Franklin C. West Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection holds the research papers of the historian Franklin C. West. The primary subject of this collection is the writing of Emil Ludwig. The collection largely consists of notes and copies of articles relating to Emil Ludwig's writing and works. Other papers found here include correspondence, copies of Emil Ludwig's writing, articles relating to popular biographies, and copies of archival material relating to Emil Ludwig.
Series I contains documents that pertain to Franklin C. West's work. It includes correspondence as well as notes and unpublished drafts. West's correspondence relates to his research into Emil Ludwig's work as well as his interest in publishing his own writing on Ludwig. Correspondence in Series I is between West and other researchers as well as with Emil Ludwig's son. Most of the notes found in Series I are lecture notes on popular biographers and Emil Ludwig, with one folder containing speculative notes on future work. Several versions of West's article on Leo Lowenthal's research in popular biography are also located in Series I.
Specific research on Emil Ludwig comprises Series II. In Series II are notes and collected copies of articles on Ludwig's life and work as well as on the writing of biographical novels. Especially significant in Series II are the many reviews and criticisms of Ludwig's works, as well as copies of some of his works. This series includes biographical notes on Emil Ludwig as well as brief family trees and genealogical notes. In addition, there are copies of assembled archival material relating to Emil Ludwig, especially copies of his correspondence with others. General notes in Series II include numerous index cards with notes on Ludwig's writing and its historical and literary context. Other notes focus on Ludwig's specific works or mention his writing in general. Collected articles and some notes provide information on the development of the biographical novel and popular biography during the interwar years.
Dates
- 1909-1997
Creator
- West, Franklin C. (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is primarily in German, with some English, French, and Italian.
Access Restrictions
Open to researchers.
Collection is digitized.
Collection is microfilmed, please use MF 1035.
Access Information
Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org
Biographical Notes
Franklin C. West
Franklin C. West is an American scholar whose research is focused on modern German history. He was born in 1934 in Portland, Oregon and is a professor emeritus in the department of history at Portland State University.
Emil Ludwig
Emil Ludwig was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) in 1881. In the 1920s, he became well-known for his biographies, which combined fact, fiction and psychological analysis; these works earned him international fame, with his novels translated into twenty-five languages. His books were among those burned by the Nazis on May 10, 1933. In 1940, Emil Ludwig immigrated to the United States, where he continued to write. He died in Moscio, Italy in 1948.
Extent
2.75 Boxes
Abstract
This collection is comprised of the historian Franklin C. West's research on Emil Ludwig and his works. It primarily includes an extensive amount of notes and articles assembled during West's research. In addition, there is some correspondence and drafts of articles.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two series in the following manner:
- Series I: Franklin C. West, 1926-1997
- Subseries 1: Personal Papers and Correspondence, 1985-1996
- Subseries 2: Writing and Lectures, 1926-1997
- Series II: Emil Ludwig Research, 1909-1994
- Subseries 1: Biographical Information, 1928-1990
- Subseries 2: Works, 1901-1994
- Subseries 3: Notes, 1909-1981
- Subseries 4: Biographical Novels and Historiography, 1923-1992
Custodial History
The collection was donated by Martha Ullman West in 2002.
Microfilm
Collection is available on 4 reels of microfilm (MF 1035).
- Reel 1: 1/1-1/24
- Reel 2: 1/25-1/44
- Reel 3: 1/45-2/27
- Reel 4: 2/28-2/57
Separated Material
Photocopies of Emil Ludwig's books already present in the LBI Library were removed from this collection, with a bibliography of these books retained in the collection.
Three books by other individuals were also removed from this collection (Series II, Subseries 3) with photocopies of title and verso pages kept in the archival collection.
Processing Information
Boxes 6 and 7 will not be microfilmed.
During processing, similar material was grouped together to form series and subseries. Books were removed from the collection as well as photocopies of books already present in the LBI Library, with a bibliography retained in the collection.
- Title
- Guide to the Papers of Franklin C. West (1934- ) 1909-1997 AR 25112 / MF 1035
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Dianne Ritchey
- Date
- © 2009
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from FranklinWest.xml
Revision Statements
- September 2010:: Links to digital objects added in Container List.
- 2010-09-21 : encoding of linking to digital objects from finding aid was changed from <extref> to <dao> through dao_conv.xsl
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository