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Anne McCaffrey Papers

An inventory of her papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: SBM
Date: 11 Feb 1970

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.

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 Also in this series are extensive early drafts and working copy for a number of published and unpublished short stories, not all of which are science fiction, as well as a draft of McCaffrey's honors thesis on Russian science fiction author Yevgeny (Eugene)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.

Arrangement of the Collection

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

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.

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.

Subject Headings

Persons

Campbell, John W., Jr. (John Wood), 1910-1971.
Kidd, Virginia.
McCaffrey, Anne.

Subjects

American literature -- 20th century.
Dragons -- Fiction.
Fantasy fiction, American.
Science fiction -- Women authors.
Science fiction, American.
Space ships -- Fiction.
Telepathy -- Fiction.
Women authors, American.
Women novelists, American.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Drafts (documents)
Galley proofs.
Manuscripts for publication.
Photographs.

Occupations

Authors.
Novelists.

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

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Memorabilia

Writings

Inventory