Irving Wallace Papers
Collection Overview
Abstract
The Irving Wallace Papers consist of approximately 26 cubic feet of manuscript material written by Wallace. The dates of these manuscript materials are yet to be determined. This collection is unprocessed, but it is available to researchers upon request.
Dates
- Creation: dates to be determined
Extent
25.9 Cubic Feet (48 archives boxes)
Creator
- Wallace, Irving, 1916-1990 (Person)
Scope and Contents
The Irving Wallace Papers consist of published and unpublished manuscripts, screenplays, and articles by Irving Wallace. Also in the collection is correspondence by Wallace as well as photographs and other ephemera.
The collection is currently unprocessed, but it is available for research upon request. An initial inventory was created at the time of the initial donation in 1973; this inventory has been transcribed and is available to researchers upon request. Please contact the Browne Popular Culture Library to learn more.
Biographical / Historical
Irving Wallace (1916-1990) was an American author of TV and movie screenplays, as well as more than 30 novels and non-fiction books. He began his career writing training films in Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit during World War II. Wallace collaborated with Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel on the film Know Your Enemy- Japan, providing the research material from which Geisel crafted the script.
After the war, Wallace turned to screenwriting, co-writing scripts for The West Point Story, The Big Circus, and Meet Me at the Fair among others.
Wallace began writing books in 1953 with his non-fiction book The Fabulous Originals. His 1960 novel, The Chapman Report, became a best-seller and then a feature film starring Jane Fonda.
After his breakthrough, Wallace's books, fiction or non-fiction, were almost always best-sellers. He estimated that his 33 books sold around 120 million copies total. While his books were often derided as "junk", his prose, extensive research, and willingness to dive into salacious topics drew a broad base of readers again and again.
Irving Wallace was married to author Sylvia Wallace, and the couple had two children who also became authors: Amy Wallace and David Wallechinsky.
Conditions Governing Access
No known access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright and other restrictions may apply to the materials in this collection. Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The materials in this collection were transferred to the Browne Popular Culture Library by Irving Wallace in 1973.
Processing Information
A preliminary inventory was created at the time of the collection's donation in 1973; a collection summary was composed by one or more unknown processors and/or archivists at an unknown date prior to 2021. The preliminary collection summary was revised and input into ArchivesSpace by Tyne Lowe, Manuscripts Archivist, in May 2025. The inventory has been transcribed and is available to researchers upon request.
Genre / Form
- Title
- Guide to the Irving Wallace Papers
- Author
- Tyne Lowe
- Date
- May 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin