Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	McCaffrey, Anne.
Title:	Anne McCaffrey Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1947-1967
Quantity:	4.5 linear ft.
Abstract:	Correspondence, memorabilia, and writings.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Anne McCaffrey (1926-2011) was an American-Irish author, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern books (Dragonflight, Dragonquest, Dragonsinger, etc.). Many of her novels feature strong female characters; McCaffrey has been widely quoted as saying that her novel Restoree, for example, was intended as a rebuttal to the way women were usually portrayed in science fiction.

She has won numerous awards and accolades, including becoming the first woman to win a Hugo Award (1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (1969). In 1999, she received the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for teens. In 2005 she was named a Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2006. Since her death, her son Todd McCaffrey has continued writing books set in the Pern universe.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Anne McCaffrey Papers consist of correspondence, memorabilia and writings.

The small amount of Correspondence includes letters from author and editor John W. Campbell, as well as McCaffrey's agent Virginia Kidd. There are also a few other letters from publishers and editors. Miscellaneous correspondence includes a chatty personal letter from someone named Ida, evidently a close friend.

Memorabilia is also quite small. It includes a few photographs and a cover from Analog Science Fiction, with one of McCaffrey's stories featured.

Writings comprises the bulk of the collection. Here may be found drafts and working copy related to several of McCaffrey's books, including Decision at Doona, Dragonquest, Restoree, and The Ship Who Sang. Several of these have alternate early or working titles; for example, material filed under "And all the weyrs of Pern" and "Weyrleader" appears to consist largely of content that eventually became Dragonquest. Also in this series are extensive early drafts and working copy for a number of published and unpublished short stories, not all of which are science fiction, as well as a draft of McCaffrey's honors thesis on Russian science fiction author Yevgeny (Eugene) Zamiatin.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Material is arranged alphabetically by type and within that alphabetically by title.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has an extensive collection of science fiction and fantasy novels, including many by Anne McCaffrey; please consult Libraries Search to locate these items.

See also the Grove Press Records : Books : Book files : McCaffrey, Anne.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Anne McCaffrey Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Anne McCaffrey, 1968, 1970

Finding Aid Information

Created by: SBM
Date: 11 Feb 1970
Revision history: 17 Aug 2005 - EAD file created (MRR); 24 Jun 2013 - related material, arrangement (MRC); 19 Oct 2021 - additions processed, collection rehoused (MRC)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
Box 1		Campbell, John W. 1967, 1969 - editor of Analog
Box 1		Kidd, Virginia 1966-1967 - includes her comments/feedback on several of McCaffrey's novels
Box 1		L.W. Singer Co. (Win Catherwood) 1967 - regarding proposed juvenile title Dragonboy
Box 1		Science Fiction Plus (Sam Moskowitz) 1953 - acceptance letter for McCaffrey's first published story; magazine's bio of her
Box 1		Walker & Company (Toby Roxborough) - includes description of "situation at the onset of Dragonquest"
Box 1		Miscellaneous - rejection letters from Galaxy, F&SF, Astounding; personal chatty letters with first names only (Judy, Ida)

	Memorabilia
Box 1		Analog Science Fiction cover Feb 1969 - McCaffrey's name on front as featured author for "A Womanly Talent"
Box 1		"Moonwalker," Space-General Corporation - about adapting a lunar rover as assistive device for amputee children; product information and photos of young boy using it
Box 1		Photographs - house labelled on back as "1509 Crossett Drive"; young boy who resembles the one in the Moonwalker photos; unidentified man circa 1940s
Box 1		Miscellaneous - SFWA membership application for Florence Engel Randall; random notes

	Writings
		Books
			And all the weyrs of Pern - unrelated to the 1991 book with similar title; appears to largely be very early drafts of material eventually published as Dragonquest (1971)
Box 1				Working copy - heavy edits, multiple drafts, inconsistent pagination, insertions, etc. (5 folders)
Box 1				Draft (2 folders)
			Decision at Doona
Box 1				Working copy 1967 - heavy edits, multiple drafts, inconsistent pagination, insertions, etc. (2 folders)
Box 2				Draft A (2 folders)
Box 2				Draft B (2 folders)
Box 2				Draft C (3 folders)
Box 2				Draft D (3 folders)
Box 2				Miscellaneous pages
			Dragonflight
Box 3				Working copy - with heavy edits, multiple drafts, inconsistent pagination, insertions, etc. (2 folders)
Box 3				Draft A - photocopy of edited typescript, 342 pp. (5 folders)
Box 3				Draft B - photocopy of edited typescript, 342 pp.; may be identical to Draft A (5 folders)
			Dragonquest
Box 3				Synopsis
Box 3				Working copy - with heavy edits, multiple drafts, inconsistent pagination, insertions, etc.
Box 4				Working copy cont. - with heavy edits, multiple drafts, inconsistent pagination, insertions, etc. (7 folders)
Box 4				Draft (2 folders)
			The partnered ship - noted on folder as "unpublished segment of The Ship Who Sang"
Box 4				Working copy (2 folders)
Box 4				Draft - typescript carbon, 70 pp.
			Postscript at Pull In Point
Box 5				Draft - typescript carbon, 236 pp. (2 folders)
Box 5				Draft fragments - some have alternate title, Panic at Pull In Point
			Restoree
Box 5				Draft A - typescript carbon with corrections, 235 pp. (2 folders)
Box 5				Draft B - typescript carbon with corrections, 324 pp. (3 folders)
Box 5				Draft C - typescript carbon with corrections, 324 pp. (5 folders)
Box 6				Draft C, printer's copy - photocopy, with some notes and additional corrections (2 folders)
Box 6				Galleys, corrected (2 folders)
Box 6				Miscellaneous pages
			Thie ship who sang - a novelization of five short stories, previously published between 1961 and 1969
Box 6				Parts 1-4, drafts (6 folders)
Box 7				Bridging section and part 5, draft
Box 7				Printer's copy (3 folders)
Box 7				Miscellaneous drafts (2 folders)
			Straight on til morning
Box 7				Draft (2 folders)
			Turn turtle
Box 7				Draft A - incomplete, 85 pp.
Box 7				Draft B - typescript with corrections, 218 pp. (2 folders)
Box 8				Research material, notes, etc.
			Weyrleader - appears to be material eventually published as Dragonquest
Box 8				Working copy (2 folders)
		Plays
Box 8			The faculty meeting
Box 8			Fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Presbyterian Church of Upper Montclair 1957 - incomplete drafts, typescripts
Box 8			The unknown Ajax - two drafts (2 folders)
Box 8			Fragments
		Poetry
Box 8			Fragments
		Short stories
Box 8			Atlas' pebble
Box 8			Bitter talent (alt title: Talent bearer) - 2 drafts
Box 8			The chicken's egg
Box 8			Dramatic mission - 2 drafts
				See also Books : The Ship who Sang, of which this forms part 4.
Box 8			The fare on the Styx - draft and a few miscellaneous pages
Box 8			Get off the unicorn - multiple drafts, handwritten and typed
Box 8			The great canine chorus - numerous drafts and draft fragments; earlier drafts are titled "Goose girl" (3 folders)
Box 9			The greatest love / Charley's aunt - draft
Box 9			Horse from a different sea - drafts
Box 9			Is not tomorrow - draft
Box 9			A job for charity - 2 drafts
Box 9			The Lady in the tower - noted on folder as "pub April '59 F & SF"; other titles: Callisto Commutation and Last Carnaval [sic]
Box 9			Lilacs - page 1 missing
Box 9			Nick Knack
Box 9			Opening night at Aurigae
Box 9			She tried hard - incomplete, ends on p. 7
Box 9			The ship who sang - photocopy of publication in Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, with note from Ballantine Books referring to it as "setting copy"; possibly as used in the full-length novel
Box 9			The sound of breathing
Box 9			A womanly talent - working copy and draft (3 folders)
Box 9			[Untitled] - re: angel living in back yard
Box 9			[Untitled] - re: Professor Darby, equations
		Miscellaneous
Box 9			"Dragonboy" - outline for story about F'lar's childhood
Box 9			"Eugene Ivanovich Zamiatin, with special emphasis on his Utopian novel, We" 1947 - honor's thesis at Radcliffe
Box 9			Notes for unidentified speech - incomplete, but relates to science fiction writing
Box 9			Pern notes - lists, hand-drawn map, etc.
Box 9			[Thomas the cat]
Box 9			"Worlds redeemed" - working copy for novel or short story
Box 9			Fragments, unidentified

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