Charlotte Salisbury papers, 1925-2001, bulk 1965-1993

Charlotte Salisbury papers, 1925-2001, bulk 1965-1993

Summary Information

Abstract

This collection is made up of the writings and personal files of Charlotte Salisbury, the wife of Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Harrison Evans Salisbury (1908-1993).

At a Glance

Call No.:
MS#1626
Bib ID:
6913725 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Salisbury, Charlotte Y
Repository:
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Physical Description:
14 linear feet (28 document boxes)
Language(s):
English , Chinese , Russian .
Access:
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Description

Summary

This collection is made up of the writings and personal files of Charlotte Salisbury. About half of the material relates to Salisbury's published travel diaries. This material includes manuscripts as well as correspondence and clippings related to the books. Another large portion of the collection is made up of Charlotte Salisbury's personal papers, including correspondence between herself and Harrison Salisbury and approximately thirty years of diaries and datebooks recording her everyday activities. Finally, there is some material documenting the career and commemoration of Harrison Salisbury. With a few exceptions, the majority of the material in the collection dates to after the couple was married in 1964.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 12 series.

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Name of Collection; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Ownership and Custodial History

Gift of Charlotte Young Salisbury.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Charlotte Young Salisbury. Method of acquisition--Gift.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Mary Freeman 08/--/2012.

Finding aid written Mary Freeman 08/--/2012.

Revision Description

2012-11-20 File created.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Biographical Note

Charlotte Young Salisbury was born in Weston, Massachusetts in 1914. The daughter of prominent Massachusetts politician Benjamin Loring Young, she attended the Winsor School in Boston and the Dobbs School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Salisbury went on to pursue a modeling career as a "Powers Girl" in the early 1930s. In 1934 she married Allston Boyer, with whom she had her first daughter, Charlotte Boyer Parkinson. Following a divorce five years later, she married her second husband John A. Rand and had three more children: Ellen Rand, Rosina Rand, and Curtis Rand. During World War II she moved around the country following her husband to various army camps.

Charlotte met Harrison Salisbury in 1955 at a talk he gave in Salisbury, Connecticut on his time spent as a New York Times correspondent in Moscow. The two developed a friendship, and they married in 1964 following Charlotte's divorce from John Rand in 1959. Throughout their marriage they kept homes in New York City and in Taconic, Connecticut.

Shortly after their wedding, Charlotte began accompanying Harrison on many of his foreign travel assignments. Although she was not formally trained as a writer, she kept detailed diaries throughout her life, and she was able to use her talents for close observation and description to begin her career as an author. Her first book, Asian Diary (1967) documents her travels with Harrison to the areas surrounding China. The book reflects her strong anti-Vietnam War sentiments as she describes the negative impact the war has had on neighboring countries. Charlotte Salisbury followed up Asian Diary with a series of travel diaries describing subsequent journeys with her husband in the Soviet Union, China, and other parts of Asia. China Diary was particularly notable as one of the first accounts of everyday life and social conditions in Communist China after President Nixon's visit in 1972. The Salisburys' books reached a broad American audience eager to learn about Communist countries. Whereas Harrison's work focused on political and historical intricacies, Charlotte's sensitive but frank impressions captured both her own experiences as a foreign traveler and the character of the daily lives of the people she encountered. In addition to China Diary (1972), she published Russian Diary (1974), China Diary: After Mao (1977), and Tibetan Diary (1980). Charlotte also wrote the text for Sikkim: Mountaintop Kingdom in 1972, collaborating with the photographer Alice Kendall. This book differs from her others as a description of the history, culture, and politics of the tiny country of Sikkim rather than a personal travel account.

Salisbury's writing career culminated in her final book Long March Diary: China Epic, which describes her and Harrison Salisbury's successful attempt to retrace the route of Mao's Long March of 1934 to 1935. This was a remarkable achievement for the aging couple. It was their longest journey yet, and they traveled to areas of interior China that had previously been inaccessible to Americans.

While Harrison Salisbury continued to travel and write up until his death in 1993, Charlotte claimed to prefer a quiet life tending to their house and gardens in Taconic. She continued to keep detailed personal diaries, but she did no more extensive traveling. Charlotte Salisbury died at age ninety-eight on April 25, 2012 in Salisbury, Connecticut.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Name
New York Times Company
Salisbury, Charlotte Y
Salisbury, Harrison E (Harrison Evans), 1908-1993
Place
Asia -- Description and travel
China -- Description and travel
China -- History -- Long March, 1934-1935
Silk Road -- Description and travel
Soviet Union -- Social conditions -- 1945-1991
Tibet Autonomous Region (China) -- Description and travel
Subject
Newspaper publishing
Soviet Union -- Description and travel

Series I: Asian Diary


Box 1

Original notebooks, 1966, (2 folders)


Manuscripts


Box 1

Personal Copy, 1966


Box 1

Carbon copy, 1966


Box 1

Second Carbon copy, 1966


Box 1

1966


Box 1

Manuscript fragments, 1966


Box 2

Galleys, 1966, (2 folders)


Box 2

Photographs, 1966


Box 2

Photograph captions and descriptions, 1967


Box 2

Contract and royalties, 1967-1968


Box 2

Sikkim article-Mademoiselle, 1967 (excerpt fromAsian Diary ), 1967


Box 2

Clippings and reviews, 1968-1970, (2 folders)


Box 2

Publicity, 1967-1968


Box 2

Correspondence, 1966-1982

Series II: Russian Diary


Box 3

Manuscripts


Box 3

First Draft, 1967-1971, (2 folders)


Box 3

1967


Box 3

Working Copy, 1967


Box 3

Personal Copy, 1967


Box 3

1967-1972, (2 folders)


Box 4

Fragments and edits, 1967-1972


Box 4

Cover and galleys, 1974


Box 4

Replaced chapter one, 1967-1972


Box 4

Notes and clippings, 1973


Box 4

Publicity, 1974


Box 4

Clippings and reviews, 1974


Box 4

Correspondence, 1972-1978

Series III: Sikkim: Mountaintop Kingdom


Box 5

Notebooks, 1970


Manuscripts


Box 5

Draft, 1970


Box 5

With notes and corrections, 1970


Box 5

With introduction by Harrison Salisbury, 1970 (duplicate), 1970


Box 5

Corrected, 1970


Box 5

Contracts and royalties, 1969-1972


Box 5

Clippings regarding Sikkim and Hope Cooke, 1961-1974


Box 5

Notes and research materials, 1968-1970


Box 6

Research materials, 1950-1969


Books


Box 6

Sikkim Coronation , ca. 1965


Box 6

Namgyal Institute of Technology, 1962 (in Sikkimese), 1962


Box 6

Clippings and reviews, 1971-1972


Box 6

Publicity and Vogue article, 1971-1972


Box 6

Correspondence, 1970-1979


Box 6

Correspondence with Hope Cooke, 1969-1971

Series IV: China Diary


Box 7

Original notebooks, 1972


Box 7

First typing from notebooks, 1972


Manuscripts


Box 7

Revised-out of order, 1972


Box 7

Xerox, 1972


Box 7

Edits, 1972


Box 7

1972


Box 8

Galleys, 1972


Box 8

Notes and articles by Charlotte Salisbury regarding China Diary, 1973-1975


Box 8

Notes for chapter or article, 1972


Box 8

Travel materials, 1972, (2 folders)


Box 8

Clippings related to China Diary- many New York Times articles by Harrison Salisbury,, 1972


Box 8

Clippings and publicity, 1973


Box 8

Correspondence, 1973-1991

Series V: China Diary: After Mao


Box 9

Original notebooks, 1977, (2 folders)


Manuscripts


Box 9

Revised, 1977, (2 folders)


Box 9

With notes, 1977


Box 9

Notes regarding Mongolia, 1977


Box 9

Maps, ca. 1977


Box 9

Notes and clippings, 1978


Box 9

Clippings and publicity, 1979-1980


Box 9

Correspondence, 1979-1980

Series VI: Tibetan Diary


Box 10

Manuscripts


Box 10

Copy of first copying, 1980 (includes newspaper clipping), 1980


Box 10

Not all corrections included, 1980


Box 10

Working copy, 1980-1981


Box 10

Setting copy, 1980-1982


Box 10

Galleys, 1981


Box 10

Notes and travel materials, 1980-1981


Box 10

Correspondence, photos, and publicity, 1980-1986

Series VII: Long March Diary: China Epic


Box 11

Original notebooks, 1984


Manuscripts


Box 11

Original, 1984, (2 folders)


Box 11

Second sheets of original, 1984, (2 folders)


Box 11

Xerox with Harrison Salisbury foreword, 1984, (2 folders)


Box 12

Carbon copy, 1984, (2 folders)


Box 12

With corrections by Jack Service, 1984, (2 folders)


Box 12

With corrections but not cuts, 1984, (2 folders)


Box 13

Edited, 1984-1986, (2 folders)


Box 13

Copy of book, 1992


Box 13

Map, ca. 1984


Box 13

Notes and photos, 1984-1985


Box 13

Notes for talks, ca. 1986


Box 13

Reviews and publicity, 1986


Correspondence


Box 13

Business, 1985-1986


Box 13

Personal, 1985-1993, (2 folders)

Series VIII: Other Writings and Professional Activity


Box 14

Articles and writings, ca. 1931-1982, (2 folders)


Box 14

Webetuck School commencement, 1977


Box 14

Public appearances-general, 1978-1980


Box 14

Writer's World radio program, 1969

Series IX: Personal Files


Box 14

Passports and international travel documents, 1959-1986


Box 14

Biographical files-general, ca. 1925-1982 (includes financial agreement with Harrison Salisbury), ca. 1925-1982


Box 14

Personal photographs and postcards, ca. 1970s-1994


Box 14

Files regarding Francis Sargent-governor of Massachusetts 1972-1974 1969-1974, 1972-1974, 1969-1974


Box 14

Saved publications, 1953-2001


Box 28

The American Society of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem-Pins and list of members,, 1975


Box 28

Scrapbook pages, 1977-1978

Series X: Personal Correspondence


Box 14

Letters and cards from wedding, 1964


Box 14

Christmas-mostly cards, 1967


Box 15

Harrison Salisbury to Charlotte Salisbury


Box 15

Notes and cards, ca. 1959-1986


Box 15

1961-1987, (5 folders)


Box 16

1988-1993, (2 folders)


Box 16

Charlotte Salisbury to Harrison Salisbury, 1959-1989, (4 folders)


General


Box 16

Charlotte Salisbury, 1963-1998


Box 16

Harrison Salisbury, 1962-1990

Series XI: Diaries and Datebooks


Box 17

Datebooks, 1969-1993, (6 folders)


Box 18

Diaries, 1965-June 1993 (June 1968-June 1973 include typed transcripts), 1965-June 1993, June 1968-June 1973


Box 19

Diaries, 1965-June 1993 (June 1968-June 1973 include typed transcripts), 1965-June 1993, June 1968-June 1973


Box 20

Diaries, 1965-June 1993 (June 1968-June 1973 include typed transcripts), 1965-June 1993, June 1968-June 1973


Box 21

Diaries, 1965-June 1993 (June 1968-June 1973 include typed transcripts), 1965-June 1993, June 1968-June 1973


Box 22

Diaries, 1965-June 1993 (June 1968-June 1973 include typed transcripts), 1965-June 1993, June 1968-June 1973


Box 23

Diaries, 1965-June 1993 (June 1968-June 1973 include typed transcripts), 1965-June 1993, June 1968-June 1973

Series XII: Harrison Salisbury Files


Box 24

Notes-mainly regarding Charlotte Salisbury's biography, 1984-1988


Box 24

Lectures on QE2 voyages, 1978


Box 24

Vietnam tapes, ca. 1966-1967


Box 24

Personal papers-general, 1986-1991


Box 24

Litchfield County Writers' Forum-Tribute to Harrison Salisbury, 1995-1996


Box 24

Thank you from Chinese People's Revolutionary Museum for pacemaker donation,, 1996


Box 24

Photographs of reception of pacemaker in China, ca. 1996


Box 24

Commemoration of Harrison Salisbury, 1991-1999


Box 24

Correspondence regarding Harrison Salisbury tribute book, 2001


Box 25

American Academy of Arts and Letters-commemoration of Harrison Salisbury,, 1993


Box 25

Dutch Treat Club member book, 1993


Books


Box 25

Essential Liberty by Francis Wilkinson-introduction by Harrison Salisbury


Box 25

Long March: An Untold Story by Harrison Salisbury-Chinese translation,, 1994


Box 25

Paper Soldiers by Lawrence R. Wyatt, 1992


Box 25

The Paper's Papers by Richard F. Shepard,, 1996


Box 26

A Journey for Our Times by Harrison Salisbury,, 1983


The 900 Days by Harrison Salisbury


Box 26

Galleys-set 1, 1969, (4 folders)


Box 27

Galleys-set 2, 1969, (5 folders)


Box 28

Photographs-professional activity (mostly oversized)


Box 28

Map-route of Mao's Long March, 1984 (framed), March, 1984


Box 28

Russian records, ca. 1981-1985 (2), ca. 1981-1985


Box 28

The New York Times Magazine-with article by Harrison Salisbury-"Now It's China's Cultural Thaw,", 1977