Alice Cooper Bailey Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection contains materials for seven books and five published short stories. There are typescripts, galleys, and proofs for most of these titles. The materials are arranged alphabetically by title. Within each title the materials are arranged in the probable order in which they were created. The correspondence was arranged by title as well, with the exception of general correspondence, correspondence concerning unrelated or unpublished short stories, and correspondence with the de Grummond Collection.
Ms. Bailey's first two books were Dutch children's folk stories. Katrina and Jan (1923) and The Skating Gander (1927) were so well liked that she made many unsuccessful attempts to have them republished and made into animated films. She even sent copies of the books to the Queen of the Netherlands, Willhemina De Koningin. Her majesty's personal secretary and the US State Department both wrote letter's to Ms. Bailey thanking her for her generosity. There is correspondence concerning both books, manuscript notes for Katrina and Jan, and a typescript for The Skating Gander.
Some of Ms. Bailey's writings were inspired by her experiences in Hawaii. Kimo (1928) is the story of a Hawaiian boy who likes to whistle. There are typescripts and correspondence for this title. The Hawaiian Box Mystery (1960) was Ms. Bailey's first attempt at writing a mystery story and is set in Hawaii. There are several typescripts and galleys for this title. For Sun Gold (1930), also a story set in Hawaii there is a typescript.
Ms. Bailey spent many hours lecturing about Hawaii and Robert Lewis Stevenson, who lived and worked on the island. When she decided to write a biography about him, To Remember Robert Lewis Stevenson (1966), she gathered information from his family, including letters and photographs. The collection contains numerous photographs of Robert Lewis Stevenson, his family, and his homes. There are typescripts, galleys, proofs, and correspondence for the biography.
The collection contains typescripts and correspondence for many of the short stories written by Ms. Bailey. Five major titles are in the collection. Other titles, mentioned briefly in correspondence are filed together. Ms. Bailey contributed to children's periodicals such as American Girl, St. Nicholas, and Young People's Weekly. When available, a copy of the story as it appeared in the magazine was added to the collection.
There are also two scrapbooks in the collection. Both contain letters, memorabilia, reviews, and newspaper clippings. One scrapbook contains more personal items about Ms. Bailey's life, her family, and her career. There are letters from Shirley Temple (Black), President Taft's daughter, and the Queen of the Netherlands' personal secretary. There are also many newspaper clippings about her husband and her children.
Dates
- Creation: 1916-1975
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; Available for research
Conditions Governing Use
The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.
Biographical / Historical
Alice Cooper Bailey was born in December 9, 1890 in San Diego, California. She was one of seven children. When she was just six weeks old, her family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended Wellesley College, Oahu College, College of Hawaii (now the University of Hawaii), the Boston Music Conservatory, and received a lifetime teaching diploma from the Honolulu Normal School.
Her father was an attorney when the family moved to Hawaii and became citizens. He became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Acting President for the Republic of Hawaii and was later the first Secretary of the Territory of Hawaii. At her father's death, Ms. Bailey inherited one-sixth of two islands. Mr. Cooper had once owned 52 coral atolls throughout the South Pacific. She later donated all of her Hawaiian possessions to the Iolani Palace, where her father had worked, when the building was declared an historical landmark.
Ms. Cooper moved to Concord, Massachusetts sometime in the 1970s, where she often gave lectures and benefits on Hawaii and Robert Lewis Stevenson. She was a member of numerous organizations including the National League of American Pen Women, and served as the president of both the Honolulu and Massachusetts branches, the Hawaiian Historical Society, and the American Automobile Association.
In Concord, Ms. Bailey worked out of her home in a "bake shop" built in 1767. She lived just a few steps away from the homes of Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the "Historic Mile" district. Although Ms. Bailey only published seven books in her lifetime, she contributed numerous short stories to periodicals such as American Girl, Child Life, Story Parade, and Travel. She passed away in 1978.
Sources:
Something About the Author, vol. 8, p. 22.
Contemporary Authors, vol. 54, p. 24.
Extent
2.0 Cubic Feet (7 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Material was donated by Alice Cooper Bailey from 1966 to 1975.
Separated Materials
Three pen and ink illustrations were removed from the collection and added to DG0047, the Margaret Ayer Papers.
Processing Information
The scrapbooks in the collection were photocopied onto acid free paper. Acidic news clippings, reviews, and periodicals in the collection were photocopied onto acid free paper and removed. The photographs that were not glued in the scrapbooks, were removed and put into mylar sleeves to prevent further damage. One photograph was ripped and was encapsulated in mylar to also prevent any further damage.
- Title
- Alice Cooper Bailey Papers
- Status
- In Progress
- Date
- 1998-02-04
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- This finding aid is the product of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the de Grummond Childrens Literature Collection Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345