Edith Thacher Hurd papers
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of production material for over 50 children's books by Edith Thacher Hurd published between 1938-1983, as well as production material for several unpublished works and other writings. Production material includes manuscripts, typescripts, correspondence, page proofs, notes, research material, dummies, jackets, royalty statements, and reviews. Many of the titles in this collection were done in collaboration with Clement Hurd, and much of the correspondence is to and from both Clement and Edith Hurd. Some material is created in collaboration with Margaret Wise Brown.
Dates
- 1938-1985
Creator
- Hurd, Edith Thacher, 1910-1997 (Person)
- Hurd, Clement, 1908-1988 (Collaborator, Person)
- Brown, Margaret Wise, 1910-1952 (Collaborator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). 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. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.
Biographical / Historical
Edith Thacher Hurd was born on September 14, 1910 in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1933 and attended the Bank Street College of Education in 1934. As a member of the Writer's Laboratory at Bank Street College, she met a number of other aspiring writers who would become well-known as children's authors, including her future collaborator Margaret Wise Brown. In 1938 she published her first book for children, Hurry, Hurry: A Tale of Calamity and Woe, or, a Lesson in Leisure, later reissued for the I Can Read series with illustrations by her husband, Clement Hurd, in 1960. During the next decade, Edith Thacher Hurd collaborated with Margaret Wise Brown under the joint pseudonym Juniper Sage, working together on several books. Edith Thacher Hurd also had a long working partnership with her husband. The Hurds produced a number of books between the 1940s and 1980s, many of which dealt with nature and animals, including their Mother Animal series. The Hurds also collaborated with their son, the children's author Thacher Hurd, on Little Dog, Dreaming in 1967. She died on January 25, 1997 in Walnut Creek, California.
Extent
4.58 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection consists of production material for fifty-two children's books created by Edith Thacher Hurd published between 1938-1983, as well as production material for several unpublished works and other writings.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by publication title.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Edith Thacher Hurd with additional material donated by her son, Thacher Hurd.
- Animals -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Artists -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Authors, American -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Birds -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Cats -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Children's literature, American Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Children's stories, American Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Christmas stories Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Death -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Dinosaurs -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Dogs -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Ecology -- Juvenile literature Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Grandparents -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Humorous stories Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hunting stories Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Lion -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Manuscripts for publication Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Parental behavior in animals -- Juvenile literature Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Pets -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Picture books Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Seasons -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Shipwrecks -- Juvenile fiction Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Edith Thacher Hurd Papers, 1938-1985
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Christina Cowan
- Date
- 04/01/1996
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- Ocotober 29, 2015: Collection reprocessed by Teresa Tjepkes, EAD updated by Teresa Tjepkes.
- March 2023: Description updated by Caitlin Marineau.
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Children's Literature Research Collections Collecting Area