William J. Lederer Papers

Lederer wrote many articles throughout his career. Topics of these articles include geopolitical events, lifestyle advice/commentary, and short stories (both fiction and non-fiction).Where it is known, the publication in which an article appeared is noted in the content section.

All the Ships at Sea was the first book Lederer wrote and published. Written in his humorous style, it recounts his career in the Navy starting in 1930 when he enlisted.

This was Lederer's follow-up to All the Ships at Sea. It is a work of fiction but draws from Lederer's experience in the Navy during World War II.

Published in 1984, I, Giorghos tells the story of George Adamson, an American who flees the country to escape his problems and seeks renewal in Greece. Correspondence with editor Marian Johnson of W.W. Norton and Company offers unique insight into Lederer's internal authorial process. Lederer explains his literary intent and decision-making, as well as his protagonist's, and perhaps his own, writing process: "it is done with great gulps of breath, great speed, and the untidiness characteristic of the intuitive flow. Sometimes ...with uncertainty and painful hesitation."

Also referred to in the documents as "The Happiest Man in Canada" and "Grand Old Man of the North," this extended article describes a man named Herman Smith-Johannsen. Lederer met Johannsen while cross country skiing and was surprised to learn he was 94 years old. Lederer interviewed Johannsen and wrote about him in the hopes of inspiring others to be as adventuresome and robust into their old age.

In 1962, Lederer took a trip to the Philippines in order to interview and research Diosdado Macapagal, then president of the country. This subseries consists of Lederer's notes for the articles, including his travel journal, correspondence and drafts, as well as gathered documents on Macapagal including his speeches, photographs, and ephemera.

Soon after publishing his first book on marriage, co-authored with Don D. Jackson, Lederer began working on a second book on the same topic. His approach to this book appears to be conflicted, at times organizing the content by assignments for couples and at other times organizing it by daily activities. In the end, the content for each approach does not seem to be all that different--both books propose a five-week program for improving relationships--even though the outlines are distinct. Ultimately, both manuscripts, written and revised simultaneously, were published: the first as Martial Choices in 1981 and the second as Creating a Good Relationship, a revised edition of Marital Choices, in 1984. Drafts for the two works are included together so they can be considered as they were written, side-by-side.

Early in the process of research and writing Marital Choices, Lederer consulted Richard Stuart on the book's direction and content. Based on correspondence, it appears that Stuart collaborated closely with Lederer, even contributing text for the book. It is not clear when or how this collaboration ended, but Stuart is not credited as a co-author for either Martial Choices or Creating a Good Relationship.

Co-authored with Don D. Jackson, Mirages of Marriage was the first of three books Lederer wrote on marriage and relationships. According to the publisher's note, Lederer conceived of the idea to write a book on "a new approach to the problems of marriage" shortly before he met Dr. Jackson. The two exchanged viewpoints on the topic and soon decided to collaborate. By August 1964, Lederer showed his editor, Eric Swenson, at W.W. Norton a rough outline of the book and Swenson was enthusiasitc enough about the project that he urged Jackson to do the same so he could present the proposal to the editorial board.

Although underway by 1964, the bulk of the work took place during 1966-1967. As with all of Lederer's books this one underwent significant editing and re-writing. In fact, in an early letter of interest, Jackson cites Lederer's editorial process as an appeal of the partnership: "I would still like to tie you in with this project in some way, since it would give me the benefit of your editing." The bulk of the collaboraiton took place via mail through an exchange of notes, drafts, and audographs.

Throughout 1959 and 1960, Lederer wrote and revised a manuscript under the working title of "The Unnamed Book" and sometimes refered to as "The Asia Book" as a response to public reactions to The Ugly American (1958). The numerous revised drafts of this manuscript exhibit Lederer's representative writing and editing process. Through 1959 and into 1960, Lederer wrote and revised the book by chapter, keeping the various chapter drafts together with related notes. As such, drafts of chapters are filed under the chapter title used at the time of creation. At other times, when Lederer edited the book as a whole, full drafts of the revised manuscript are filed together.

In 1960, The "Unnamed Book" manuscript transformed with uncharacteristically little documentation into the A Nation of Sheep (1961). By comparing the later versions of The "Unnamed Book" to the final, published version of A Nation of Sheep, it is clear that hundreds of pages and more than a dozen chapters were edited out of the early version, resulting in a less anecdotal, more concise tone in the final published version. At times the final version of chapters retain only the general theme or subject matter of the earlier version, while altering much or all of the language used in previous drafts. Many of the final chapter titles in the published work are very different from the working titles as they appear in earlier drafts of the manuscript.

Lederer revised the text and organiztion of Our Own Worst Enemey a number of times throughout the end of 1967 and the start of 1968. During September and October 1967 each chapter was revised numerous times and the versions were kept together along with related notes. As Lederer began to refine and organize the content of the final manuscript, he kept full versions of the draft as a whole instead of breaking the copy up into individual chapter drafts. Thus drafts of chapters written in 1967 are filed under the chapter title used at the time of creation. Full drafts of the book revised in 1968 are filed together in page order. The final chapter titles in the published work are very differnt from the working titles as they appear in 1967 and part of 1968.

Lederer received much input about the content and organization of the the book, which continued to be revised and refined through early 1968. Correspondence and transcripts of recorded converations with William Sloane of the Rutgers University Press and Eric Swenson of W. W. Norton & Co. shed much light on evolution of the book's content and composition.

Sarkhan, published in 1965, was Lederer's second collaboration with Eugene Burdick. Correspondence among Lederer, Burdick, and editor Edward Kuhn document the collaboration between the two authors. Chapters were often written and edited separately; chapter drafts have been kept together and are arranged by chapter number.

After the book was published, Lederer faced some difficulties when promoting the book. Various contacts he had in the media told him anonymously that the CIA had ordered the supression of Sarkhan. Lederer made several requests to the CIA for information. He included all of this in a preface for the republished version of the book.

Described as a universal tale in the book's afterward, Lederer labored over the Story of Pink Jade as he labored over no other book. Always a meticulous editor of his own writing, the editorial process of this work seemed to take on a life of its own. Beginning in 1950, he experimented with several approaches to telling the story, including legend style and verse, before abandoning it in1954. More than a decade later, Lederer returned to the tale determined to complete it. These later drafts include comments by several of Lederer's friends and colleagues as well as numerous re-writes. The book, so different from Lederer's other works, was finally published in 1966. A copy of the published work with heavy annotations in Lederer's hand represents perhaps another version of the tale.

Timothy's Song, published in 1965, was Lederer's first children's book. He worked on this book as a whole, editing full drafts of the manuscript at once. When dated, revised drafts of the book are arranged together by date. Materials include correspondence with award winning illustrator Edward Ardizzone.

Published in 1958, The Ugly American became Lederer's and co-writer Eugene Burdick's best known book, as well as an American bestseller. While no early drafts or notes are included, there are later typescript drafts of the novel that show thoughtful editing for grammar, sentence structure, and word choice, possibly allowing a glimpse at some of the final edits made before the book was published. Chapters are grouped by their working titles which often, though not always, coincide with the final published chapter titles.

This series includes resources about Lederer and his writing career. They include biographical information, reviews, and interviews. Items which discuss one specific writing by Lederer are organized under that writing's series, these items are about his writing career in a more general sense.

Institute of International Education