de Grummond Collection

MORITZ A. JAGENDORF PAPERS

Donated by Moritz A. Jagendorf from 1969-1978.

Restrictions

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright

The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." 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, other than that noted above.

Biographical Sketch

Moritz Adolf Jagendorf was born in Austria on August 24, 1888, and at the age of fifteen moved to New York to live with his father. He began Yale Law School in 1907 but transferred to Columbia University to be near the theater. He received a D.D.S. from Columbia in 1916.

Jagendorf's writing career began during his years at Columbia. While a sophomore, Jagendorf experienced his first literary success with Pierre Pathelin, an adaptation of a medieval French play. He became a theater agent and producer, as well as the director of the Free Theatre, the Children's Playhouse, and the Washington Square Players.

During the 1920s and 1930s, he devoted most of his time to writing plays, puppet shows, and pantomimes for children including titles such as Fairyland and Footlights (1925), Pantomimes for Children's Theatre (1926), Pie and the Tart (1930), and Plays for Club, School, and Camp (1935), but when Jagendorf heard his first American folktale, he lost interest in plays. He began to concentrate on the retelling of popular legends and folk stories for children.

His first collection of folktales was Tyll Ulenspigel's Merry Pranks (1938). This led to many more collections of European and American folklore including compilations of regional legends such as New England Bean-Pot (1948); Upstate Downstate (1949), tales from the Middle Atlantic states; The Marvelous Adventures of Johnny Caesar Cicero Darling (1949) from New York's Catskills region; and Folk Stories of the South (1971).

Jagendorf served as president of the New York State Folklore Society and vice- president of the International Folklore Congress. He also practiced dentistry part-time.

Jagendorf married Sophia Sokolsky in 1920, and they had two children, Merna-Paula and Andre-Tridon. Jagendorf died in 1981 shortly after the publication of The Magic Boat, a collection of Chinese folk stories. He was the author of over 40 books.

Sources:

• Current Biography 1952, pp. 288-289.
• More Junior Authors, pp. 115-116.
• Something About the Author, vol. 2, pp. 155-156.
• Who's Who in America 1980-1981, 41st edition, p. 1692.

Scope and Content

The Jagendorf Papers are divided into three series: correspondence, books, and unidentified folktales. The correspondence includes 56 letters written to the de Grummond Collection from 1966 to 1978. The three titles represented in the collection date from 1967 to 1979, and they are arranged alphabetically by title. Materials for each title are arranged in the probable order of creation.

The collection holds manuscript and typescript materials for three published books of folktales by Moritz Jagendorf. Jagendorf wrote many drafts of his manuscripts beginning with notes on scrap paper. The stories were then rewritten as many as two to four times. These rewrites were written on scrap paper which included envelopes, junk mail, and the back of correspondences. This miserly use of paper was the product of his childhood in Austria where paper was precious. An interesting example of this can be found in the manuscript for "The Revenge of the Rocks" from Ghostly Folktales (1968). The back of a letter from author James A. Michener was used by Jagendorf as scrap paper. The final manuscript copy was then written on a yellow legal pad. The collection holds examples of all stages of Jagendorf's manuscript revisions.

For Folk Stories of the South (1972), a retelling of folktales from eleven Southern states, the collection holds typescripts for all 95 stories and manuscripts for all nine of the folktales of Texas. Manuscripts in various stages are held for all but one of the stories for Ghostly Folktales (1968), a compilation of ghost stories from around the world. Also, for Kwi-Na the Eagle and Other Indian Tales (1967), the collection holds manuscripts for all but one of the folktales included in the published book.

The collection also holds manuscripts and a few typescripts for nineteen unidentified Native American and Texan folktales.

Series and Subseries

  Box/Folder 

A.  Correspondence

     1/1     To and from the de Grummond Collection, 1966-1971, 1974, 1978, 
              undated; and other correspondent, 56 pieces.


B.  Books

     FOLK STORIES OF THE SOUTH by M.A. Jagendorf, illustrated by
     Michael Parks (New York: Vanguard Press, 1972)

     1/2     Foreword, typescript, 5 pp.

     "The First Tale of Alabama"
     1/3     typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "Fearless Emma"
     1/4     typescript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Don't Drop Into My Soup"
     1/5     typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "Railroad Bill"
     1/6     typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "The Face in the Courthouse Window"
     1/7     typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "How Far Is It to Jacob Cooper's?"
     1/8     typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Battle of Bay Minette" 
     1/9     typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Smartest One in the Woods"
     1/10    typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "False Alarm"
     1/11    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.
     
     "The Arkansas Traveler"
     1/12    typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "How Red Strawberries Brought Peace in the Woods"
     1/13    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Proud Tale of David Dodd"
     1/14    typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "The Bull Didn't Have a Chance"
     1/15    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Sad-Lovely End of Wilhelmina Inn"
     1/16    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Judge and the Baseball Pitching Indian Chief"
     1/17    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.
     
     "Sam Hudson the Great"
     1/18    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "In Arkansas Stick to Bears; Don't Mess with Swampland Skeeters"
     1/19    typescript, with corrections, 5pp.

     "The Daring of Yellow Doc"
     1/20    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "A Tale of Steep-Stair Town"
     1/21    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Colonel Teaches the Judge a Lesson in Good Manners"
     1/22    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Lost Treasure"
     1/23    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Great Conjure-Alligator-Man of Florida"
     1/24    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Nobody Sees a Mockingbird on Friday"
     1/25    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Tale of Lura Lou"
     1/26    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Dixie, the Knight of the Silver Spurs"
     1/27    typescript, with corrections, 3 pp.
     
     "Way Deep Down in the Okefenokee Swamps"
     1/28    typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Bridal Chamber of Silver Springs"
     1/29    typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "Daddy Mention and Sourdough Gus"
     1/30    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Song of the Cherokee Rose"
     1/31    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "Dan McGirth and His Gray Goose Mare"
     1/32    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Tale of the Daughters of the Sun"
     1/33    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "Georgy Piney-Woods Peddler"
     1/34    typescript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "The Curse of Lorenzo Dow"
     1/35    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.
     
     "Hoozah for Fearless Ladies and Fearless Deeds"
     1/36    typescript, with corrections, 10 pp.

     "Fearless Nancy Hart"
     1/37    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Silver Snake of Louisiana"
     1/38    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Fairy Web for Mr. Durand's Daughters"
     1/39    typescript, with corrections, 8 pp.
     
     "The Life of Annie Christmas"
     1/40    typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "Gray Moss on Green Trees"
     1/41    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Bridal Ghost Dinner"
     1/42    typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "One Pair of Blue Satin Slippers and Four Clever Maids"
     1/43    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Silver Bell of Cheniere Caminada"
     1/44    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Three Great Men at Peace"
     1/45    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Song in the Sea"
     2/1     manuscript, with corrections, 5 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 3 pp.

     "The Living Colors of the Twenty-first"
     2/2     typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Ghost Wedding in Everhope"
     2/3     typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Ring Around the Tree"
     2/4     typescript, with corrections, 3 pp.

     "Tar-Wolf Tale"
     2/5     manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Mike Hooter and the Smart Bears in Mississippi"
     2/6     typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Sad Tale of the Half-Shaven Head"
     2/7     typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Guess Who!"
     2/8     typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Savage Birds of Bald Mountain"
     2/9     typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.
     
     "The White Doe"
     2/10    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Tale of the Hairy Toe"
     2/11    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Revolution of the Ladies of Edenton"
     2/12    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Nollichucky Jack"
     2/13    typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "Pirate Blackbeard's Deep-Sea End"
     2/14    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Ways of the Lord"
     2/15    typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Man, the White Steed, and the Wondrous Wood"
     2/16    typescript, with corrections, 9 pp.

     "The Mystery of Theodosia Burr"
     2/17    typescript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Shake Hands with a Yankee"
     2/18    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Tragic Tale of Fenwick Hall"
     2/19    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Emily's Famous Meal"
     2/20    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Chickens Come Home to Roost"
     2/21    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.
     
     "Ah-Dunno Ben"
     2/22    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Tale of Rebecca Motte"
     2/23    typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Perpetual Motion in the Sea"
     2/24    typescript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "Young Sherman and the Girl from Charleston"
     2/25    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Kate, the Bell Witch"
     2/26    typescript, with corrections, 9 pp.

     "The Best Laugh is the Last"
     2/27    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Fiddler's Rock"
     2/28    typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Trust Not a New Friend"
     2/29    typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Come and Laugh with Bobby Gum"
     2/30    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Ghost Who Wasn't a Ghost"
     2/31    typescript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Big Sixteen"
     2/32    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Ghost the Whole Town Knew"
     2/33    typescript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "The Power of Woman and the Strength of Man"
     2/34    typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "The Gladiator, the Belle, and the Good Snowstorm"
     2/35    typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Beale Street Folks"
     2/36    typescript, with corrections, 9 pp.

     "The Karankawa from the Great Gleaming Oyster Shells"
     2/37    manuscript, with corrections, 5 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "How Joe Became Snaky Joe"
     2/38    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The White Buffalo"
     2/39    manuscript, with corrections, 14 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Ghost of Stampede Mesa"
     2/40    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Only in Texas"
     2/41    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Texas Centipede Coffee"
     2/42    manuscript, with corrections, 10 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Of Sam Bass"
     2/43    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Horse Trading in Wichita Falls"
     2/44    manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Lafitte's Great Treasure"
     2/45    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Hercules in Virginia"
     3/1     typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "All on a Summer's Day"
     3/2     typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Merry Tale of Belle Boyd"
     3/3     manuscript, with corrections, various pages and versions

     3/4     typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Two Foxes"
     3/5     typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Black Ghost Dog"
     3/6     typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Grace Sherwood the Woman None Could Scare"
     3/7     typescript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "...Thanks to Patrick Henry"
     3/8     typescript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     Miscellaneous pages
     3/9     3 pp.

     Review
     3/10    NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW, 27 January 1974


     GHOSTLY FOLKTALESby M.A. Jagendorf, illustrated by Oscar
     Liebman (Morristown, New Jersey: Silver Burdett Company, 1968)

     "The Coffinmaker's Ghost Party"
     3/11    manuscript, with corrections, 12 pp.

     "The Revenge of the Rocks"
     3/12    manuscript, with corrections, 49 pp.

     3/13    manuscript, with corrections, marked "2nd," 39 pp.

     3/14    manuscript, with corrections, marked "beginnings," 10 pp.

     "The Courageous Cossack"
     3/15    manuscript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Magic Horse"
     3/16    manuscript, with corrections, marked "2nd," 42 pp.

     3/17    manuscript, with corrections, marked "3rd copy," 13 pp.

     "The Battle of the City and the Sea"
     3/18    manuscript, with corrections, 10 pp.

     "The Great Wood Spirit and the Ghostly Reindeer"
     3/19    manuscript, with corrections, 14 pp.

     "Beat the Devil Three Times and You Win"
     3/20    manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Black Magic Night"
     3/21    manuscript, with corrections, 7 pp.
     
     "Good Luck from the Devil"
     3/22    manuscript, with corrections, 10 pp.
     
     "The Tale of the Hairy Toe"
     3/23    manuscript, with pasted typescript sections, 3 pp.

     "The Wee Bold Woman"
     3/24    manuscript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "The Willow Tree Wife"
     3/25    manuscript, with corrections, 14 pp.
     

     KWI-NA THE EAGLE AND OTHER INDIAN TALES by M.A. Jagendorf,
     illustrated by Jack Endewelt (Morristown, New Jersey: Silver Burdett Company,
     (1967).  Also published as TALES FROM THE FIRST AMERICANS by
     Moritz A. Jagendorf, illustrated by Jack Endewelt (Morristown, New Jersey:
     Silver Burdett Company, 1979).

     Preface
     4/1     manuscript, with corrections, 3 pp.

     "How Corn Came to the Indians"
     4/2     manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Honeyed Words Can't Sweeten Evil"
     4/3     manuscript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "Ma'nabus"
     4/4     manuscript, with corrections, 7 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "The Great Father Mosquito"
     4/5     manuscript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Sad Marriage of North"
     4/6     manuscript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "The Adventures of the Seneca Chief"
     4/7     manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "The Cranes of the Great Lakes"
     4/8     manuscript, with corrections, 4 pp.

     "Gluska'be, the Penobscot Hero"
     4/9     manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.

     "The Eskimo Indian and His Fox Wife"
     4/10    manuscript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "In the Beginning"
     4/11    manuscript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "The Enchanted Mountain"
     4/12    manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "How the Rabbit Got the Best of Coyote"
     4/13    manuscript, with corrections, 5 pp.
     
     "In the Days of the Great Buffalo"
     4/14    manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "Kwi-na the Eagle"
     4/15    manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "The Water Maiden of the Navajo"
     4/16    manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "South Wind and His Golden-Haired Love"
     4/17    manuscript, with corrections, 3 pp.

     Miscellaneous page
     4/18    1 p.


C. Unidentified Folktales

     "Addie No Fear"
     4/19    manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Witch in the Church"
     4/20    manuscript, with corrections, 7 pp.

     "The Sad Tale of the Wiggely-Fence"
     4/21    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.
             typescript, with corrections, notes, 1 p.

     "Rooter Dogs in Texas Land"
     4/22    manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Panthers in the Sky"
     4/23    manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Innocent Man & the Guilty..."
     4/24    manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Rattlesnakes on the Chest"
     4/25    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.

     "Glass-Coffin Antics"
     4/26    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.

     "Long-Life Air in Texas Land"
     4/27    manuscript, with corrections, 8 pp.

     "Paul Bunyan Down in Texas"
     4/28    manuscript, with corrections, 9 pp.

     "Foolish, Knee-High Man"
     4/29    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Insert Preface"
     4/30    manuscript, with corrections, 1 p.

     "How the Old Indian Woman Got Her Venison"
     4/31    manuscript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "Untitled manuscript"
     4/3     28 pp.

     "How the World Began"
     4/33    manuscript, with corrections, 7 pp.
     
     4/34    typescript, with corrections, 5 pp.

     "What the Choctaw People Did at the Beginning"
     4/35    manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "How the World Was Created"
     4/36    manuscript, with corrections, 6 pp.

     "The Indian Witch Who Couldn't Win"
     4/37    manuscript, with corrections, 10 pp.

     "The Corn Maiden of the Zuni People"
     4/38    manuscript, with corrections, 7 pp.
  

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