Alex Haley Letters

Collection

Identifier: MC 1550

Staff Only
Select files to request

Scope and Content Note

Alex Haley, while aboard a freighter at sea in the Pacific, wrote to Professor Bradford A. Waddle asking him to resolve a question about whether peanuts grew under the ground or above it. The collection consists of his inquiry, Waddle’s reply, and an acknowledgment from Haley.

Dates

1971

Creator

Haley, Alex (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Access Information

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Use Information

Restrictions Apply: Some items are fragile and may not be removed from their protective sleeves.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical Note

Alex Haley (1921-1992) was a journalist and novelist. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard as a mess-boy in 1939 and began his writing career while in the service. Upon his retirement in 1959 he continued to write, including assignments for Readers’ Digest and interview articles for Playboy. Haley’s first book was The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) Roots, an epic story tracing an American family back to its roots in an African slave, received many awards, including the National Book Award for 1976 special citation of merit in history and a special Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for making an important contribution to the literature of slavery.