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Earl Conrad (1912–1986) was an author who specialized in biographies and books about the African American experience and race relations, among other non-fiction books and criticisms. Early in his professional career he served as the Harlem bureau chief for the Chicago Defender.
Conrad published over twenty works. Among them, In 1943, Conrad wrote a biography of Harriet Tubman (1943). In 1950, Conrad authored a book about the Scottsboro Boys, and in 1966 wrote The Invention of the Negro.
Earl Conrad died in 1986.
[Source: New York Public Libraries: http://www.nypl.org/archives/3573]
The collection contains manuscript material and published works, professional and personal correspondence, research materials, underground newspapers, reviews, teaching materials, publicity, and news clippings.
Publisher correspondence includes the following publishers, editors, writers, and agents: Oscar Collier, Doubleday and Company, Paul E. Pross (Windfall Press), and Philip Van Doren Stern.
The papers include the manuscripts and supporting material for Billy Rose: Manhattan Primitive, The Invention of the Negro, Battle New York, and Typoo.
The initial donation contains manuscript material for Billy Rose: Manhattan Primitive and The Invention of the Negro. Material includes drafts, galley proofs, author and printer's notations, research and interviews, bibliographies, publicity, and correspondence.
Miscellaneous material includes personal correspondence with government officials and newspapers.
The 1968 Addendum contains professional and general correspondence. Incoming letters and carbons of outgoing correspondence are alphabetically organized by last name or title. There are also two folders of personal correspondence.
Miscellaneous material includes manuscript material for Billy Rose, materials for a class taught by Conrad, publicity and news clippings about Conrad's work.
The 1969 Addendum contains manuscript material, published works and correspondence. Manuscript material for the books, Battle New York, Billy Rose: Manhattan Primitive, and Typoo includes research material, interviews, drafts with revisions, edited printer's copy, corrected and uncorrected galley proofs. Correspondence is separated into outgoing letters organized by date (1964-1968) and incoming letters alphabetically organized by last name or title. There is a separate section of incoming editorial correspondence (1960-1969) organized by publisher name.
Miscellaneous material includes contracts, research material, reviews, books by other authors, materials for a class taught by Conrad, and underground newspapers including Black Panther, Muhammad Speaks, The Burning World Review, Haight Ashbury-Tribune, San Francisco Oracle, Los Angeles Free Press, San Francisco Express Times, and The Movement.