John Bernard Myers papers, circa 1940s-1987, bulk 1970-1987

Correspondence consists mainly of incoming letters that are both personal and professional in nature. Letters are from friends, admirers, and publishers. Among the general correspondence are fan letters, and invitations to lecture and teach. The file concerning John Canaday includes letters to the editors of The New York Times and Art In America complaining about the critic's unprofessional behavior and comments he made while visiting the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, a letter of apology from Canaday, and letters to friends and supporters alerting them to the upcoming publication of Myers' letter to The New York Times. Letters from Guy Davenport - a close friend, English professor, writer, and contributor to Parenthése - are about both personal and professional matters. Tracking the Marvelous includes letters from Myers' publisher and editor, along with contracts, fan letters, and his rebuttal to an unflattering review.

General correspondence is arranged chronologically. Other correspondence is organized alphabetically by name of correspondent or subject, and material within each folder is arranged chronologically.

Writings consist of drafts and final manuscripts of Myers's published and unpublished works. Included are books, articles and essays, miscellaneous writings, and diaries. His autobiography, Tracking the Marvelous: A Life in the New York Art World, was published by Random House in 1984. Correspondence with his publisher and fan letters are included with Series 1, and reviews are among the printed matter in Series 3. Forward and Backward: A Chronicle in Fragments and Episodes is about Mark Rothko's suicide and his daughter's subsequent lawsuit against Marlborough Galleries; this manuscript forms the basis for part three of Tracking the Marvelous. Knowing What I Like (unpublished) is a collection of Myers's essays and art criticism selected and edited by him. Among his miscellaneous writings are book and exhibition reviews, poems and song lyrics. Also included are notes, among them a notebook about puppets at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

For much of his life, Myers kept a diary and entries dated 1939-1956 are quoted extensively in Tracking the Marvelous. Eleven volumes, 1969 and 1974-1983, record his activities, reactions and reflections on his experiences, and news of literary and artist friends and acquaintances.

Writings by other authors include poems and an article, as well as submissions to Parenthèse.

The series is organized into five subseries:

• 2.1: Books, circa 1976-1985
• 2.2: Articles and Essays, 1985, 1989, undated
• 2.3: Miscellaneous Writings, 1975-1987, undated
• 2.4: Diaries, 1969-1983, undated
• 2.5: Writings By Other Authors, circa 1975-1979, undated

Printed matter consists of a book, exhibition catalogs, articles, and book and exhibition reviews written by Myers and a few articles by Myers. Copies of Volumes I and II of Semi-Colon, a poets' newsletter edited by Myers and published by the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, 1953-circa 1956, and four issues of Parenthesé, a magazine of words and pictures, edited by Myers between 1975 and 1979 are included. Other printed matter consists of exhibition catalogs, clippings on art subjects, and miscellaneous items.

All folders are arranged chronologically.

Miscellaneous items consist of a small number of items not properly part of the larger series. Among these documents are artwork and biographical information. Also included are minutes and memoranda of the Ingram Merrill Foundation (most likely established by the family of Myers' friend the poet James Merrill) which gave grants to artists and writers. Myers served as the foundation's secretary. There are transcripts of interviews Myers conducted with Alexandra Anderson, Marisol and Red Grooms, and a transcript of Myers interviewed by Alfred Sturdevant.

Records of the Southampton Artists' Theatre Festival (Herbert Machiz, director, and John Bernard Myers, producer), operated at Long Island University during the summers of 1968 and 1969, consist of notes and music. Its 1969 production "Gertrude Stein's 'First Reader'" was repeated at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Music by Ann Sternberg includes "Sunshine," "Jenny," "How They Do, Do," "Baby Benjamin," "In a Garden," and "The Soldier."

Photographs (including color slides and transparencies) are of John Bernard Myers, including two of him with puppets; unidentified friends; and the interior of his Brewster, N.Y. home and its backyard. Also, there are many photographs of puppets and one of a painting by Grace Hartigan.

Within each folder, photographs are arranged in rough chronological order.