David A. Adler Papers

he David A. Adler Papers contain manuscripts, typescripts, printed material, and correspondence created and accumulated by David A. Adler between 1975 and 2001. Adler's papers were created from his composition of 148 published books, one short story, and seven unpublished works. The material is organized into five series: books, material concerning multiple titles, short story, unpublished works, and other material.

The Books Series contains manuscripts, typescripts, printed material, and correspondence for 148 published books published between 1975 and 2001. The series includes material for books in every genre and subject in which Adler has written. It contains material for every title in Adler's eight mystery and adventure series save one. The lone exception is Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery (1999). The series includes production material for the full run of Adler's picture book biographies, most of his picture and riddle books, and nearly all of his works on Jewish themes. It also includes papers for most of his books on science, economics, and mathematics. The papers in the books series are arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each book is arranged chronologically in order of creation when known.

The quantity of material for specific titles in the Books Series varies tremendously, from a single dust jacket to several generations of typescripts, galleys, and proofs. The container listing offers detailed descriptions of the holdings for each title and information on the material's process of creation may be gleaned easily from the container listing for each book. However, some additional explanation is needed to understand the arrangement of the material for one particular title. Rabbit Trouble and the Green Magician (1987) passed through three distinct versions during the prolonged process of its creation, here referred to as versions A, B & C. Version A, which differed considerably from the final work, consisted of four chapters and a summary of the remainder of the work made in 1981. Version B, which was closer in content to the published book, grew to six chapters in 1985. Version C was the nine-chapter published book written in 1987. The chapter numbers for all three versions cited in the container listing are the chapter numbers given on the typescripts.

The Material Concerning Multiple Titles Series contains manuscript notebooks, typescripts, and printed material concerning more than one title. Adler created the items between about 1982 and 1997. The series primarily consists of eight spiral bound notebooks containing both complete manuscripts and manuscript fragments for 29 published and unpublished titles, as well as assorted minor notes and mathematical calculations. Each notebook covers a period of between one to three years. Cross references have been provided in the container listing alongside the citation of each title represented in the notebooks. The series also includes typescripts and advertisements concerning the Cam Jansen, Fourth Floor Twins, and Houdini Club series. The material in the series is arranged chronologically.

The Short Story Series consists of two sets of page proofs and an advance reading copy of "Don't Be an Uncle Max," Adler's contribution to Birthday Surprises: Ten Great Stories to Unwrap, edited by Johanna Hurwitz (1995).

The Unpublished Works Series contains manuscripts and typescripts for seven unpublished worked created by Adler between about 1985 and 1989. It includes typescripts of outlines for two Fourth Floor Twins novels and a manuscript of an outline for an addition to the Jeffrey's Ghost series. Three of the unpublished works concern Jewish themes. The seventh is a proposed picture book entitled While Amy Gets Ready for Bed. The series contains typescripts for three works and manuscripts for the other four. The manuscripts may be found within the notebooks in the Material Concerning Multiple Titles Series. Cross references have been provided alongside the citation of each pertinent unpublished title.

The Other Material Series consists of two manuscript pages for unidentified works; a 1997 letter regarding the Golden Kite Award given by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; a list of newspapers in Nassau County, New York; a dust jacket for Mrs. Moskowitz and the Sabbath Candlesticks by Amy Schwartz (1983); and Adler's name tag for the ALA Annual Conference in 1998.