DONALD WANDREI AND FAMILY:

Donald Wandrei

Howard Wandrei

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The papers include correspondence (1898-1987), photographs, school records (1921-1932), military records (1942-1945), wills (1949-1987), birth and death certificates (1926, 1972), tax returns (1941-1986), deeds (1899-1949), stock performance records (1938-1951), legal documents (1900-1987), an autograph book (1927-1936), literary manuscripts, photocopied short stories, newspaper clippings (1928-1986), and printed matter.

Topics include Donald and Howard Wandrei's education and early writing efforts, Howard's incarceration at the Minnesota State Reformatory (1928-1930), the brothers' writing careers and social lives in New York City (1927-1950), Donald's involvement in the publication of the works of H. P. Lovecraft and his friendship with August Derleth and other prominent authors and publishers, and Donald's military service during World War II.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Donald Wandrei and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,101; 15,346; 16,875

Processing Information:

Processed by: Frank Hennessy; additions by David B. Peterson, July 2014

Catalog ID number: 990017313930104294

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Includes Wandrei's high school grade reports (1921-1924), university transcripts (1924-1931), and military records consisting of orders, rosters, and a history of the 65th Division. The military records document Wandrei's service with the 357th regiment of the 90th infantry division at Camp Barkeley, Texas; the 413th regiment of the 104th infantry division at Camp Adair, Oregon (1942-1943); and the 259th regiment of the 65th infantry division, which was stationed at Camp Shelby, Mississippi (1943-1944) and which took part in the Allied march across Germany and Austria as part of General George Patton's Third Army (1945).

The largest portion of this section consists of correspondence (1924-1987) with family, friends, and literary colleagues. Topics include family matters, Donald's social life, his writing and publishing career, H. P. Lovecraft's writing and estate, the Lovecraft circle, discussions of the correspondents' literary works, August Derleth, and Arkham House. There is also a file of correspondence related to a claim Donald submitted to the Crime Victims Reparation Board after sustaining a severe beating during the robbery of his home on January 26, 1982.

The following correspondents' letters have been photocopied and the originals placed in reserve: Clark Ashton Smith, Frank Belknap Long, W. Paul Cook, Robert H. Barlow, Robert E. Howard, and Hannes Bok. Other notable correspondents include Robert Bloch (1973-1987), Joseph Payne Brennan (1959, 1973), Carl Jacobi (1926-1985), Alexander Laing (November 30, 1931), Fritz Leiber, A. Merritt (1934), E. Hoffman Price (1971-1982), Seabury Quinn (1933), Colin Wilson (1973, 1975), and F. Paul Wilson (1971).

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This series contains examples of Donald's writing, consisting of a scrapbook of articles and editorials he wrote for the Minnesota Daily (1926-1930) and three original manuscripts; legal documents and correspondence related to copyrights and publication, and motion picture agreements; photocopied invoices, checks, and correspondence documenting royalties Wandrei received (1950, 1967-1986); and a group of papers related to the history of Arkham House.

After August Derleth's death (1971) Wandrei won a lawsuit he filed against Derleth's estate regarding the copyright ownership of the H. P. Lovecraft works that Donald and Derleth had jointly owned. A series of correspondence between Wandrei's lawyers and the Derleth estate executor and Arkham House lawyer, Forrest Hartmann, together with legal documents and accounting records (1973-1987) related to the case, are included.

There is also a file containing correspondence, newspaper articles, and legal documents related to a Lovecraft fan and researcher named R. Alain Everts. The papers document a controversy surrounding Everts' research methods, which resulted in his arrest in 1973 based on accusations that he stole Lovecraft material belonging to Brown University. Additional legal documents relate to a copyright infringement lawsuit (1983) that Everts, doing business as The Strange Company, filed against Arkham House involving a collection of Richard L. Tierney's poetry entitled Dreams and Damnations.

The next set of files is related to publishers, authors, and artists in the science fiction/fantasy genre and begins with a series of letters that H. P. Lovecraft wrote to Clark Ashton Smith (1922-1935) and Helen V. Sully (1933-1936). There is also a group of correspondence and miscellaneous papers connected with Wandrei's involvement with, and critique of, more recent Lovecraft publications including L. Sprague de Camp's biography of Lovecraft (1974-1980), Wandrei's own editing of Lovecraft's selected letters (1971-1976) and a new Lovecraft collection, The Lovecraft Omnibus (1973-1974), and his accusation that Arkham House's book, The Watchers Out of Time, was falsely attributed to be a "posthumous collaboration" between Lovecraft and August Derleth (1975).

There is a group of papers related to August Derleth composed of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and a newsletter pertaining to the August Derleth Society (1974-1984), and a file of correspondence related to access restrictions on the Derleth papers held by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (1964-1981).

The remaining papers consist of correspondence (1975-1985) and printed matter primarily concerned with the annual World Fantasy Convention and Donald's refusal to participate in or support the project due to his belief that the convention was established by Kirby McCauley as a commercial exploitation of the memory of H. P. Lovecraft and a promotion of McCauley's private literary agency.

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The initial papers in this section consist of personal records including Howard's school records documenting his education at the University of Minnesota and his course work while incarcerated at the Minnesota State Reformatory.

The bulk of the papers consist of correspondence (1927-1956) with friends, family, and publishers. There are small groups of letters from Howard's mother and from Donald Wandrei, and a file of letters and miscellaneous papers related to Howard's wife Connie and his daughter Suzanne.

One of the primary correspondents is Katie Newton, a long-time friend whose letters (undated and 1951-1956) discuss her life with her husband Ken while living in Houston, Texas; Howard's health; news and issues related to family and mutual friends including Donald Wandrei's alcoholism; Ken's battle with cancer; and Katie's move to California after Ken's death (1954).

Another principal correspondent is Gerald E. Fosbroke, a friend who promoted a theory of character analysis based on an individual's physical features. Howard's interest in Fosbroke's theories is reflected in a group of Fosbroke's essays and articles (undated and 1946-1947) and in correspondence related to Howard's efforts at having a book by Fosbroke published (1933-1954). There is also a series of personal correspondence (1951-1955) between Howard and Gerald and Josephine Fosbroke.

Much of the correspondence related to Howard's writing consists of rejection notices he received while he lived in New York. Many of these stories were resubmitted and eventually published, and some of the correspondence relates to requests for publication rights to previously published material. The last group of papers consists of photocopied stories written by Howard under various pseudonyms and published in several national magazines.

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Includes letters (1928-1942) from sons Donald and Howard, covering the years Howard was in the reformatory (1928-1930), the period they lived in New York City, and during Donald's service in the Army (1942-1945). Howard's letters from the reformatory discuss books he read; his artwork, writing, and violin practice; and his university extension courses. Other topics include the brothers' employment, writing careers, and social life.

There is also a group of correspondence related to Albert's work as a lawyer and as legal editor with West Publishing Company. Most of this correspondence consists of Wandrei's communications with the law firm of Forbes, Lounsbury & Forbes of Wahpeton, North Dakota regarding its representation of Wandrei's sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Huber, in legal affairs they became involved with while living in North Dakota (1920-1923).

A final group of papers, composed of correspondence, legal documents, and newspaper clippings, is related to the extended Wandrei family. The primary topic here is the estate of Albert's brother, William F. Wandrei, and Howard and Donald Wandrei's involvement as trustees of property owned by William in North Dakota (1957-1986).

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The correspondence (1927-1972) in this section consists primarily of letters from Donald and Howard, and a substantial amount of material discussed in the earlier letters (1927-1942) parallels that found in the letters to their father.

Donald's correspondence begins with a trip he took to New York state in 1927 and his move to New York City a year later. The letters proceed to discuss his job search and finances, his writing, his friends and social life in New York, and his experiences in the army during World War II.

Donald's later letters were written during a trip Jeannette took to the West Coast (January -April 1947), during Donald's second stay in New York City (1947-1950), and during his subsequent move to Hollywood (1950-1952). Topics include Donald's observations of the stock market and his advice regarding his mother's stocks and bonds, his friends and social life, his growing interest in drama and his efforts at play and motion picture script writing, Jeannette's health, and Donald's expectation of wealth based on the discovery of oil on land inherited from his uncle William (1951-1952).

Howard's correspondence begins during a summer job he held at Yellowstone Park (1927) and continues with letters he wrote during his years in the reformatory (1928-1930) and while living in New York City (1933-1945).

There is a substantial increase in the frequency of Howard's letters during his final years in New York (1943-1947). Topics include his daughter Suzanne; problems in his marriage that led to his divorce, including his wife's infidelity and her decision to move back to Minnesota with their daughter; and the management of their New York apartment after his move back to St. Paul (1945-1947).

Other papers include records of Jeannette and Donald's stock purchases, accompanied by performance and dividend records; cemetery records associated with the burials of Albert, Howard, Jeannette Alberta, and Jeannette Adelaide Wandrei; and a group of files related to Jeannette's family, the Garnseys.

The papers pertaining to the Garnsey family include a small amount of genealogical material; records documenting Jeannette's father George W. Garnsey's military service during the Civil War; correspondence, genealogical data, newspaper clippings, and membership applications and certificates connected with Jeannette's membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution; correspondence and legal documents connected with the settlement of Jeannette's brother Edward's estate; and correspondence and legal documents related to a dispute concerning Jeannette's ownership of Garnsey family property in Le Sueur, Minnesota.

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There is a small amount of material related to these two family members consisting of letters from Donald and Howard (1928-1957), Jeannette's autograph book (1927-1936), David's obituary (April 8, 1959), and newspaper clippings and marriage announcements related to David's family. Jeannette Alberta is also represented in letters that she sent Donald (1932-1954) and her mother (undated and 1943-1953).

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The photographs consist primarily of black and white portraits of Wandrei and Garnsey family members and friends (undated and 1891-1985). Two of the more prominent subjects represented in the portraits are the Albert C. Wandrei family during the children's early years in St. Paul, and Donald Wandrei's friends and literary colleagues including Barbara Craigie, Don Herron, Kirby McCauley, Ramsey Campbell, and Clem Haupers. There is also a photograph of H. P. Lovecraft filed with a letter Wandrei received from Dirk Mosig (February 20, 1974) and a photograph of Clark Ashton Smith with a letter he received from Smith (October 8, 1946).

There are also photographs of the Wandrei family home at 1152 Portland Avenue, St. Paul; Minnesota recreation spots such as Taylors Falls, Otter Tail Lake, Lake Phalen, and White Bear Lake; and views of Niagara Falls, the Lincoln Memorial, and the New York City skyline.

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Howard Wandrei correspondence (1934-1943) is also located in Special Collections, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Penna.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Authors and publishers.

Artists -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Copyright -- United States -- Royalties.

Fantasy fiction, American.

Morels -- Minnesota.

Personality assessment.

Publishers and publishing -- Wisconsin.

Science fiction, American.

Persons:

Barlow, Robert H. (Robert Hayward), 1918-1951.

Bloch, Robert, 1917-1994.

Bok, Hannes, 1914-1964.

Brennan, Joseph Payne, 1918-1990.

Colestock, Connie.

Cook, W. Paul, 1881-1948.

Craigie, Barbara.

Derleth, August William, 1909-1971.

Everts, R. Alain.

Fosbroke, Gerald, author.

Garnsey family.

Hartmann, Forrest D.

Haupers, Clement, 1900-1982.

Howard, Robert Ervin, 1906-1936.

Jacobi, Carl, 1908-1997.

Laing, Alexander, 1903-.

Leiber, Fritz, 1910-.

Long, Frank Belknap, 1903-.

Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips), 1890-1939 -- Estate.

Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips), 1890-1939.

McCauley, Kirby.

Merritt, Abraham, 1882-1943.

Price, E. Hoffman.

Quinn, Seabury.

Smith, Clark Ashton, 1893-1961.

Sully, Helen V.

Wandrei, Albert C.

Wandrei, David G.

Wandrei, Donald, 1908-1987 -- Manuscripts.

Wandrei family.

Wandrei, Howard, 1909-, author.

Wandrei, Jeannette Adelaide, 1878-1972, author.

Wandrei, Jeannette Alberta, 1913-1972, author.

Wandrei, Suzanne E., 1941-.

Wilson, Colin, 1931-.

Wilson, F. Paul (Francis Paul).

Places:

New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs.

Le Sueur (Minn.).

Document Types:

Photographs.

Organizations:

Arkham House.

August Derleth Society.

United States. Army. Infantry Division, 65th.

World Fantasy Convention.

Occupations:

Authors, American.

Artists -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

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