THE LOUIS BROMFIELD COLLECTION:
GUIDE AND INVENTORY
SPEC.CMS.95

INTRODUCTION

Louis Bromfield was born on December 27, 1896 in Mansfield, Ohio. After studying agriculture at Cornell University and journalism at Columbia University, Bromfield served in the American Field Service during World War I and was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor medals. After a brief return to the United States, Bromfield and his wife returned to Europe where they lived in France until 1938.

In the early 1920’s Bromfield turned to fiction writing and was an instant critical success with the publication of his first book, The Green Bay Tree, in 1924. Bromfield enjoyed continued, popular success over the next three decades and won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for Early Autumn. Bromfield returned to central Ohio in 1938 when he turned his attention to sustainable farming and soil management. At his Malabar Farm, Bromfield put into practice many of the theoretical principles of scientific farming.

In his later life, despite his fame as a writer of fiction, Bromfield more and more turned his attention to non-fiction: in particular, agronomy. Much of Bromfield’s scientific writing has become a permanent addition to the study of agriculture.

The Louis Bromfield Collection was officially deposited at the Ohio State University at Mansfield on June 20, l977 as witnessed in “The Custody Agreement for Documentary Materials of the Late Louis Bromfield,” as expedited by the “Trustees under the Will of Louis Bromfield, Messrs. Chauncey Belknap and Richard G. Moser.” The collection includes: (1) the papers, manuscripts and letters, records and files pertaining to the books and publications of Louis Bromfield and writings and reference to his personal business, the management of his property, business affairs and personal writings between the members of his family and friends; (2) the books by Louis Bromfield in his library at Malabar Farm which are not necessary to provide the State of Ohio with a representative collection of his works; and, (3) files and correspondence which the Trustees obtained from Harper & Row, Inc.

The Collection was relocated to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library of The Ohio State University Libraries in July 1998.

The finding aid was compiled by John Frederick, M.L.S., Autumn 1998.