2019-01-08 Guide to the Paul S. Powers Papers, 1870s-2007 SPEC.RARE.CMS.0395 Finding aid prepared by Tom Shannon Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2014 March

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 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2019-01-23T10:56-0500 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Paul S. Powers Papers SPEC.RARE.CMS.0395 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 3.75 Cubic feet 1870s-2007 Author Paul S. Powers (a.k.a Ward Stevens) was a Western pulp fiction writer active during the 1920s through the 1940s. He is the creator of the fictional characters Sonny Tabor and Kid Wolf. The Paul S. Powers Papers contain correspondence, original story and book manuscripts, photographs, journals, reviews, artwork, newspaper articles, scrapbooks and a radio transcription, spanning 1870s-2007. (6) 5" letter document boxes; (1) 2.5" legal document box; (2) oversize flat boxes English Powers, Paul S. (Paul Sylvester), 1905-1971 Arrangement of Materials

Materials in the Paul S. Powers Papers are arranged in the following series and subseries:

Series 1: Personal Papers

Series 2: Professional Papers

Subseries 2.1: Correspondence

Subseries 2.2: Artwork

Subseries 2.3: Manuscripts

 Acquisition Information

Donated by: Laurie Powers and Patricia and Ted Binkley, 2013 December

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Paul S. Powers Papers, SPEC.RARE.CMS.0395, Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, Ohio State University

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains a long-playing record.

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Thompson Library Special Collections reading room only.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Tom Shannon, 2014 March; Finding aid written by: Tom Shannon, 2014 March

 Biographical Note

Author Paul S. Powers (a.k.a Ward Stevens) was born in Little River, Kansas in 1905. He moved to the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1920s, at which time he began his professional writing career. Powers was a successful Western pulp fiction writer and was published extensively in the 1920s and 1930s in Wild West Weekly magazine. He created the western characters Sonny Tabor and Kid Wolf. Powers also wrote science fiction and fantasy stories for Weird Tales magazine, and was the author of a western novel, Doc Dillahay, published by Macmillan in 1948.

Powers was married twice and had three children from his first marriage: sons John and Tom and daughter Pat. In later life, he worked at a used bookstore in Berkeley, California, where he specialized in books dealing with Western Americana. Powers died in Berkeley in 1971. Powers' autobiography, Pulp Writer- Twenty Years in the American Grub Street, was published in 2007.

 Scope and Content

The Paul S. Powers Papers contain correspondence, original story and book manuscripts, photographs, journals, reviews, artwork, newspaper articles, scrapbooks and a long-playing radio transcription record. The collection was compiled by Laurie Powers, Paul S. Powers' granddaughter. The collection is dated 1870s-2007.

 Separated Materials

Books and original issues of magazines with stories by Paul S. Powers (a.k.a. Ward M. Stevens) were originally received with the materials found now in the Paul S. Powers Papers. These materials are now accessible through the Ohio State University Libraries catalog, including:

10 Story Book Buckskin and Bullets: A Kid Wolf Story Desert Justice: A Kid Wolf Story Desert Justice: A Sonny Tabor Quartet Doc Dillahay Everybody's Digest Exciting Western Hidden ghosts: The Lost Stories of Paul S. Powers The Hill-billy "Round Up" Song Book: Chorus Words and Music Johnny Forty-five: A Western Kid Wolf of Texas: A Western Story Lone Trail Westerns Popular Western Pulp Writer: Twenty Years in the American Grub Street Range Riders Western The Ranger and the Cowboy: A Sonny Tabor Story Real Detective Tales & Mystery Stories Riding the Pulp Trail Rio Kid Western Six-Gun Doctor Six-Gun Sundowner Spook Riders on the Overland: A Freckles Malone Story Street & Smith's Western Story Texas Rangers Thrilling Ranch Stories Thrilling Western Thrilling Wonder Stories Wanted: Sonny Tabor Wanted: Sonny Tabor: A Western Story Wanted: Sonny Tabor: A Western Story Weird Tales West Wild West Weekly Macmillan Publishers. Powers, Paul S. (Paul Sylvester), 1905-1971 Street and Smith Publications. Authors, American--20th century Magazine illustration--20th century Periodicals--Publishing Pulp literature, American Radio programs Western stories Personal Papers Series 1 1910s-1960s Scope and Contents note

The Personal Papers series contains non-business letters written to and from Paul S. Powers, photographs, a notebook, journals, and a scrapbook. The materials are dated 1910s-1960s. They are arranged alphabetically by topic or titles based on formats.

 Boo Gulch Historical Society 2 9 1950s Braille Institute of America (oversize) 8 79 1950 Fan letters 1 5 1940-1950 From Paul. S. Powers 1 1 1930s-1960s Goodspeed's Bookshop (book collecting) 1 6-7 1950s-1960s Journal 5 71 1951-1953 Journal Book Record of Mss 6 73 1920s Letters to Paul S. Powers from other writers 1 4 1940s Miscellaneous 1 8 1910s-1960s Notebook 6 72 1920s-1950s Photos of Paul S. Powers 7 10 1910s-1960s Relatives 1 2-3 1930s-1960s Scrapbook (oversize) 9 1920s-1930s Professional Papers Series 2 1870s-2007 Scope and Contents

The Professional Papers series contains business correspondence, artwork relating to published works, and original typed manuscripts and reviews. It is arranged into three subseries: Correspondence, Artwork, and Manuscripts. The materials are dated 1870s-2007.

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains a long-playing record.

 Correspondence Subseries 2.1 1870s-1980s, 2007 Scope and Contents

The Correspondence subseries contains professional correspondence dated from the 1920s-1960s. The materials are arranged alphabetically by topic, format, or published title.

 Doc Dillahay correspondence 3 19 1940s Doc Dillahay reviews 3 20 1949 Letters from publishers 3 21 1940s-1950s Letters from publishers 3 22 1940s-1950s Macmillan Publishers Re: Doc Dillahay 3 17 1940s Macmillan Publishers Re: Doc Dillahay 3 18 1940s Miscellaneous letters and articles 3 23 1910s-1970s Miscellaneous letters and articles 4 24 1870s-1950s "Pulp Writer" book reviews 8 78 2007 Street & Smith Publishers 2 11 1928-1936 Street & Smith Publishers 2 12 1937-1941 Street & Smith Publishers 2 13 1942-1944 Sydney Sanders and Jacques Chamburn (agents) 2 14 1940s-1950s Syracuse University Street & Smith Archives 2 16 1980s Artwork Subseries 2.2 1920s-1940s, 1994 Scope and Contents note

The Artwork subseries contains original and reproduced drawings and prints relating to the characters in Powers' stories and books, created by professional artists hired by the publishers. The material is dated 1920s-1940s, and 1994. They are arranged alphabetically by format or given title.

 Prints of Sonny Tabor & Kid Wolf 2 77 1930s-1940s The Silver Kid (oversize drawing) 8 80 1994 Sonny Tabor (oversize drawing) 8 81 1994 Wild West Weekly artwork (drawings) 2 15 1920s-1940s Manuscripts Subseries 2.2 1920s-1950s Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains a long-playing record.

 Scope and Contents

The Manuscripts subseries contains original type-written story and book manuscripts, as well as published reviews relating to these works. The radio transcription is an LP and was produced by Street and Smith Publishers. The materials are dated 1920s-1950s. Materials are arranged chronologically, then alphabetically by published title, topic, or format.

 Ah, Sweet Mystery 5 56 1920s-1950s The Burial Of Sir John Golden-Ears 4 29 1920s-1950s An Embrace At Bell Chapel 5 54 1920s-1950s I'll Drive In California 5 53 1920s-1950s The Killer Talks 5 57 1920s-1950s The Killing On Sutter Street 4 31 1920s-1950s The Laugh At Weeping Creek 5 59 1920s-1950s Little Stories Of A Little Town 5 61 1920s-1950s Man Killer 4 44 1920s-1950s Mine Kamp 4 52 1920s-1950s Murder In The Treasury 4 30 1920s-1950s My Three Years In California 5 58 1920s-1950s Notes On "Justice Of Quick Trigger Pulp" 5 70 1920s-1950s One Way Trip 4 33 1920s-1950s Out Of Darkness Fallen 4 50 1920s-1950s Paul S. Powers Poetry 5 69 1920s-1950s Pulp Writer 5 67 1920s-1950s The Quick Black Fox 5 55 1920s-1950s Two Ladies Or The Tiger 5 60 1920s-1950s A Visit From Mama 4 51 1920s-1950s Wanted Dead, ...The Utah Kid 5 62 1920s-1950s Wine Without Music 4 32 1920s-1950s The Young Dillahays 5 66 1920s-1950s Life Magazine Article (original & photocopy) 6 74 1928 Yellow Glass 4 25 1930s To Steal A Ranch 4 28 1930s-1950s The Adventures of Dr. John Dillahay (1 of 3) 6 83 1940s The Adventures of Dr. John Dillahay (2 of 3) 6 84 1940s The Adventures of Dr. John Dillahay (3 of 3) 6 85 1940s By the Neck Until Dead 4 34 1940s Radio Transcription LP "Sonny Tabor- The Arizona Ranger" 8 82 1940s Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

(1) long-playing record

 Guns At Jailbird Ranch 4 37 1943 Murder On The Hoof 4 36 1943 Of Man's First Disobedience & the Fruit 4 41 1943 The Monsters of Dr. Pellini 7 46 1944 Strange Death Of Ambrose Bierce 4 27 1946 Eviction Guns On Rio Rojo 5 64 1947 Gun Reckoning At Scorpion Bend 4 35 1947 Of Devil's Broth, One Teaspoonful 4 47 1947 Plague On All Your Houses! 4 49 1947 Vengeance Rides By Moonlight 5 65 1947 Doc Dillahay- duplicate proof 7 68 1948 Doc Dillahay- Western Producer (syndicated book) 6 75 1949 Ghost Town Editor 4 38 1949 The Cat From Eagle Pass 7 45 1950 The Bookish Doctors 4 42 1951 Monumento 99 4 39 1951 The Windmill Man 4 43 1951 Calling Lincoln Penny 4 40 1953 The Tired Bull 5 63 1953 Texa 4 26 1953 Sting Of The Scorpion 4 48 1955