|
The
Glenn Balch Papers (MSS 174)
Scope and Content
Glenn Balch’s papers relate primarily to his writing career. They date
primarily from 1936 to the time of his death, although there are some family
photos (including his baby picture) that go back to 1902. The predominant
materials in the collection are typescripts of short stories, articles, and
novels, both published and unpublished; magazines containing stories and
articles he wrote; contracts, royalty statements, and sales reports; reviews of
his books; clippings about him; photos; and autobiographical writings.
The collection also contains a few personal letters and some business
correspondence, but by and large, the correspondence files are not extensive.
The collection is divided into nine series:
1.
Biographical
and personal papers
2.
Business
papers
3.
Articles
and essays (Typescripts)
4.
Stories
(Typescripts)
5.
Novels
(Typescripts)
6.
Photographs
7.
Galley
proofs and magazines
8.
Additions
9.
Memorabilia
and Oversize
More detailed listings for each series follow.
The Glenn Balch collection was donated to Boise State
University in 1998 by his four children, Betty Weston, Mary Birch, Nikki Balch
Stilwell, and Olin Balch. The
family has also donated copies of his books to Boise State University.
Circulating copies are found in the library’s Curriculum Resource
Center, and non-circulating copies are available in Special Collections.
In 2002, the Library mounted an exhibit commemorating the centennial of
Glenn Balch's birth. Some of the images from the exhibit are available
online.
Inclusive
dates: 1902
-1989
Collection
size: 7 ft. (in 15 boxes) plus
memorabilia
Collection number: MSS 174
Processed by: Alan Virta,
2001-2002
Series
I: Biographical and Personal Papers
Glenn Balch’s biographical
papers (Folder 1) include publicity sketches, newspaper features, and
biographical entries from reference books, along with his obituary.
His application to be Idaho Writer-in-Residence (Folder 2) also includes
biographical detail, as do two memoirs, “Dogs I’ve Known” and “Man to
War,” a memoir of his World War II service.
“Man to War” contains rich, detailed descriptions of daily life in
India and Casablanca, Morocco. Military
papers also include a script he wrote while with the 1st Motion
Picture Unit in California, 1943. An autobiography (33
pages), written in the 1980s and covering Balch's life through World War II, was
added to the collection in 2007 and is located in Series VIII, Additions (Box
14, Folder 10).
Glenn
Balch did not save much of his correspondence over the years.
There are a few pieces of fan mail in the collection, one long letter
from illustrator Paul Bransom (1939), and several letters he wrote in the 1960s
to his daughter Mary. The letters
to Mary are the most personal items in the collection, full of fatherly advice,
comments on family matters, and his opinions on the Vietnam War. After the
collection was processed, the family donated a letter to Balch from Ernest
Hemingway, along with an autographed and inscribed copy of To Have and Have
Not. A copy of the letter can be found in Series VIII (Additions, Box
14).
This
series also includes published reviews and publicity for many of Glenn Balch’s
books. Additional biographical and
review clippings can be found in the Glenn Balch file in Special Collections’
Idaho writers information file (MSS 88, file 115).
Box 1:
Biographical and Personal Papers
Folder 1
Biographical information
Folder 2
Writer-in-Residence application: 1987
Folder 3
“Dogs I’ve Known” (part
one)
Folder 4
“Dogs I’ve Known” (part
two)
Folder 5
“Man to War” (pp.
1-107): ca. 1945
Folder 6
“Man to War” (pp.
108-206): ca. 1945
Folder 7
Lists of books by Glenn Balch
Folder 8
Correspondence: 1957-1975
Folder 9
Correspondence: Birch, Mary: 1963-2000
Folder 10
Correspondence: Bransom, Paul: 1939
Folder 11
Correspondence: Columbia Pictures: 1940
Folder 12
Military records: 1945-1963
Folder 13
Military records: Rosters: 1940-1943
Folder 14
Military records: Script, “AAF Classification”: 1943
Folder 15
Story notes
Folder 16
Reviews and Publicity: 1953-1988
Folder 17
Reviews and Publicity: Christmas Horse: 1949-1990
Folder 18
Reviews and Publicity: Hide-Rack: 1939
Folder 19
Reviews and Publicity: Horse of Two Colors: 1969-1970
Folder 20
Reviews and Publicity: Indian Paint: 1965
Series
II: Business Papers
This
series consists of agreements (contracts) Glenn Balch made with his major
publisher, Thomas Y. Crowell, and sales reports and royalty statements, along
with some business correspondence with the Crowell company.
See also Series VIII (Additions) for more Agreements.
Editorial correspondence with Robert Crowell concerning the novel Tiger
Roan is found in SeriesV.
Box 1: Business Papers
Folder
21
Business correspondence: Thomas Y. Crowell
Company, 1955-1985
Folder 22
Contracts, Rights: Miscellaneous
Folder 23
Agreements: The Brave Riders, 1958-1964
Folder 24
Agreements: Christmas Horse, 1949
Folder 25
Agreements: The Flaxy Mare, 1966
Folder 26
Agreements: Grass Greed, 1959, 1987
Folder 27
Agreements: Guns in Short Grass, 1956
Folder 28
Agreements: Hide-Rack Returns, 1958
Folder 29
Agreements: Horse in Danger, 1959
Folder 30
Agreements: Horse of Two Colors, 1968
Folder 31
Agreements: Indian Paint, 1942-1949
Folder 32
Agreements: Keeping Horse, 1965
Folder 33
Agreements: Little Hawk, 1956
Folder 34
Agreements: Lost Horse, 1949
Folder 35
Agreements: Riders of the Rio Grande, 1936-1970
Folder 36
Agreements: The Runaways, 1961
Folder 37
Agreements: The Spotted Horse, 1960
Folder 38
Agreements: Stallion King, 1959
Folder 39
Agreements: The Stallion’s Foe, 1962
Folder 40
Agreements: Tiger Roan, 1937-1985
Folder 41
Agreements: White Ruff, 1959
Folder 42
Agreements: Wild Horse, 1947-1950
Folder 43
Agreements: Wild Horse Tamer, 1954,1967
Folder 44
Agreements: Young Sportsman’s Guide to Western Horseback Riding,
1964
Folder 45
Options: Indian Paint, 1959-1962
Box 2: Business Papers
Folder
1
Sales reports, 1937-1953
Folder 2
Royalty statements, 1941
Folder 3
Royalty statements, 1948
Folder 4
Royalty statements, 1949
Folder 5
Royalty statements, 1950
Folder 6
Royalty statements, 1951
Folder 7
Royalty statements, 1952
Folder 8
Royalty statements, 1953
Folder 9
Royalty statements, 1954
Folder 10
Royalty statements, 1955
Folder 11
Royalty statements, 1956
Folder 12
Royalty statements, 1957
Folder 13
Royalty statements, 1958
Folder 14
Royalty statements, 1959
Folder 15
Royalty statements, 1959-1965
Series III: Articles and Essays
Most of these articles and essays are typescripts that concern hunting
and wildlife in Idaho. Most are
undated, and most have no indication whether they were published or not. At least one of them, “Little Benny’s Rug,” is a
typescript made many years later of an article published in Field &
Stream in October 1934. A few
other articles concern horses and dogs and are almost of an autobiographical
nature (e.g., “Seeing Karen Home). “A
Sawtooth-Ache” recounts a perilous cross-country ski trip by Balch and friends
in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains in the 1930s.
Box 2: Articles and Essays
Folder
16
Antelope Trap
Folder 17
The Beautiful Theory of Lead
Folder 18
Big Brother of Mr. Bobwhite
Folder 19
Country Waking Up
Folder 20
Cowboy in Icy Straits
Folder 21
Cowboy in Icy Straits
Folder 22
A Day Spent Hunting
Folder 23
Forgive Me My Cripples
Folder 24
How to Hunt Pheasants
Folder 25
The Hump-Backed Mare:1976
Folder 26
Hunting the Bighorn
Folder 27
Hunting Your Dog
Folder 28
I Never Stole Another Horse
Folder 29
I Never Stole Another Horse
Folder 30
Idaho, Gem of the Mountains (offprint):1950
Folder 31
Little Benny’s Rug: 1934
Folder 32
Mountain Elk: 1951
Folder 33
The Nineteenth Duck
Folder 34
Pointer on the River
Folder 35
The Psychology of Wingshot
Folder 36
The Return of the Pronghorn
Folder 37
Run, Horse, Run
Folder 38
A Sawtooth-Ache
Folder 39
Seeing Karen Home
Folder 40
Seeing Karen Home
Folder 41
Shoot to Kill
Folder 42
A Tale of Two Horses
Folder 43
A Tale of Two Horses
Folder 44
The Truth of the Fable
Folder 45
The Wary Hungarian
Folder 46
Wild Horse Roundup
Folder 47
Untitled [New York police]
Series
IV: Stories
These typescripts of stories are, in the main, undated, with no
indication of whether they were published or not.
Most cover familiar themes of hunting, dogs, and horses, and several
(e.g. “Roarin’ River Roundup” and “The Pseudo-Dude”) are set in the
Idaho backcountry. A few of the
stories are different: “Saints Do Not Protect” and “Stag Party,” for
example, are pieces of fiction written in a hard-boiled style more reminiscent
of James M. Cain or Raymond Chandler than the usual Glenn Balch.
“War’s Hell on Women, Too” is a story from World War II, set in the
jungles of south Asia. Written during the war, it is stamped with the approval
of a military censor.
Box 2: Stories
Folder
48
Advice Taken
Folder 49
An Affair of the Heart
Folder 50
Bill Gaines’ Partner (pp. 1-2, 7-12)
Folder 51
The Branding of the Golden Filly
Folder 52
Coroner’s Verdict
Folder 53
Cowboy Land
Box 3: Stories
Folder
1
Cowboy’s Back Pay: 1948
Folder 2
Curfew by Hide-Rack
Folder 3
Double-Crosses
Folder 4
Example by Hide-Rack
Folder 5
The Father of His Son
Folder 6
First Roundup
Folder 7
Gun-Fanner’s Range
Folder 8
The Heart of a Horse
Folder 9
Hide-Rack at Sun Valley
Folder 10
Home a Hero
Folder 11
The Hump-Backed Mare
Folder 12
The Hunter
Folder 13
Let Another Tree Grow
Folder 14
Let Another Tree Grow
Folder 15
Loyalty
Folder 16
Man Sleeping in a Bomber
Folder 17
The Millers’ Mare
Folder 18
Nerve Duel
Folder 19
Night Herd
Folder 20
Out from Pierre’s Hole
Folder 21
Packy and the Long-tailed Cat
Folder 22
Packy, The Rat
Folder 23
Pay for a Buckaroo
Folder 24
The Press Goes A-Hunting
Folder 25
The Pseudo-Dude
Folder 26
Puppies Do Count
Folder 27
The Quarterback: 1959
Folder 28
Quarter-Back Brains
Folder 29
Quarter-Back Brains
Folder 30
Red Shirt
Folder 31
Riding Golden Miller
Folder 32
Roarin’River Roundup
Folder 33
The Saints Did Not Protect
Folder 34
Soldier Come Home (Story outline)
Folder 35
Son of the Wild
Folder 36
Spring Madness
Folder 37
Stag Party
Folder 38
Stampede
Folder 39
Testimony by Blue
Folder 40
Thursday’s Mail
Folder 41
Time of His Life
Folder 42
Time of His Life: Synopsis
Folder 43
Time of His Life: Original synopsis
Folder 44
True to Life
Folder 45
War’s Hell on Women, Too
Folder 46
Untitled fragment, pp. 6-10
Folder 47
Untitled
Series
V: Novels
Contained in this series are typescripts of novels, both published and
unpublished, and one non-fiction work. Some
books are represented by more than one draft, and many typescripts have been
marked up by Glenn Balch and his editors.
Besides a number of his well-known published works, the series contains
four unpublished Westerns and historical novels: Dead Man’s Shadow, Oblige the
Lady, The Red Petticoat, and Why Not Knowing, the latter set in the Nez Perce
and Shoshone country of Idaho and apparently written in 1937, while Balch was in
New York. There are two versions of
an Idaho political novel, Statehouse, set during a gubernatorial campaign and
perhaps reflecting Balch’s own experiences as a political writer and aide.
Another novel, Blaze of Glory, is a story about polo players.
Balch’s favorite novel, Tiger Roan, is not represented by a typescript,
but there is some pre-publication editorial correspondence concerning the story
development and potential audience. The
novel Indian Paint is represented by a radio script and two screenplays.
Box 4: Novels
Folder 1 Basque
Boy and Many Sheep (pp. 1-70)
Folder 2 Basque
Boy and Many Sheep (pp. 71-148)
Folder 3 Blaze
of Glory (pp. 1-83)
Folder 4 Blaze
of Glory (pp. 84-174)
Folder 5 The
Brave Riders (pp. 1-78)
Folder 6 The
Brave Riders (pp. 79-140)
Folder 7 The
Brave Trail: Characters, Outline
Folder 8 Buck,
Wild
Folder 9 Buck,
Wild
Folder 10 Buck, Wild:
Letter to Marjorie Clark, 1974
Folder 11 Buck, Wild: Edited typescript (pp. 1-26)
Folder 12 Buck, Wild:
Edited typescript (pp. 27-54)
Folder 13 Buck, Wild:
Edited typescript (pp. 55-78)
Folder 14 Buck, Wild: Edited typescript (pp. 79-103)
Folder 15 Buck, Wild:
Variant pages
Folder 16 Buck, Wild:
Loose editorial slips
Folder 17 Buck, Wild:
Typesetter’s copy
Box 5: Novels
Folder 1 Dead
Man’s Shadow (pp. 1-77)
Folder 2 Dead
Man’s Shadow (pp. 78-161)
Folder 3
Dead Man’s Shadow / Back-Tracking Death (pp. 1-90)
Folder 4 Dead
Man’s Shadow / Back-Tracking Death (pp. 91-187)
Folder 5 The
Flaxy Mare: Version one
Folder 6 The
Flaxy Mare: Version two (pp. 1-48a)
Folder 7 The
Flaxy Mare: Version two (pp. 48b-104)
Folder 8 The
Flaxy Mare: Version three (pp. 1-75)
Folder 9 The
Flaxy Mare: Version three (pp. 76-132)
Folder 10
The Flaxy Mare: Version four
Folder 11 The Flaxy
Mare: Typesetter’s copy (pp. 1-59)
Folder 12 The Flaxy
Mare: Typesetter’s copy (pp. 60-118)
Folder 13 The Flaxy
Mare: Pages revised by author
Folder 14 The Flaxy Mare: Old pages
Box 6: Novels
Folder 1
Horse of Two Colors (pp. 1-67)
Folder 2 Horse
of Two Colors (pp. 68-130)
Folder 3 Horse
of Two Colors / For a Spotted Stallion
Folder 4
Indian Fur (pp. 1-68)
Folder 5 Indian
Fur (pp. 69-126)
Folder 6 Indian
Fur (pp. 127-197, 245)
Folder 7 Indian
Paint: Radio script: 1949
Folder 8 Indian
Paint: Screenplay by Albert Aley
Folder 9 Indian
Paint: Screenplay by Norman Foster
Folder 10 Keeping Horse
(pp. 1-62)
Folder 11 Keeping Horse
(pp. 63-137)
Folder 12 Keeping Horse:
Typesetter’s copy (pp. 1-59)
Folder 13 Keeping Horse:
Typesetter’s copy (pp. 60-114)
Box 7: Novels
Folder 1
Oblige the Lady: Version A (pp. 1-77)
Folder 2
Oblige the Lady: Version A (pp. 78-151)
Folder 3
Oblige the Lady: Version A (pp. 152-256)
Folder 4
Oblige the Lady: Version B (pp. 1-72)
Folder 5
Oblige the Lady: Version B (pp. 73-137)
Folder 6
Oblige the Lady: Version B (pp. 138-214)
Folder 7 The
Red Petticoat (pp. 1-58)
Folder 8
The Red Petticoat (pp. 59- 126)
Folder 9
The Red Petticoat (pp. 127-187)
Folder 10 The Red
Petticoat (in red binder)
Folder 11 The Red
Petticoat: Revised version (pp. 1-68)
Folder 12 The Red
Petticoat: Revised version (pp. 69-141)
Folder 13 The Red
Petticoat: Revised version (pp. 142-202)
Box 8: Novels
Folder 1 The
Runaways (pp. 1-63)
Folder 2 The
Runaways (pp. 64-129)
Folder 3
The Runaways: Early version (pp. 8-76)
Folder 4
The Runaways: Early version (pp. 77-139)
Folder 5
The Spotted Horse (pp. 1-69)
Folder 6
The Spotted Horse (pp. 70-163)
Folder 7
The Stallion King: Synopsis
Folder 8
Statehouse: Geographical key
Folder 9 Statehouse
(pp. 1-78)
Folder 10 Statehouse
(pp. 79-159)
Folder 11 Statehouse
(pp. 160-238)
Folder 12 Statehouse
(pp. 239-324)
Folder 13 Statehouse /
Joe Smith, Governor (pp. 1-77)
Folder 14 Statehouse /
Joe Smith, Governor (pp. 78-156)
Folder 15 Statehouse /
Joe Smith, Governor (pp. 157-221)
Folder 16 Statehouse /
Joe Smith, Governor (pp. 222-288)
Box 9: Novels
Folder 1 Tiger
Roan: Story line, Strip adaptation (1-12)
Folder 2 Tiger Roan:
Editorial correspondence: 1937
Folder 3 The Trail of
Broken Matches (pp. 1-77)
Folder 4 The Trail of
Broken Matches (pp. 78-165)
Folder 5 Trouble on the
Snaffle: 1936
Folder 6 Wild Stallion
Folder 7 Young
Sportsman’s Guide to Western Horseback Riding
Folder 8 Young
Sportsman’s Guide to Western Horseback Riding
Folder 9 Young
Sportsman’s Guide to Western Horseback Riding: Correspondence, Photo captions
Folder 10 Why Not
Knowing (pp.1-74)
Folder 11 Why Not
Knowing (pp. 75-140)
Folder 12 Why Not
Knowing (pp. 141-203)
Folder 13 Why Not
Knowing (pp. 204-271)
Folder 14 Why Not
Knowing (pp. alternate 17-25)
Folder 15 Why Not Knowing (pp. 1-87)
Folder 16 Why Not
Knowing (pp. 88-178)
Folder 17 Why Not
Knowing (pp. 179-264)
Series
VI: Photographs
The photographs in this series are mainly images of Glenn Balch, his
family, and his horses and dogs. All
are black and white, unless otherwise noted.
See also Series VIII, Additions.
Box
10: Photographs
5”
x 7” or smaller
001
College portrait
002-005
Family portraits and photos
006-009
Family photos (wallet size) ca. 1942
010-011
Military
012-015
Polo
016-019
Grouse hunting
020-024
Hunting and guns
025-028
Miscellaneous
029-031
At home with dogs and horses, 1987 (color)
032-039
Miscellaneous color snapshots
040
Glenn Balch on horseback
Larger
than 5” x 7” (mainly 8” x 10”)
101 Baby
picture, 1902
102
Military portrait
103
Portrait, ca. 1955
104
Family portrait, ca. 1954
105
Elise, Olin, and Glenn Balch, ca. 1965
106
With dog Fastest
107
Glenn Balch and first wife
108
Informal portrait in military uniform
109
With Bing Crosby, inscribed and autographed (2 copies)
110
Military group
111
Portrait, with books
112-115 Hunting
(color)
116
William E. Borah fishing
117
Bob Boyd, proposed to star in motion picture “Indian Paint”
118
Military group
119
With campers
120
In military parka, Juneau, Alaska
121
William E. Borah
122-151
Alaska, scenic (1st Motion Picture Unit, World War II)
152-155
Elk hunting, Salmon River Mountains, 1951
Series
VII: Galley Proofs and Magazines
Box 11: Galley proofs
Keeping Horse
Little Hawk and the Free Horses
Winter Horse The
Stallion King
Box 12:
Galley proofs
Keeping Horse
Flaxy Mare
Horse of Two Colors
Box 13:
Magazines with stories and articles by Glenn Balch
American Boy
1932 August. "Hide-rack"
1932 October. “Hide-rack
Picks An Owner.”
1933 November. “Warned by
Hide-rack.”
1934 January. “Hide-rack
Wins a Friend.”
1934 February. “Hide-rack
Stands By.”
1934 March. “Hide-rack
Uses the Golden Rule.”
1934 April. “Hide-rack
Meets a Killer.”
1934 May. “Hide-rack Goes
to Jail.”
1934 June. “Hide-rack
Learns to Ride.”
1935 November. “Hide-rack
Stands Guard.”
1935 December. “Hide-rack
Practical Joker.”
1936 January. “Hide-rack,
Sled Dog.”
1936 April. “Padded Jaws
for Hide-rack.”
1936 May. “Hide-rack,
Mighty Fisher.”
1936 October. “Trouble on
the Snaffle” (Part one)
1936 December. “Message by
Hide-rack” and “Trouble on the Snaffle”(part 3)
1937 June. “Big Medicine
Hide-rack.”
1938 December. “Home by
Hide-rack.”
1939 June. “The Long
Trail” (part one)
1939 July. “The Long
Trail” (part two)
1939 August. “The Long
Trail” (part three)
1941 July-August. “Hide-rack
Takes the Count.”
Boys Life.
1938 February.
“Tiger Roan” (part 3)
Field
& Stream. 1934 October. “Little
Benny’s Rug” (Mountain goat
hunting)
Field
& Stream. 1939 January. “Plateau
Chin Whiskers” (Mountain goat hunting)
Think. 1950 March. “Idaho,
Gem of the Mountains.”
Scenic
Idaho. 1955 Summer. “Wild
Horses of the Owyhee.”
Series
VIII: Additions
These
are papers received after the processing of the rest of the collection was
complete.
Box 13: Sound Recording
Interview with Glenn Balch for the radio program, "Carnival of Books," with a
reading from his book Indian Fur, on two 78 rpm records (1952)
Box
14: Business papers: Agreements
The
following are mainly photocopies of agreements with publishers and photocopies
of copyright registrations for his books.
Folder
1 Buck
Wild, 1974
Folder 2 Hide-Rack
Kidnapped, 1939
Folder 3 Indian
Fur, 1950-1979
Folder 4 Indian
Saddle-Up, 1953, 1981
Folder 5 Midnight
Colt, 1952-1980
Folder 6 Squaw
Boy, 1952
Folder 7
Viking Dog, 1949
Folder 8 Winter
Horse, 1951-1979
Box 14: Additional Correspondence
Folder
9
Hemingway, Ernest: 1939 (Photocopy)
Box 14: Autobiography
Folder 10
Autobiography through World War II, written 1980s
(33 p.)
Box
15: Photos for The Book of Horses
Black
and white glossy prints used as illustrations in Balch’s non-fiction book, The
Book of Horses (1967). Most
were obtained from commercial photo services.
They are included with the collection for reference purposes only.
To obtain copies, patrons must contact the original suppliers.
Series IX:
Memorabilia and Oversize
Oversize drawer
Military group photo
Diploma, Baylor University (1924)
Oversize Box (on oversize
shelves)
Advertising
display board, The Brave Riders (11 x 14)
Enlarged
graphics on foam core, prepared for exhibit by Boise State, 2002
White Ruff cover
American Boy magazine cover, October 1936
Lilla Hoken cover (Little Hawk and the Free
Horses, Swedish edition)
Buck Wild typescript, page one
Boys Life, first page of Tiger Roan installment,
February 1938
Hatbox
Stetson (tan color), Nafziger-Banks Men’s Store
Air Medal and ribbon
Typewriter
[on loan to Boise Public Library, 2001-
]
Military trunk
Return to Special
Collections homepage
This page last changed: 9 July 2007
| 
