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The papers of Arthur and Barbara Gelb focus primarily on the research and joint authorship
of O'Neill, the biography of Eugene O'Neill, published in two editions
by Harper and Row in 1962 and 1973. While some research material, including holograph
notebooks, interviews, and correspondence, remains restricted and unavailable for
research,
a substantial portion of O'Neill material is accessible. These papers provide a full
range
of literary expression from manuscripts to the published versions. Also included are
numerous articles written by the Gelbs on O'Neill, as well as other theater-related
pieces.
In addition, Arthur Gelb's career at The New York Times, in various
editorial capacities, is well represented in several book-length works, articles,
reviews,
and associated material. |
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The collection is divided into four series: Works about Eugene O'Neill, Other Works,
Personal, and Works by Others. |
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Series I, Works about Eugene O'Neill, is subdivided into three sections dealing with
O'Neill, articles about O'Neill, and research material. Leading this
series is material for O'Neill, including an early corrected typescript
"Life of Eugene O'Neill,"the precursor to the 1962 Harper and Row
edition. It is followed by typescripts corrected by Brooks Atkinson and others, a
second
corrected typescript, and the final setting copy. Several versions of page proofs
and galley
proofs are also present. |
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The articles on O'Neill in Subseries B are arranged by title and contain works by
Arthur
and Barbara Gelb, both as joint and individual authors. These include articles written
for
The Critic, Horizon, The New York Times, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Grolier, sound recording and theater program notes, and a script for
the documentary "The Face of Genius." |
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Subseries C contains research material for O'Neill, including an address book with notes and interview sources,
as well as photocopies of O'Neill's correspondence from 1913 to 1953. Other O'Neill research material remains restricted. |
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The non-O'Neill works in Series II provide insight into the Gelb's diverse interests.
Subseries A contains book-length works arranged in alphabetical order, beginning with
Barbara Gelb's 1954 book on natural childbirth. This work is followed by a series
of books
edited by A. M. Rosenthal and Arthur Gelb, while serving as editors of the Metropolitan
desk
at The Times. The events of The Great Blackout of November 9, 1965 are
captured in The Night the Lights Went Out, derived from stories
written by The Times reporters and wire service reports. "All the news that's fit to print"was composed by candlelight the
night of the blackout and went to press in New Jersey where the electricity had not
failed.
The late city edition published on November 10th--the only New York morning newspaper
published that day--is present, in addition to the original typescript of the book,
reporter's copy, notes, wire service reports, and newspaper clippings. |
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One More Victim: The Life and Death of An American-Jewish Nazi
delivers a chilling account of the life and suicide of Daniel Burros, an
anti-semitic New York State grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan of Jewish descent. A
considerable amount of research material was gathered for this work, including
transcriptions of taped interviews, handwritten notes, documents, pamphlets, correspondence,
and background information on the Nazi movement in the United States, as well as activities
of the Ku Klux Klan. |
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Undaunted by a crippling newspaper strike, the staff of The New York Times covered the visit of Pope Paul VI to the United
States on October 4, 1965 as though their reports would go to press. However the strike
was
not resolved during the Pope's visit, so the stories were compiled in book format
under the
direction of Rosenthal and Gelb and published by Herder & Herder as The Pope's Journey to the United States. Included in the collection
are the original corrected typescript, reporter's and news agency copy, and press
releases
which cover every angle of the trip from security precautions to the Pope's impact
on world
peace. |
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Other, shorter works by the Gelbs included in Subseries B provide a range of topics.
These
articles, tributes, and reviews are arranged by author. Arthur Gelb's works include
articles
on Cape Cod, book reviews, and tributes for Irving Spiegel and Sidney Gruson. Barbara
Gelb's
writings for the Sunday Drama section of The New York Times constitute
the bulk of the articles included. |
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Correspondence from 1963-1986 dominates the Personal material in Series III. Both
professional and personal correspondence is present, including some of Arthur Gelb's
outgoing correspondence. The letters are arranged in alphabetical order by correspondent
and, in some cases, by organization. Miscellaneous material follows the correspondence
and
includes folders on Mayor John V. Lindsay, The New York Times, proofs of
the journal The Public Interest, the Repertory Theater of
Lincoln Center, and the World's Fair in New York. |
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The final series contains works by others in various formats. Authors include Brooks
Atkinson, Simone de Beauvoir, William H. Davenport, August R. Ebel, John V. Lindsay,
Norman
Mailer, Eugene O'Neill, James O'Neill, Edwin Rosskam, A. L. Rowse, and Jean-Paul Sartre. |
