Purchase, 2010 (10-11-02-P)
Open for research. Some Mailer family personal material restricted.
Felicia Spadoni, 2015
American author Norman Kingsley Mailer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey on January 31, 1923. A Harvard graduate and World War II Army veteran, he authored numerous books, articles, essays and other works between the years 1948 and 2010.
Molly Malone Cook was Norman Mailer’s secretary from 1972 to 1977. Cook aided Mailer in his daily activities from answering phones, following up on correspondence, as an intermediary between him and his literary agent, accountant, and lawyer. Cook also managed Mailer’s personal and business finances. In late 1977, Cook left Mailer’s employment due to disagreements over financial and travel arrangements. During this time she started her own literary agency, Molly Malone Cook Literary Agency.
Lennon, J. Michael.
Lennon, J. Michael and Donna Pedro Lennon.
Mailer, Norris Church.
The Molly Malone Cook Collection of Norman Mailer’s consists of Mailer’s correspondence, manuscripts, notes, legal, business, and financial records, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio and video recordings dating from 1926 to 1999. The materials are arranged into five series: I. Literary and Other Activities, 1948-1991; II. Legal and Financial, 1969-1983; III. Correspondence, 1968-1993; IV. Family and Personal, 1960-1999; and V. Works and Correspondence by Others, 1926-1985.
The materials arrived at the Ransom Center in no apparent order and the current arrangement was imposed by Center staff. The contents of the original folder were kept together as filed and the original titles are used in the container list, when available. Photocopies of original folders with writing or other information were added to the corresponding folder’s contents.
Series I. Literary and Other Activities, 1948-1991 (1972-1977) contains records from Mailer’s literary and daily activities dating from 1948 to 1991. The bulk of the series consists of phone logs, notes, and research materials from the 1970s. Other materials include manuscripts, a baseball card game created by Mailer, serials, calendars, and address books. Also present are handwritten and typed manuscripts for an unrealized novel dating from the 1970s--parts of which appear in
Series II. Legal and Financial, 1963-1983 (1974-1977) included a copy of Mailer’s will (1972), a Little Brown and Company Contract (1973), real estate documents, tax documentation, monthly bills, payments and financial records for Mailer’s wives, receipts from business and personal transactions, divorce correspondence and deposition from Beverly Mailer, and financial related correspondence. Included in the real estate documents are leases for properties rented, title certificate for a property owned in Maine, and correspondence about repairs need for Mailer’s boat Merlin. Among the divorce correspondence is Beverly Mailer’s complaint for divorce and motion for custody of their children. The deposition is an account by Mailer of his finances and properties owned. The financial correspondence consists of statements for services from Mailer’s CPA, Mason and Company, and his cousin Cy Rembar’s lawfirm, Rembar, Wolf, and Curtis. The series also includes correspondence from the Scott Meredith Literary Agency communicating information about royalty statements, income, agreements, and promissory notes.
Series III. Correspondence, 1968-1993, (1977-1980) includes incoming and outgoing letters between Mailer and his friends, fans, politicians, and organizations. The bulk of the series consists of general correspondence arranged by incoming date. Additionally, there are copies of letters from Mailer, correspondence from publishers requesting Mailer to read and review works by others, and a substantial amount of mail from a Mailer fan and devotee, Mirkla Marks. Also present is a transcript of a conversation between Molly Cook and Milton Esterow pertaining to an article that was promised to his magazine that was then published in another.
Series IV. Family and Personal, 1960-1999, (1970-1980) consists primarily of professional photographs taken for newspaper articles as well as photos of events Mailer attended and of his family. Other materials present include drawings by Mailer, invitations, and newspaper clippings documenting Mailer’s life and works.
Series V. Works and Correspondence by Others, 1926-1985 (1970-1980) includes works by others that were sent to Mailer to review or that were about his works. The series also includes a small volume of personal and business correspondence of Molly Malone Cook and financial records from the Molly Malone Cook Literary Agency.
Other Mailer materials at the Ransom Center are located in the Adeline Lubell-Naiman Collection of Norman Mailer, the Hilary Mills Loomis Collection of Norman Mailer, the J. Michael Lennon Correspondence with Norman Mailer, the Norman Mailer Papers, the Playboy Enterprises Norman Mailer Files, and the Thomas Fiske Collection of Norman Mailer.
Books, audio recordings, video recordings, and personal effects were transferred to other departments within the Ransom Center.