Scope and Contents note
The Charles Alexander papers consist of correspondence; manuscripts; reviews; notebooks; clippings; personal material; and miscellany. The majority of the correspondence is with family members, publishers, and other writers such as Ernest Haycox, Robert Ormond Case, and Albert Wetjen. The reviews are for Alexander's books: Bobbie, A Great Collie, The Fang in the Forest, and The Splendid Summits.
The Manuscripts section is the largest, containing material for over 200 short stories by Alexander. Many of these stores have at least one manuscript draft. Others are represented only by the published version; these are marked with an asterisk (*) in the inventory. Alternate titles for the stores are given in brackets after the official title. There are also manuscripts for the novels The Fang in the Forest and The Splendid Summits.
NOTE: A collection of paperback books by other authors (collected by Charles Alexander) is housed separately.
Dates
- 1912-1962
Creator
- Alexander, Charles, 1897-1962 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access note
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use note
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical/Historical note
Charles Dewey Alexander (1897-1962) was born in Ponca, Nebraska on October 27, 1897. At the age of two, he moved to the Albany, Oregon area with his parents. He attended Albany schools and began working in the printing trade as a teenager, first in his brother's printing shop, then with the Albany Democrat newspaper.
Alexander was an avid reader and wanted to give local writers an opportunity to see their writings in print. In cooperation with the Democrat's publishers, W.L. Jackson and R.R. Cronise, he edited a Sunday edition featuring works by Linn County writers.
Alexander began writing short stories while working at the Democrat. His first story was accepted by Black Cat, a "pulp" magazine. in 1922, he won the Attorney Short Story Prize for "As a Dog Should," published in Collier's magazine. The story told of a dog who dies while saving his master from a bear attack. In all, around 200 short stories by Alexander were published in magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Detective Fiction Weekly, Ace-High Detective Magazine, Blue Book Magazine and Sunset.
In addition to short stories, Alexander published several novels, including Fang in the Forest and Bobbie, a Great Collie, a true-life story about a collie's 1,000+ mile journey to find his master, from whom he had become separated on a cross country trip. He also wrote "Abel and Ailse," a Pacific Northwest historical sketch published as a series of articles in Collier's.
Alexander, also an expert linotype operator, retired as a full-time worker from the Democrat after 50 years in February 1962. He continued to edit and write a book review column for the Democrat until his death in July 1962. His wife, Margaret Smith, whom he married in 1917, had died in 1958.
Sources: Obituary, Albany Democrat-Herald, July, 1962
Sources: Editorial, Albany Democrat-Herald, July 3, 1962
Extent
12 linear feet (8 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Charles Alexander was a writer of popular fiction. The Collection consists of correspondence, literary manuscripts, reviews, notebooks, clippings, personal material, and miscellany. The majority of the correspondence is with family members, publishers, and other writers such as Ernest Haycox, Robert Ormond Case, and Albert Wetjen. The reviews are for Alexander's books: Bobbie, a great collie, The fang in the forest, and The Splendid summits. The Manuscripts section is the largest, containing materials for over 200 short stories by Alexander. Many of these stories have at least one manuscript draft. Others are represented only by the published version; these are marked with an asterisk (*) in the inventory. Alternate titles for the stories are given in brackets after the official title. There are also manuscripts for the novels The fang in the forest and The splendid summits. A collection of paperback books by other authors (collected by Charles Alexander) is housed separately.
Arrangement note
Collection is organized into the following series: Series I. Correspondence-General; Series II. Correspondence-Family; Series III. Reviews; Series IV. Miscellaneous; Series V. Manuscripts.
Processing Information
Collection processed by staff.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Arts and Humanities Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Authors, American -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Case, Robert Ormond, 1895-1964
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Haycox, Ernest, 1899-1950
- Journalism Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Journalists -- Oregon -- Albany Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Literature Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Manuscripts for publication Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Printers -- Oregon -- Albany Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Publishers and Publishing Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Wetjen, Albert Richard, 1900-1948
- Title
- Guide to the Charles Alexander papers
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives
- Date
- 2004
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
