first book, "All the Ships at Sea," was published in 1950 and featured comedic accounts of events that happened to him or his crewmates during World War II. Lederer continued to serve in the Navy until 1958, when he became the Far East Correspondent for the Reader's Digest. Also in 1958, Lederer published "The Ugly American," with co-author Eugene Burdick. This book went on to be Lederer's most well-known and influential book that arguably influenced the development of the Peace Corps. Lederer wrote a number of other books having to do with the American military and foreign policy during his career, as well as on various other topics, such as cross-country skiing and writing advice. He died on December 5th, 2010.

This collection includes no known access restrictions.

Collection materials may be subject to laws governing rights. Researchers are solely responsible for determining the rights status of the materials they use. Permission may be required for some uses such as publication or reproduction.

Acquired November 1959

A majority of the William Lederer papers are six folders consisting of manuscript drafts for Lederer's book, "All the Ships at Sea." "All the Ships at Sea" is about Lederer's naval experiences during World War II, often told with a comedic tone. Lederer served on a riverboat in mainland China, as well as in the Atlantic fleet, and participated in the invasion of Sicily.

Most of the manuscript pages have editorial markings on them, and many of the chapters have multiple copies with variations. Some of the manuscript pages are loose and are seemingly out of order, but most are separated by chapter and held together with plastic paper clips. Some of the chapter titles do not correspond to their final titles. The manuscript pages are not dated, but the book is primarily concerning World War II and it was published in 1950, meaning the manuscript pages were likely written in the late 1940s.

The collection also contains a small amount of published biographical information about William Lederer and "The Ugly American" book, as well as the book jacket cover for "The Ugly American."

World War, 1939-1945World War, 1939-1945 -- Naval operations, American

Box [89138903174]   1   folder 1	Biographical, 1958 Language: English.
Box [89138903174]   1   Folder 2	"The Ugly American" book sleeve, 1958
Box [89138903174]   1   folder 3	"All the Ships at Sea" manuscript part 1, Undated
Box [89138903174]   1   folder 4	"All the Ships at Sea" manuscript part 2, Undated
Box [89138903174]   1   Folder 5	"All the Ships at Sea" manuscript part 3, Undated
Box [89138903174]   1   Folder 6	"All the Ships at Sea" manuscript part 4, Undated
Box [89138903174]   1   Folder 7	"All the Ships at Sea" manuscript part 5, Undated
Box [89138903174]   1   Folder 8	"All the Ships at Sea" manuscript part 6, Undated