Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Stearn, Jess.
Title:	Jess Stearn Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1932-1976
Quantity:	15 linear ft.
Abstract:	Typescript drafts, galley proofs, and research related to Edgar Cayce, the occult, parapsychology, and psychical research
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

Jess Stearn (1914-2002) was an American journalist and author known for his writings on the occult.

After attending Syracuse University, Stearn worked for the New York Daily News as a reporter for seventeen years and then as an associate editor at Newsweek magazine. During his time as a reporter, he became interested in Edgar Cayce, an uneducated clairvoyant who could diagnose physical ailments, prescribe cures, and discuss a subject's past and future lives. Stearn published two biographies of Cayce, Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet and A Prophet in his Own Country: The Story of the Young Edgar Cayce. Through his interest in Cayce, Stearn went on to publish more than thirty other books on occult subjects such as reincarnation and psychic phenomena and informative subjects such as homosexuality and drugs. Some notable publications are The Search for the Girl with the Blue Eyes (1968), The Search for a Soul: Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives (1973), The Door to the Future (1963), Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation (1965), The Seekers (1972), Adventures into the Psychic (1969), The Miracle Workers: America's Psychic Consultants (1972), and The Sixth Man (1962).

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Jess Stearn Papers consist of biographical material, books, correspondence, and financial material.

Biographical material consists of a one-page article announcing Stearn's new column.

The bulk of this collection relates to Stearn's Books. The books for which the collection contains a significant amount of material are Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet and The Search for the Girl with the Blue Eyes. There are multiple drafts and a substantial amount of research for each book. Also included in this series are reviews of his books.

Correspondence consist of communications with Stearn's literary agencies, individuals, and fan mail Stearn received. Prominent individuals are Marcia Moore Acker, Hugh Lynn Cayce, and Gladys Davis Turner. Moore was an American writer, astrologer, and yoga teacher who was brought to the nation's attention through Stearn's book Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation. Hugh Lynn Cayce is the son of Edgar Cayce. Turner was Edgar Cayce's secretary and took notes on Cayce's psychic readings of various individuals.

Financial material contains the cost of the publicity tour of The Door to the Future in 1963, real estate tax for 1965, receipt for the Thunderbird motor Lodge in Virginia Beach, VA 1966, and a New York Telephone statement of calls and telegrams for May 1968.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Books, correspondece, and writings are arranged alphabetically by title or name. Financial material is arranged chronologically.

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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.

Ken and Joanne MacIver material relating to Mr Stearn's novel "The Search for the Girl with the Blue Eyes" may only be used with the written permission of Kenneth MacIver. Any such written permission documents will be retained by SCRC.

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 cataloging.

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Related Material

Two books -- The Reporter and The Miracle Workers: America's Psychic Consultants -- have been separated from the collection and transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to the Classic Catalog to locate these items.

For more Edgar Cayce material, see the Juliet Brooke Ballard Papers. The Long John Nebel Papers includes an interview with Cayce from 1968 and two interviews with Jess Stearn (his name is spelled "Stern" in the Nebel listing), 1966 and 1968.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Jess Stearn Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Jess Stearn, 1968-1973.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MFA
Date: Nov 1968
Revision history: 19 Nov 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC); 25 Jun 2021 - additions processed, finding aid updated (RMH)

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Inventory

	Biographical material
Box 1		Article 1965

	Books
		Adventures into the Psychic
Box 1			Draft 1969 (8 folders)
		The Door to the Future
Oversize 3			Book reviews 1962-1964
		Dr. Thompson's New Way for You to Cure Your Aching Back
Box 1			Draft 1973 (5 folders)
Box 2			Foundry proof 1973
Box 2			Final galley 1973
		Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet
Box 2			Book reviews 1966-1967
Oversize 3			Book reviews 1966-1967
Box 2			Draft A, incomplete 1966 (7 folders)
Box 3			Draft B 1966 (7 folders)
Box 3			Final galley 1966
Box 3			Page proof 1966
Box 4			Page proof 1967
Box 4			Publicity material 1967
			Research material
Box 4				Association of Research and Enlightenment
Box 4				Biographical
Box 4				Cayce family writings
Box 4				Correspondences
Box 4				Index cards - remedies for medical complaints taken from Edgar Cayce's Famous Black Book
Box 4				Notes, handwritten
Box 4				Printed material
Box 5				Printed material
Box 5				Psychic readings
Box 5				Reilly, Harold J.
Box 5				Writings about Cayce's readings
		The Grapevine
Oversize 3			Book reviews 1963-1964
		The Miracle Workers: America's Psychic Consultants
Box 5			Draft 1972 (7 folders)
Box 6			Foundry proof 1972
Box 6			Final galley 1972
		The Reporter
Box 6			Draft 1970 - pp. 1-400 (8 folders)
Box 7			Draft 1970 - pp. 401-419
Box 7			Original galley proof 1970
Box 7			Page proof 1970 (2 folders)
		The Search for a Soul: Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives
Box 7			Draft 1973 - pp. 1-200 (4 folders)
Box 8			Draft 1973 - pp. 201-322 (3 folders)
Box 8			Final galley 1973
Box 8			Foundry proof 1973
		The Search for the Girl with the Blue Eyes
Oversize 3			Article by Stearn 1968
Oversize 3			Book reviews 1968
Box 8			Draft A, incomplete 1968 (4 folders)
Box 9			Draft A-C, incomplete 1968 (12 folders)
Box 10			Draft C-D, incomplete 1968 (12 folders)
Box 10			Draft E 1968 - pp. 1-100 (2 folders)
Box 11			Draft E 1968 - pp.101-395 (6 folders)
Box 11			Final galley 1968
Box 11			Foundry proof 1968
Box 12			Foundry proof 1968
			Research material
Box 12				Census information
Box 12				Correspondence
Box 12					Lewis, Madge 1963
Box 12					Stevenson, Ian, Dr. 1962-1965
Box 12					Miscellaneous 1963-1966
Box 12					Miscellaneous undated
Box 12				Notes, handwritten
Box 12				Psychic sessions 1962
Box 12				Psychic session 1-2 (2 folders)
Box 13				Psychic session 3-6 (4 folders)
Box 13				Miscellaneous
		The Seekers
Box 13			Draft A 1969 - pp. 1-350 (7 folders)
Box 14			Draft A 1969 - pp. 351-507 (4 folders)
Box 14			Draft B, incomplete 1969 (10 folders)
Box 15			Draft B, incomplete 1969
Box 15			Final galley 1969
Box 15			Foundry proof 1968
Box 15			Foundry proof 1969
		The Sixth Man
Oversize 3			Book reviews 1961
Box 16			Publicity tour
		A Time for Astrology
Oversize 3			Book patch 1965
Box 16			Draft A 1971 (10 folders)
Box 16			Draft B 1971 - pp. 1-50
Box 17			Draft B 1971 - pp. 51-481 (9 folders)
Box 17			Draft C 1971 - pp. 1-350 (7 folders)
Box 18			Draft C 1971 - pp. 351-460 (2 folders)
Box 18			Research material 1971
Oversize 1			Appendix proof 1965 (3 folders)
Oversize 2			Appendix proof 1965 (2 folders)
Box 18			Appendix notes 1971 (5 folders)
		Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation
Oversize 3			Article by Stearn 1968
Oversize 3			Book reviews 1965
Box 18			Draft A, incomplete 1965 (4 folders)
Box 18			Draft B, incomplete 1965
Box 19			Draft B, incomplete 1965 (5 folders)
Box 19			Draft C 1965 - pp. 1-350 (7 folders)
Box 20			Draft C 1965 - pp. 351-536 (4 folders)
Oversize 3			Illustrations 1965
Box 20			Miscellaneous - extra drafts of chapters

	Correspondence
Box 20		Acker, Marcia Moore
Box 20		Cayce, Hugh Lynn 1965-1967
Box 20		Fan mail 1965-1968 (2 folders)
		Literary agencies
Box 20			Canadian Speakers' and Writers' Service 1966-1967
Box 20			Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc. 1968 1976
Box 20			Doubleday & Company Inc. 1966-1968
Box 20			Doubleday Canada Liminted 1966-1967
Box 20			The Sterling Lord Agency 1967
Box 20		Turner, Gladys Davis 1966, 1971
Box 20		Miscellaneous - letters from unknown individuals, Department of Taxation and Finance for the Sate of New York, and letters about Stearn

	Financial material
Box 20		Finances 1963, 1966, 1968

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