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This finding aid gathers together materials previously described separately in an
online
finding aid and in a card catalog, along with three acquisitions not previously cataloged.
The earlier form of the author’s name, Claude Houghton Oldfield, has been replaced
with the
current authoritative form of his name, which is his better known pseudonym, Claude
Houghton. |
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Works and Career-Related Material (boxes 1-8, gf 1) |
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This material was previously described in an online finding aid under the name of
Claude
Houghton Oldfield and formed a 2004 addition (Purchase R 15296) to the Claude Houghton
Oldfield Papers already at the Ransom Center. It contains typescripts for many of
his
novels, as well as two plays and several film novelizations. Also included are tear
sheets
of short stories and articles that he wrote for various publications, primarily The Aryan Path and The Aquarian Paths.
All of these works were written under the pseudonym Claude Houghton. Among the personal
papers, there is one folder of correspondence written to Ernest Rasdall, including
a signed
photo of Houghton and a typewritten autobiographical sketch. |
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Claude Houghton Oldfield Papers (boxes 9-31, gf 2-7) |
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This material was previously described in a card catalog under the name of Claude
Houghton
Oldfield. It is subdivided into four groups of materials: Works; Letters; Recipient;
and
Miscellaneous and contains eighteen boxes of manuscripts for novels, plays, stories,
and
poems as well as two boxes of correspondence. The most extensive correspondence is
with book
dealer Ben Abramson. This description replicates and replaces the information previously
available in the card catalog. Please see the explanatory note at the end of this
finding
aid for information regarding the arrangement of the manuscripts as well as the
abbreviations commonly used in descriptions. |
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Additional Acquisitions; Not Described in Card Catalog (boxes
32-36) |
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Three additional acquisitions not previously cataloged make up this portion. These
include
Purchase R 7294, 1976; Gift 2428, 1985; and Purchase R 13243, 1994. The first group
of
materials was acquired from Houghton’s long-time secretary-typist, Kathleen E. King.
It
consists mostly of manuscripts of his work, some with alterations dictated to King.
The
second group consists of papers collected by Grace White of Houston, Texas, who wrote
Houghton a fan letter that evolved into a friendship. Of interest in this group are
Houghton’s approximately 200 letters to White, two letters from writer Henry Miller,
and
correspondence from Constance Upcott Gill, a relative of Houghton’s who shared family
history with White. The third group comprises a small amount of material acquired
from the
estate of Dermot Francis Fahy. |
