Archives West Finding Aid

The Negley Farson papers contain the records generated by Farson concerning his writing career and personal life from 1905 to his death in 1960, with additional material to 1975. The majority of the material relates to Farson’s work as a writer and includes manuscripts, articles, and scripts written by Farson, as well as reviews relating to his work. Included in the collection are numerous work notes and research accumulated by Farson over the course of his writing career; most of these materials are collected in scrapbooks and research notebooks with Farson’s articles. Farson’s many books on travel, politics, and culture are also included along with one by his son, Daniel, and several by other authors that discuss Negley Farson's work and life.

The collection includes many other records including passports, medals, and other personal memorabilia; newspaper clippings; book reviews; expense reports; business agreements with newspapers; and miscellaneous other materials. There is a fair amount of correspondence (1914-1975), much of it is Farson's personal correspondence with Eve and Daniel Farson. Fan mail related to Farson's 1935 autobiography, "Way of a Transgressor," makes up a portion of his personal correspondence along with a series of telegrams Farson sent to his employer and his wife from Russia in the early 1940s. Additionally, Farson attached correspondence concerning particular projects or topics to corresponding scrapbooks and research notebooks. The collection also contains many photographs of Farson and his family, as well as travel photographs from his 1927 European sailing excursion (which inspired the book Sailing Across Europe), a photo album of a 1928 trip to Spain, and other photographs from his endeavors throughout the world. The diaries of Farson’s wife, Eve, and several manuscripts she authored but never published are also included.