In 1930 Professor Jay B. Hubbell proposed to the American Literature Group of the Modern Language Association of America that it should gather into an index or catalog a record of the enormous amount of manuscript materials in American literature so researchers and users could readily locate the materials needed. Dr. Hubbell was then asked to form a committee to formulate a plan. The committee, made up of Professors Hubbell, Kenneth B. Murdock, Ralph L. Rusk, and Robert Spiller contracted the American Historical Association, which was planning a similar program for history materials. The two groups decided to join forces and compile a document relating to manuscripts of American literature and to all phases of American history. Funding problems caused this venture to stalemate.

The idea was kept alive, however, and in 1941 another committee chaired by Robert Spiller was formed and instructed to gather information on materials of American literary history. This committee prepared in essay form a from data gathered informally--for the most part by personal interview and correspondence. The second World War caused plans for publication to be deferred.

Using the material collected in the 1940s as a basis for renewed efforts, a new committee chaired by Lewis Leary was formed in 1950 to study the feasibility of continued work, since much of the previous work had been used in volume 3 of the . The issue was discussed in a seminar, at the 1950 meeting of MLA. The result was formal agreement on the need for some form of guide to manuscript resources. The seminar recommended formation of a committee on literary resources with Leary as chairman.

In 1951 a working committee was appointed to devise procedures and to commence gathering of data for eventual publication of such a guide. This committee was composed of Joseph Jones, chairman, University of Texas; Ernest Marchand, San Diego State College; H. Dan Piper, California Institute of Technology; J. Albert Robbins, Indiana University; and Herman E. Spivey, University of Tennessee.

The purpose of this project was to provide for scholars a helpful new aid in their perpetual search for new material. The first edition published in 1960 indicates the nature and scope of American literary manuscripts in over 270 libraries pertaining to approximately 2,350 American writers. The specific primary purpose, as stated in the preface of this publication, is to assist scholars, librarians, dealers, and collectors in locating primary source materials relating to American authors; to locate primary manuscript sources with far greater use and accuracy than formerly; to encourage collectors to deposit manuscripts where they might be of greatest use and utility; and to encourage librarians to think creatively about their collections and to lend encouragement to manuscript departments.

The project was begun by compiling an extensive list of writers, publishers, and critics, and then formulating eight categories distinguished by symbols that would accurately record the extent and variety of holdings--manuscripts, journals, letters by and to, documents, etc. A checklist containing some 2,000 names of American authors was then sent to American libraries--academic, fraternal, historical, public, etc.--with instructions as to how to apply and to list the eight categories of holdings. After the holdings were compiled on cards a preliminary draft was produced and circulated for rechecking. The resulting master file of reporting libraries formed the 1960 edition of

With publication of this volume, the American Literature Section of MLA authorized continuance of the committee with J. Albert Robbins as chairman of the new group. In 1969 it was felt that a revision and update were needed. The American Literature Section of MLA again sponsored the project with John Albert Robbins as chairman of the editorial board, which consisted of Professors A.W. Plumstead, University of Massachusetts; Joseph V. Ridgely, Columbia University; Kimball King, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; F. Warren Roberts, University of Texas; George Hendrick, University of Illinois; Edward P. Nolan, University of Colorado; and John Stafford, San Fernando Valley State College.

The 1960 list of authors was retained as a base and expanded to include 2,750 authors, publishers, and critics whose names were to be checked for locations and holdings of manuscripts and other papers. The United States was divided into first seven, then later, eight regions, with each member of the editorial board acting as a regional chairman. Each regional chairman then chose regional associates within his region to solicit and coordinate the holdings of the area assigned to him. During the first year J. V. Ridgely and John Stafford resigned. The Middle Atlantic region was divided into two regions and Professors Alan Margolies of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and Leo Weigant of the University of Maryland were chosen to replace J. V. Ridgely. Professor Thomas Wortham, University of California, Los Angeles, replaced John Stafford in the Pacific Coast area. Sixty-three regional associates were chosen.

The 1960 edition of was put on computer tape and print-outs of the holdings reported by individual libraries were distributed by the regional chairmen for rechecking, updating, and revision along with instructions for listing new additions and new authors. A completely new list could be compiled if the library so desired. When all the participating libraries and depositories completed their listings they sent the compilations to the regional associates who, in turn, sent them to the regional chairmen. They edited the lists before sending them to Professor Robbins, who did the overall editing and transferring of the findings to computer tape. Print-outs were again sent to the libraries for verification, correction, and updating to 1975. When these were returned and all corrections and additions were listed, the data was inverted to provide an alphabetical list by author and the master tape was sent to the publisher for machine-set composition. The volume was printed from the computer tapes by the University of Georgia Press in 1977.