TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
Scope and Content of the Collection
Series 1: Incoming Correspondence, 1911-1970
Series 2: Outgoing Correspondence, 1907-1970
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Inventory Ring Lardner Papers, 1885-1982
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Lisa Janssen, 2003. ©1999. |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
|
| Creator | Lardner, Ring, 1885-1933 |
| Title | Ring Lardner Papers |
| Dates | 1885-1982 |
| Extent | 7.5 cubic ft. (13 boxes) |
| Abstract | Abstract: Correspondence and writings of journalist and humorist author Ring Lardner. Also estate papers, including royalty records through 1982, memorabilia, and a few photographs. |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Midwest MS Lardner |
| Collection Stack Location | 3a 40 13 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Ring Lardner Papers, Midwest Manuscript Collection, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of Ring Lardner Jr., 1962-1985, Mrs. Montgomery Ostrander, 1976, and Jonathan Yardley, 1975.
Processed by
Diana Haskell, 1976.
Acknowledgements
This inventory was created with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this inventory do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Access
The Ring Lardner Papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Ring Lardner Papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.
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Biography of Ring Lardner
American journalist and humorist; writer of short stories, plays, and songs.
Born Ringgold Wilmer Lardner at Niles, Mich., in 1885, Ring Lardner for a short time attended the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago before returning to Niles to work. In 1905 he began his journalistic career at the South Bend Times, reporting mostly baseball news. His success led to sports reporter jobs with a number of Chicago newspapers. Lardner also worked in St. Louis and Boston before returning to the Chicago Tribune in 1913 to write "In the Wake of the News," a daily column of humorous commentary. In 1919 Lardner moved to Great Neck, Long Island, to write a weekly column for the Bell Syndicate. This column appeared in newspapers across the country.
In 1914 Lardner began to contribute his Jack Keefe short stories to the Saturday Evening Post and published several books of Keefe stories by 1919. With these and later works Lardner established a firm reputation as a humorist. Continuing to produce short stories, Lardner toward the end of his life also began to write plays, including "June Moon" and "Elmer the Great" ("Hurry Kane"), both of which were produced on Broadway. He also indulged in his first love, writing songs for a number of musical shows.
Lardner married Ellis Abbott of Goshen, Indiana, in 1911. They had four sons: John A., Ring W., James Phillips, and David Ellis. In ill health during his forties, Lardner died of tuberculosis and a heart ailment in 1933.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
Correspondence, writings, and estate papers of Ring Lardner, 1885-1982.
Includes courtship correspondence of Lardner and his wife-to-be, Ellis Abbott, and correspondence from magazine editors, family, and friends; copies of published short stories and typescripts of plays, song lyrics and unpublished musical comedies; and clippings containing interviews and news stories about Lardner. There are also a few photographs and other mementos, and significant files concerning Lardner's estate, royalty income, and the copyright status of his works.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangement of each series are available through the organization section of the finding aid.
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Organization
Papers are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Incoming Correspondence, 1911-1970. Box(es) 1
- Series 2: Outgoing Correspondence, 1907-1970. Box(es) 2-5
- Series 3: Work, etc., 1885-1965, . Box(es) 6-10
- Series 4: Estate Papers, 1924-1982. Box(es) 11-13
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Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Newberry Library's public catalog. Researchers desiring additional materials on a particular topic should search the catalog using these headings.
Names
- Abbott family
- Bayes, Nora
- Bell Syndicate
- Boyden, Albert W.
- Bryce, Fannie
- Chicago Tribune
- Cohan, George M. (George Michael), 1878-1942
- Corbett, Jim
- Creel, George, 1876-1953
- Dreiser, Theodore, 1871-1945
- Lardner family
- Lardner, Ellis Abbott, d. 1960
- Lardner, Ring, 1885-1933
- Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis), 1880-1956
- Ostrander, Wilma Johnson
- Pegler, Westbrook, 1894-1969
- Perkins, Maxwell E. (Maxwell Evarts), 1884-1947
- Ring, Blanche
- Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
- Saturday Evening Post
- Wheeler, John N. (John Neville), b. 1886
- Williams, Bert, 1875-1922
Subjects
- American literature--Illinois--Chicago
- American literature--New York (State)--Long Island
- Baseball literature
- Chicago (Ill.)--History--Sources
- Chicago (Ill.)-Newspapers
- Copyright--Royalties
- Dramatists--New York (State)--Long Island
- Humorists, American
- Journalists--Illinois--Chicago
- Journalists--New York (State)--Long Island
- Love-letters--United States
- Lyricists--New York (State)--Long Island
- Manuscripts, American
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Container List
Series 1: Incoming Correspondence, 1911-1970 |
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| Contains incoming letters mainly to Ring Lardner and his wife, Ellis Abbott Lardner, from magazine editors, family, friends, and acquaintances, including Albert W. Boyden, Fannie Bryce, George M. Cohan, Jim Corbett, George Creel, Theodore Dreiser, H.L. Mencken, Maxwell Perkins, Westbrook Pegler, Blanche Ring, Theodore Roosevelt, John N. Wheeler, and Bert Williams. Lardner family genealogical materials are also included, as are condolence letters to Ellis Lardner, legal documents, and a few offprints of articles about Ring Lardner. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | A | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | B - C | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | D - E | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | F - G | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | H - K | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | L (excluding Lardner) | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Lardner (excluding Ring and Ellis Abbott Lardner) | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Lardner Family - Genealogical Material | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | M - N | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | O - Q | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | R | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | S | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | T - V | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | W - Z | |||||||||
Series 2: Outgoing Correspondence, 1907-1970 |
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| Includes letters written by Ring and Ellis Abbott Lardner during their courtship. Also letters to family and friends. A number of Ring Lardner's letters (1907-1910) are in verse and are addressed to Wilma A. Johnson (later Wilma Ostrander), a Niles, Mich., friend, 1907-1910. They contain much information on Lardner's journalistic career and the fortunes of the Chicago White Sox. Later letters are addressed to members of the Abbott family and the Lardner children; many concern Lardner's song writing, his health, and other matters. | |||||||||||
| Ring and Ellis Lardner's letters are each arranged chronologically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 2 | 15-44 | Lardner, Ellis Abbott, Undated-1911 | |||||||||
| 3 | 45-79 | Lardner, Ellis Abbott, 1912-1949, 1960 | |||||||||
| 4 | 80-113 | Lardner, Ring, Undated-1911 | |||||||||
| 5 | 114-123 | Lardner, Ring, 1912-1933 | |||||||||
Series 3: Work, etc., 1885-1965, bulk 1914-1933 |
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| Contains photostatic negatives of magazine stories (Saturday Evening Post and other periodicals), and typescripts of plays, song lyrics, and unpublished musical comedies. Among the play typescripts are "All at Sea", "Beautiful Katie", "Cinderella", "June Moon", "Hurry Kane", "Orpheus in the Underworld", "The Other World", "The Tridget of Greva", and "Women". Also clippings of columns, interviews, and news stories about Lardner, publication contracts, and miscellaneous items such as baptismal certificates, photographs, mementos, and condolence telegrams. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 6 | 124 | All at Sea; Musical Play in Two Acts. T.D. Also lyrics, etc., relating to the play | |||||||||
| 6 | 125 | All at Sea - Clippings | |||||||||
| 6 | 126 | Along Came Ruth - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, July 26, 1919 | |||||||||
| 6 | 127 | The Banker - Synopsis. A.L. Erlanger, Play review department. Apr. 30, 1921 | |||||||||
| 6 | 128 | Baptismal certificate, Apr. 12, 1885 | |||||||||
| 6 | 129 | The Battle of Texas - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, May 24, 1919 | |||||||||
| 6 | 130 | The Battle of the Century - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Oct. 29, 1921 | |||||||||
| 6 | 131 | Beautiful Katie. T.D. | |||||||||
| 6 | 132 | The Best Short Stories of Ring Lardner - Clippings | |||||||||
| 6 | 133 | Bib Ballads - Clippings | |||||||||
| 6 | 134 | Bob's Birthday - Negative photostat from Redbook, Nov., 1933 | |||||||||
| 6 | 135 | The Bull Pen - Clippings | |||||||||
| 6 | 136 | The Busher Abroad - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Mar. 20, 1915 | |||||||||
| 6 | 137 | The Busher Abroad: Tokio, Kobe, Naggasak ... - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Apr. 10, 1915 | |||||||||
| 6 | 138 | The Busher Abroad: Cairns, Barroom Falls ... - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, May 8, 1915 | |||||||||
| 6 | 139 | The Busher Abroad: the Indian Ocean, Salome ... - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, May 15, 1915 | |||||||||
| 6 | 140 | The Busher Pulls a Mays - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Oct. 18, 1919 | |||||||||
| 6 | 141 | The Busher Reenlists - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Apr. 19, 1919 | |||||||||
| 6 | 142 | A Busher's Letters Home. Saturday Evening Post, Mar. 7, 1914 | |||||||||
| 6 | 142a | The Busher's Welcome Home - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, June 5, 1915 | |||||||||
| 6 | 143 | Call for Mr. Keefe! - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Mar. 9, 1918 | |||||||||
| 6 | 144 | Champion - Radio script, in German, Sept. 17, 1965 | |||||||||
| 6 | 145 | Champion und andere Erzahlungen - Clippings, 1964 | |||||||||
| 6 | 146 | Cinderella - Play (second version, incomplete) T.D. | |||||||||
| 6 | 147 | Claude Diphthong, Student of Crime - Excerpt from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Aug., 1954. | |||||||||
| 6 | 148-149 | Condolences on death of Ring Lardner - Telegrams, 1933 | |||||||||
| 6 | 150 | Cora, or Fun at a Spa - Excerpt from Vanity Fair, June, 1925 | |||||||||
| 6 | 151 | The Courtship of T. Dorgan - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Sept. 6, 1919 | |||||||||
| 6 | 152 | Cured! - Negative photostat from Redbook, Mar., 1931 | |||||||||
| 6 | 153 | A Day Letter from Ring Lardner - Excerpts from the Boston Globe, Feb. 1- 27, 1931 | |||||||||
| 6 | 154 | Elmer the Great (play) - Clippings | |||||||||
| 6 | 155 | Elmer the Great (play) - Financial statistics, 1931-1932 | |||||||||
| 7 | 156 | Fast Company (movie) - Clippings, 1929 | |||||||||
| 7 | 157 | Fast Company (movie) - Contracts with Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, 1929 | |||||||||
| 7 | 158 | Fast Company (play) - Clippings, 1928 | |||||||||
| 7 | 159 | The Fight (movie) - Clippings, 1930 | |||||||||
| 7 | 160 | Fragments | |||||||||
| 7 | 161 | Freedom of the Press - Negative photostat from the Pictorial Review, Nov., 1935 | |||||||||
| 7 | 162 | Going South - Clippings, 1924 | |||||||||
| 7 | 163 | Good for the Soul - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Mar. 25, 1916 | |||||||||
| 7 | 164 | Greek Tragedy - Negative photostat from Esquire, Feb., 1934 | |||||||||
| 7 | 165 | Gullible's Travels - Clippings, 1926-1928 | |||||||||
| 7 | 166 | High Rollers - Negative photostat from Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan, June, 1929 | |||||||||
| 7 | 167 | The Hold-out - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Mar. 24, 1917 | |||||||||
| 7 | 168 | How Are You? - Negative photostat from Redbook, Dec., 1935 | |||||||||
| 7 | 169 | How to Write Short Stories - Advertising copy | |||||||||
| 7 | 170-171 | How to Write Short Stories - Clippings, 1924-1928 | |||||||||
| 7 | 172 | How to Write Short Stories - Menu on which F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote notes for the projected work. A.D. (photocopy) | |||||||||
| 7 | 173 | Hurry Kane (play later produced as Elmer the Great) - Contract with George M. Cohan, 1927 | |||||||||
| 7 | 174 | Hurry Kane (play) T.D. | |||||||||
| 7 | 175 | I Can't Breath - Clipping, 1928 | |||||||||
| 7 | 176 | I Gaspari - Clippings, 1924 | |||||||||
| 7 | 177 | In the Wake of the News - Extracts from the Chicago Tribune, ca. 1913- 1919 | |||||||||
| 7 | 178 | June Moon (book) - Clippings, 1930 | |||||||||
| 7 | 179 | June Moon (movie) - Clippings, 1930 | |||||||||
| 7 | 180 | June Moon (play) T.D. (carbon) | |||||||||
| 7 | 181-183 | June Moon (play) - Clippings, 1929 | |||||||||
| 8 | 184 | June Moon (play) - Clippings, 1929 | |||||||||
| 8 | 185-188 | June Moon (play) - Clippings re tour, 1929-1932 | |||||||||
| 8 | 189 | June Moon - Contracts, 1929-1930 | |||||||||
| 8 | 190 | June Moon (play) - Music, 1929 | |||||||||
| 8 | 191 | Lambs Club Golden Jubilee Gambol - "Birth of the Lambs" (poem) - Clippings | |||||||||
| 8 | 192 | Lose with a Smile - Clippings, 1933 | |||||||||
| 8 | 193-194 | The Love Nest and other Stories - Clippings, 1926 | |||||||||
| 8 | 195 | Lyrics for songs. T.D. (mostly carbons) | |||||||||
| 8 | 196 | Lyrics for songs - Contract with T.B. Harms & Francis Day & Hunter, Apr. 18, 1910 | |||||||||
| 8 | 197 | [Majestic Theatre of the Air] (script for radio play) - Clippings, 1929 | |||||||||
| 8 | 198 | Medical expenses, 1931-1932 | |||||||||
| 8 | 199 | Mementos | |||||||||
| 8 | 200-210 | Miscellaneous clippings | |||||||||
| 9 | 202-209 | Miscellaneous clippings | |||||||||
| 9 | 210 | Musical fragments | |||||||||
| 9 | 211 | My Four Weeks in France - Clippings, 1918 | |||||||||
| 9 | 212 | The New Klondike (movie) - Clippings, 1926 | |||||||||
| 9 | 213 | Newspaper columns and letters to the editor, 1925-1932 | |||||||||
| 9 | 214 | A Night Letter from Ring Lardner - Excerpts from the Boston Globe, 1931 | |||||||||
| 9 | 215 | One Hit, One Error, One Left - Excerpt from the Saturday Evening Post, Apr. 23, 1932 | |||||||||
| 9 | 216-217 | Orpheus in the Underworld (play), 1925. T.D. and T.D. (carbon) | |||||||||
| 9 | 218 | The Other World (play), 1922. T.D. | |||||||||
| 10 | 219 | Passports, 1917 and 1924 | |||||||||
| 10 | 220 | Photographs, some with Ellis Lardner and children | |||||||||
| 10 | 221 | Poems | |||||||||
| 10 | 222 | Poodle - Excerpt from the Delineator, Jan., 1934 | |||||||||
| 10 | 223 | The Poor Simp - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Sept. 11, 1915 | |||||||||
| 10 | 224 | Profile - Bugs Baer | |||||||||
| 10 | 225 | Prohibition Blues (song) - Clippings | |||||||||
| 10 | 226 | Radio interviews with Grantland Rice - Clippings, 1930 | |||||||||
| 10 | 227 | The Real Dope - Clippings, 1919 | |||||||||
| 10 | 228 | Ring Lardner's Classic Humor (Bell Syndicate 1955 re-releases), July 9- Dec. 25, 1955 | |||||||||
| 10 | 229 | Ring Lardner's Letter: Moving to the East - Excerpt from the Chicago Herald Examiner, Nov. 2, 1919 | |||||||||
| 10 | 230 | Ring Lardner's Letter: On Neglected Husbands - Wheeler's Magazine, Oct., 1922 | |||||||||
| 10 | 231 | Ring Lardner's Weekly Letter - Advertising Copy | |||||||||
| 10 | 232 | Rip Van Winkle (play) - Clippings, 1922 | |||||||||
| 10 | 233-234 | Round Up - Clippings, 1929 | |||||||||
| 10 | 235 | Round Up - Contracts, 1928 | |||||||||
| 10 | 236 | Shut Up, He Explained - Clippings, 1962 | |||||||||
| 10 | 237 | Sick 'Em - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, July 25, 1914 | |||||||||
| 10 | 238 | Smiles (play) - Clippings, 1930 | |||||||||
| 10 | 239 | The Story of a Wonder Man - Clippings, 1927 | |||||||||
| 10 | 240 | The Story of a Wonder Man - Contract, 1925 | |||||||||
| 10 | 241 | Take a Walk - Negative photostat from the American Magazine, Oct. 1933. | |||||||||
| 10 | 242 | That Old Sweetheart of Mine - Negative Photostat from Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan, Nov. 1929 | |||||||||
| 10 | 243 | Treat 'Em Rough - Clippings, 1918 | |||||||||
| 10 | 244 | The Tridget of Greva: Translated from the Wymie (play) T.D. | |||||||||
| 10 | 245 | Uniform edition of Lardner titles - Clippings, 1925-1926 | |||||||||
| 10 | 246 | The Venomous Viper of the Volga - Negative photostat from Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan, Sept., 1927 | |||||||||
| 10 | 247 | Via the Canal - Excerpt from the Sunday News, Jan. 7, 1934 | |||||||||
| 10 | 248 | Wedding Day - Negative photostat from Cosmopolitan, July, 1928 | |||||||||
| 10 | 249 | Wedding invitation to the marriage of Ring Lardner and Ellis Abbott, Goshen, June 28, 1911. | |||||||||
| 10 | 250 | What of it? - Clippings, 1925 | |||||||||
| 10 | 251 | Where Do You Get That Noise? - Negative Photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, Oct. 23, 1915 | |||||||||
| 10 | 252 | Widow - Negative photostat from Redbook, Oct., 1935 | |||||||||
| 10 | 253 | Women (play) T.D. (carbon) | |||||||||
| 10 | 254 | Words and Music: In a Song They Go Together, in Life - Sometimes - They Don't - Negative photostat from Good Housekeeping, Aug., 1930 | |||||||||
| 10 | 255 | The Yellow Kid - Negative photostat from the Saturday Evening Post, June 23, 1917 | |||||||||
| 10 | 266 | You Know Me Al - Clippings, 1916, 1925 | |||||||||
| 10 | 267 | Zanzibar, a Comic Opera in Two Acts - Clippings, 1903 | |||||||||
Series 4: Estate Papers, 1924-1982 |
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| Contains contracts and related correspondence, 1933-1962, correspondence and reports regarding copyright income, 1934-1982, a list of Lardner's works with publication and copyright renewal information, 1960, and papers concerning the final accounting of Ring Lardner's estate, 1924-1933. Much of the correspondence, etc. is addressed to Ring Lardner Jr. and John Lardner. | |||||||||||
| Organized alphabetically by type of material and then arranged chronologically. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | Contents | |||||||||
| 11 | 259-263 | Contracts and related correspondence, 1933-1962 | |||||||||
| 11 | 264-272 | Copyright income correspondence, 1934-1967 | |||||||||
| 12 | 273-282 | Copyright income correspondence, 1968-1977 | |||||||||
| 13 | 283-287 | Copyright income correspondence, 1978-1982 | |||||||||
| 13 | 288 | Copyright list of Lardner's works - Cards | |||||||||
| 13 | 289 | Copyright list of Lardner's works with publication and copyright renewal information, 1960 | |||||||||
| 13 | 290 | Papers concerning the final accounting of Lardner's estate, ??, 1924-1933 | |||||||||