PCL MS 100 Irving Wallace Collection
MLA Citation
Wallace, Irving. “PCL MS 100 Irving Wallace Collection.” Finding Aids. BGSU University Libraries, 8 July 2021, lib.bgsu.edu/finding_aids/items/show/2669. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Tags
Title | PCL MS 100 Irving Wallace Collection |
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Creator | Wallace, Irving |
Introduction | The Irving Wallace Collection consists of approximately 22.5 linear feet of manuscript materials. The collection was donated to the Browne Popular Culture Library by Irving Wallace in 1973. This collection is unprocessed, but may be accessed by contacting the BPCL reference email. The collection has no restrictions placed on its use for scholarly purposes. Researchers are responsible for securing copyright permission when using all unpublished manuscripts and published works found in this collection. |
Biographical Sketch | 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 selacious 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. |
Scope and Content | The collection includes published and unpublished manuscripts, screenplays, and articles by Irving Wallace.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. |
Inventory | A complete inventory for this collection is in process. In the interim, please see the attached searchable PDF for an inventory done at the time of the initial donation in 1973. It includes annotations and commentary from Irving Wallace. |