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Alex Haley Collection English
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Addendum

1/28: Three Photos - "Virginia Hannon," "George with Wynelle" and unlabeled photo of George Haley and Bill Clinton
-HANNON, Virginia. Black and white photograph. Measuring 3 1⁄2" x 5". Hannon in a uniform (Red Cross?) with pencil notation on the rear "Virginia Hanon."

-HALEY, George. Color photograph. Measuring 5 1⁄4" x 4". Pencil notation on rear: "George with Wynelle."

-HALEY, George and Bill Clinton. Color photograph. Measuring 7" x 5". George with Bill Clinton.

1/29: Letter with envelope, 4 pages, signed "Palmer," January 18, 1949
-A playful letter that begins with Haley recounting a dinner at Sweetie's restaurant while sitting next to an odd French couple, then it switches to thoughts of Virginia's intention of being a social worker, and his view of his brother George: "He is, of course, a wonderful fellow of sterling character, loyalty and any number of other nice things. But, objectively, I can't quite follow his train of thought and action on a number of things." He also touches on his aspiring writing career: "Yeah, I'm trying pretty hard and have thus far had some minor successes. One thing is for sure; I'm getting some wonderful breaks."

1/30: Letter with envelope, 6 pages signed "Palmer," February 5, 1949
-Haley boasts about writing this letter instead of an article for the Coast Guard Magazine which is already a month late, citing his habit of "never writing anything that I know I have to until it is the very last moment." He offers a few flirtatious rejoinders to Virginia's comment about his daydreaming about sports while in class at Alcorn where she taught French: "I assured myself that they [her breasts] were not as you say, spinsterly. And believe me, love, I was not, when you observed me, thinking about any damned touchdowns." Also some thoughts on writing: "I'm essentially lazy, but I love to write once I get started ... figure to try my hand at a book in maybe another year now and will count on you to buy one copy to at least salvage that much of the publisher's gamble."

1/31: Letter with envelope, 6 pages signed "Alex," October 1949
-Pleasantries about a trip to Chicago, seeing his youngest brother Julius for the first time in several years, "there is a boy for you! Already, he is rugged a-plenty, to the point of forcing this old hulk to observe with what I imagine was ill-concealed admiration," and a night out with his father who lectured him on spending too much money, quoting his father: "Now Palmer, I know you are doing well and all that but, Palmer, let me give you the benefit of Dad's long experience. You don't have to go to places like that to eat. I am sure that there are other places you can get a meal for that much, not that that sandwich wasn't good or that I didn't appreciate it, but money is hard to get, so. Why when Dad was your age, back down in Savannah on the river, he used to have a good time for a whole week on less than that, and furthermore..."

1/32: Letter with envelope, 2 pages, signed "Alex," September 9, 1950
-Haley's apologies about not writing sooner gives updates on his brother George's travels, Julius's deployment in Korea, and his father's recent divorce and renewed bachelorhood, as well as a joke about a Catholic nun.

1/33: Letter with envelope, 4 pages, signed "Alex," November 28, 1953
-A letter was written while stuck in a U. S. Public Health Service Home on Staten Island following an operation for a pilonidal cyst: "I never had so much time on end to write in my life. I have to stand up to type, to be sure, but - boy, am I turning out the words! Things I've wanted to work on for ages." Most of the letters concern George, his past relationships, and his recent engagement. Haley uses the occasion to ruminate on the institution of marriage in general and his own, which was at the time failing: "Mine's up and down. So's damn near everybody's I know. I have told myself at times if I'd stayed single until now, I'd play it real clever - and in the same flash of thought, I know how good would be the chances I'd be [the] essence of misery. Again, who the hell knows? Who's got the answer, the key?"

1/34: Letter with envelope, 4 pages, signed "Palmer," February 1954
-Haley describes his need for absolute quiet to write properly: "I simply cannot write in the company; cannot disassociate myself into the vacuum I need and produce best in"; talks about a fancy party he was invited to and the uncomfortable environment it created: "these people, many of them, weren't out to have fun, Virginia - a lot came to be seen; you could see the strain in their faces, and a lot more on pretty faces in many cases, that wasn't pretty"; and his recent success at selling his first article to Reader's Digest: "The prime accomplishment to date, a milestone in my life, I guess, was the sale two weeks ago, of 'The Harlem that Nobody Knows,' a 4,000-word piece, to Reader's Digest.... As a result, I, last week, got taken in the stable of Ruth Aley, probably one of the top 5 literary agents in the country. I am working like a bastard, to put it bluntly, to justify this break. What I have to be is a reporter, interpret or just tell what I see, magazine-style. What I am trying to do, right now, is making $5,000 a year at part-time writing before I 'retire' - from CG [Coast Gauard] '59 - and with luck and health, I think I will. Then I will elect whatever the future shall be."

1/35: Letter with envelope 1 page, signed "Alex," February 1967
-A secretarial letter asking friends, both white and black, about their first memories from childhood concerning race for an article he is preparing, with a holograph note at the bottom apologizing about the form letter and mentioning a recent trip to Paris: "I sure wish I'd paid more attention to you teaching French." It is accompanied by an article he wrote for the Rome Sentinel about a literary tour of Ireland and Rome, which also has a holograph note of pleasantries and final comment about currently working on a script for a Tony Curtis film.

Alex Haley Collection

  • US TxAM-C C000012
  • Collection
  • 1949-1965, 1967, 1991

This collection consists of one box of material that includes heavily edited and complete manuscript pages from the Autobiography of Malcolm X, his writings on Mahalia Jackson, Wilma Rudolph, the story Queenie, a follow-up to Roots, and other writings. Also included are his notes regarding the re-run of the mini-series Roots. He mentions a meeting he had with Warren Beatty where they discussed Roots. The notes are titled "Re: Roots Re-Run for TV Guide. Between the Covers acquired the collection from a bookseller who bought it directly from the estate of Virginia Hannon. A group of early letters from Alex Haley it's seven letters sent between 1949-1954 (one from 1967) to close family friend, Virginia Hannon. The letters present Haley, then a journalist in the Coast Guard, trying to get his writing career started and relating thoughts about his working habits, carious siblings, and plans for the future. All letters are written light, optimistic, and sometimes flirtatious style. Accompanying them are several related photographs, including one of Hannon in uniform, and a copy of Haley's posthumous novel Queen inscribed to her by his brother, George.

The July 2015 addendum includes an archive of seven Typed Letters Signed from Alex Haley sent between 1949-1954 (with one from 1967) to a close family friend, along with related photographs and the first edition of Queen Inscribed by his brother George Haley. The letters are overall near fine with typical folds from being mailing and light toning, with their original mailing envelopes that show wear including are nick, tears, and chip, but all are present; the photos are fine. The book is fine in a fine dustwrapper.

The letters, which are signed both as "Alex" and "Palmer," his middle name, were written to Virginia Hannon, a woman who taught Alex Haley French at Alcorn College before he left to join the Coast Guard. The letters begin after he's become a journalist writing for Coast Guard Magazine, and it seems, after an absence from Hannon. The letters are very familiar and playful with references to her French class, updates on his brothers George and Julius, and although married, some flirtatious comments about her breasts, "they were not as you say, spinsterly," and his faraway demeanor in class, "believe me, love, I was not, when you observed me, thinking about any damned touchdowns." There is also lots of talk about Haley's writing career. The early letters from 1949 included his thoughts on his drive to be a writer: "I'm trying pretty hard and have thus far had some minor successes," as well as his bad habits: "I'm essentially lazy, but I love to write once I get started." It's during an extended hospital stay for the treatment of a pilonidal cyst in 1953 that he seems to really make headway: "I never had so much time on end to write in my life. I have to stand up to type, to be sure, but - boy, am I turning out the words! Things I've wanted to work on for ages." In a letter the next year he excitedly describes what was his first big career break: "The prime accomplishment to date, a milestone in my life, I guess, was the sale two weeks ago, of 'The Harlem that Nobody Knows,' a 4,000-word piece, to Reader's Digest ... As a result, I, last week, got taken in the stable of Ruth Aley, probably one of the top 5 literary agents in the country. I am working like a bastard, to put it bluntly." The job led to a series of articles in the magazine and an assignment with Playboy interviewing many of the most important African-Americans of the day. The final letter from 1967 takes the form of two short but sweet holograph notes to Hannon written on the margins of a form letter and a photocopied travel article. They show a busy, successful writer still trying to keep in touch with an old friend.

The letters are accompanied by a black and white photograph of a young Hannon in a military uniform (possibly Red Cross), along with two later color photos of George with Wynelle [Hannon's sister] and George with President Bill Clinton. Plus, there is a copy of Haley's book Queen, published posthumously, and warmly Inscribed by George: "To my dear sister, Virginia Rose Hannon With love, respect and appreciation Your brother George Haley - and all the rest of the Haley Family 12 June 1993." An interesting and intimate collection of early correspondence from one of the most influential African-American writers of the 20th Century.

Haley, Alex

Correspondence

1/1: Correspondence: Langston Hughes, Caroline Rogers (Joyful Noise), 1961

1/2: Correspondence: "Best Advice" - Caroline Rogers, Leon Ackerman

Publications

1/23: Collected Publication: Love the Greatest Gift, Leon Ackerman, New York Times, September 20, 1960

1/24: Haley's Notes on writing Autobiography of Malcolm X

1/25: Notes from Alex Haley on Autobiography of Malcolm X

1/26: Writings: The Malcolm X. I knew - Manuscript

1/27: Scholarly editing:
-Amy Earhart Article, August 15, 2014
-Saga Article, November 1965

Writings

1/3: Writings: Best Advice I Ever Had - Notes

1/4: Writings: Best Advice I Ever Had - Notes

1/5: Writings: Best Advice I Ever Had - Notes

1/6: Writings: The Best Advice I Ever Had - Notes, Expense Account, 1960

1/7: Writings: The Best Advice I Ever Had

1/8: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/9: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/10: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/11: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/12: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/13: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/14: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/15: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/16: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise

1/17: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise - notes

1/18: Writings: She Makes a Joyful Noise: Mahalia Jackson - edits

1/19: Writings: Mahalia Jackson

1/20: Writings: Wilma Rudolph, 1961

1/21: Writings: Roots rerun - TV Guide, 1991

1/22: Ann Crawford, 1961