Inventory of the Arthur Sperry Pearse papers, 1904-1960 and undated

Correspondence primarily reflects his role as editor of Ecological Monographs which includes correspondence concerning receipt of drafts for publication, recommended revisions, and dates for future publication. Other prominent topics include Pearse's involvement with professional organizations including the Ecology Society of America and Society of American Zoologists; various symposiums and conferences, publications, and research; and the founding and early operations of the Duke Marine Biology Laboratory at Beaufort, North Carolina. Correspondence also reflects Pearse's professional activities outside of the academy including work with the Office of the Quartermaster General interviewing soldiers recently returned from tropical environments in New Guinea, India, Burma, and the Caribbean; promoting the physical rehabilitation of the sciences in Europe in the wake of the Second World War through the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and as special investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, the International Health Board, and the Carnegie Institute. In 1938-1939, there is a series of correspondence between Pearse and Duke University President William Preston Few concerning conditions within and lack of support for the department of zoology and Pearse's consequent resignation as departmental chair. Series is arranged chronologically.

A bulk of subject files reflect Pearse's research interests and his involvement with professional organizations and institutes. Material present includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, and hand-written notes. Prominent subjects include research and staffing at the Beaufort Marine Lab, Ecological Monographs, his 1926 tenure at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the National Science Foundation, and numeruous research topics.

Graduate students series contains correspondence concerning research and thesis progress, plans of work, assigned reading lists, dissertation abstracts, and records of courses completed. Material is arranged alphabetically by student's name.

Series contains manuscripts of essays, monographs, and textbooks written by Pearse during his professional career including reprint editions of Animal Ecology and various working drafts of The Migration of Animals from Sea to Land. Also present is an undated manuscript of a textbook written by Pearse's colleague B. Cunningham.

Series contains material relating to courses taught by Pearse and includes laboratory guides, exercises, and techniques; lecture notes and outlines; lists of manuals, supplies, equipment, and specimen dealers; field trip locations, itineraries, and notes; and ruminations on pedagogical theory with inclusive dates 1905-1923. Most of the material is undated, however, all of the material relates to courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where Pearse taught from 1912-1927.

Series contains field notebooks created by Pearse on research trips and in laboratory work with inclusive dates 1904-1952. Notebooks contain notes and statistics on local flora, fauna, and animal life as well as notes on local peoples and culture. Beginning with his graduate work at Harvard University, the notebooks document the eclectic research interests, career, and travels of Pearse throughout his professional life. Arrangement is chronological.

Series contains negatives, prints, and glass-plate lantern slides documenting primarily Pearse's travels abroad and within the United States for research with the inclusive dates of 1911-1953. In addition to photos of local flora, fauna, animal life, and ecosystems, additional photographs document local peoples, customs, and culture including dress, agricultural techniques, food gathering, and architecture. Also present are images copied from other published works.