Harold Bell Wright papers,
1890-1946
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Harold Bell Wright papers,
1890-1946 MS 360 Creator:
Wright, Harold Bell
Collection Name: Harold
Bell Wright papers,
Inclusive Dates: 1890-1946 Physical Description: 12.75 linear feet Abstract: Collection consists of correspondence,
professional writings, and miscellaneous materials by or about Harold Bell
Wright. The majority of the collection consists of sermons, handwritten
manuscripts, and magazine publications written by Wright. The bulk of the
correspondence is professional correspondence between Wright and his
publishers. Miscellaneous materials include photographs, newspaper clippings,
and ephemera. Collection Number: MS 360 Repository:
University of Arizona Libraries, Special
Collections
Harold Bell Wright was America's leading romance author from 1903 to
about 1923. It is estimated that of his nineteen books published between 1903
and 1942, as many as ten million copies were sold. Harold Bell Wright was born
in Rome, N.Y. to parents William A. and Alma Watson Wright on May 4, 1872.
After his mother died when he was ten years old, and his father abandoned him,
he lived several years with various relatives and strangers, working for
shelter and scraps of food. Wright attended Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio until
the late 1890s when he was forced to leave school to combat a serious illness.
He relocated to Missouri where he regained his health and started his preaching
career. From 1897 to 1908 he served as a minister in the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ). His preaching took him to Pierce City, Missouri;
Pittsburg, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Lebanon, Missouri; and lastly to
Redlands, California. In 1902 Wright wrote his first book,
That Printer of Udell's, which he read to his Pittsburg,
Kansas congregation, one chapter per week. What
That Printer was published in 1903, sales were good enough
that Wright almost immediately started writing
Shepherd of the Hills. When that story was published in
1907, its sales broke publishing records and established Wright as America's
top-selling author. The following year he left the ministry to pursue his
promising writing career. While living in the Imperial Valley, Wright wrote
several books including
The Winning of Barbara Worth, his highest selling title. In
1920, after many years of illness, Wright moved to Tucson, Arizona where he
believed the climate aided in his recovery. In Tucson he wrote several of his
novels, such as
When a Man's a Man {[1916]. In 1935 he returned to
California, this time to San Diego where he resided until his death on May 24,
1944.
Collection consists of the papers of Harold Bell Wright. Correspondence,
professional writings, and the miscellaneous materials are by or about Harold
Bell Wright. There are a limited number of writings by his son Gilbert Wright,
aka John Lumbar [sic] [Lebar], including a co-authored novel with his father.
The majority of the collection consists of sermons, handwritten manuscripts,
and magazine publications written by Harold Bell Wright. The bulk of the
correspondence is professional correspondence between Harold Bell Wright and
his publishers.
Miscellaneous materials include photographs, newspaper clippings, and
ephemera. The photographs are photocopies of a 1925 scrapbook which include
photographs of Harold Bell Wright, Mrs. Wright, their home in Tucson, Arizona,
and some of their travels. The majority of newspaper clippings, which are also
photocopies, relate to Harold Bell Wright. The ephemera consists of printed
material and postcards collected by or about Harold Bell Wright.
Restrictions
None
Copyright
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish
from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record,
the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The
user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the
University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all
claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of
copyright.
Personal Name(s) Kitt, Katherine, Florence,
1876-1945.
Mullenix, R.C.
Wright, Gilbert.
Wright, Harold Bell,
1872-1944.
Wright, Norman H.
Geographic Name(s) Tucson (Ariz.) - History.
Subject(s) Novelists, American-20th Century.
Tohono Oodham Indians Folklore.
Genre Form(s) Correspondence.
Ephemera.
Film Scripts.
Novels.
Periodicals.
Plays.
Scrapbooks.
Sermons.
Credit Line
Harold Bell Wright papers (MS 360). Special
Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.
Container List Series I: Correspondence,
1912-1944 Subseries 1: Personal Correspondence box folder 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 Subseries 2: Professional Correspondence box folder 1 7 1 8 1 9 1 10 1 11 1 12 1 13 1 14 1 15 1 16 1 17 1 18
Series II: Writings,
1890-1942 Subseries 1: Sermons box folder 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 5 2 6 2 7 2 8 2 9 box folder 3 1 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 6 3 7 3 8 3 9 3 10 3 11 Subseries 2: Novels box folder 4 1 4 2 4 3 box folder 5 1 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 5 box folder 6 1 6 2 6 3 6 4 6 5 6 6 6 7 box folder 7 1 7 2 7 3 box folder 8 1 8 2 8 3 8 4 8 5 8 6 8 7 box folder 9 1 9 2 9 3 9 4 9 5 box folder 10 1 10 2 10 3 10 4 box folder 11 1 11 2 box folder 12 1 12 2 12 3 box folder 13 1 13 2 13 3 13 4 13 5 box folder 14 1 14 2 14 3 14 4 14 5 14 6 box folder 15 1 15 2 box folder 16 1 16 2 16 3 16 4 box folder 17 1 17 2 box folder 18 1 18 2 box folder 19 1 19 2 19 3 19 4 19 5 19 6 19 7 box folder 20 1 20 2 20 3 20 4 20 5 20 6 20 7 box folder 21 1 21 2 21 3 21 4 21 5 21 6 21 7 21 8 box folder 22 1 22 2 22 3 22 4 box folder 23 1 23 2 23 3 23 4 23 5 Subseries 3: Plays box folder 23 6 23 6 box folder 24 1 24 2 24 3 24 4 24 5 24 6 24 7 Subseries 4: Short Stories box folder 25 1 25 2 25 3 25 4 25 5 25 6 25 7 25 8 25 9 25 10 25 11 25 12 25 13 25 14 25 15 25 16 25 17 25 18 25 19 Subseries 5: Articles and Speeches box folder 26 1 26 2 26 3 26 4 26 5 26 6 26 7 26 8 26 9 26 10 26 11 26 12 26 13 26 14 26 15 26 16 26 17 26 18 Subseries 6: Poems box folder 26 19 26 20 Subseries 7: Magazine Publications box folder 27 1 27 2 27 3 27 4 27 5 27 6 27 7 27 8 27 9 27 10 27 11 27 12 27 13 27 14 box folder 28 1 28 2 28 3 28 4 28 5 28 6 28 7 28 8 28 9 28 10 28 11 28 12 box folder 29 1 29 2 29 3 29 4 29 5 29 6 box folder 30 1 30 2 30 3 30 4 30 5 30 6 30 7 30 8 30 9 Subseries 8: Motion Picture Scripts box folder 31 1 31 2 Subseries 9: Miscellaneous Notes box folder 31 3 31 4 Subseries 10: Writings by Gilbert Wright (Son of Harold
Bell Wright) box folder 31 5 31 6
Series III: Miscellaneous Materials,
1923-1946 box folder 32 1 32 2 32 3 32 4 32 5 32 6 32 7 32 8
