This series provides an overview of Nancy Hale's life, family, and work. Materials about Nancy Hale are filed at the beginning of the series in alphabetical order. These are followed by materials about various members of her family, filed alphabetically by individual. The bulk of the family materials relate to Nancy Hale's husbands and children.

This series consists primarily of incoming with a smaller amount of outgoing correspondence. The materials are organized in two subseries Family and General, each arranged alphabetically by individual. Family correspondence consists of letters from and to Nancy Hale's immediate family plus a few cousins. The materials are arranged with those letters to or from Nancy Hale filed first followed by letters between other family members. Nancy Hale's letters from her mother and father can be found in the Hale Family Papers. General correspondence consists of primarily incoming correspondence from a wide variety of friends, associates, fans, and fellow writers. Unidentified incoming and outgoing letters are filed at the end of the subseries.

Hale's correspondence with other writers (which is often about writing) is filed in this series. Her correspondence with agents, editors, and publishers is filed in SERIES VII. WRITINGS.

This series consists of personal notes on engagements, activities, writing, dreams, psychological state, moods, health, etc., in a variety of formats ranging from line-a-day diaries to wall calendars, to individual sheets of paper. The materials are arranged chronologically.

This series consists of photographic prints and negatives. Prints of Nancy Hale alone are filed at the beginning of the series. They are followed photographs of family; friends and associates; places; and miscellaneous. Where negatives exist, prints have been labelled with a corresponding negative number. Negatives are filed by number in a separate box.

[see also Oversize Materials]

Speeches is divided into two subseries: Texts and notes and Correspondence, programs, and clippings. Text and notes consists of notes, drafts, and final versions of lectures and speeches arranged alphabetically by title or subject (if the speech has no title). Correspondence, programs, and clippings is arranged chronologically.

This series consists of correspondence, printed material, notes, drafts, clippings, and research material on a variety of activities, subjects, and organizations which held meaning for Nancy Hale. They are arranged alphabetically by subject, activity, or name of organization.

This series is divided into 10 subseries: Agents, Publishers, Early writings, Articles, Book reviews and introductions, Children's, Plays, Poems, Stories, and Books.

Agents consists primarily of correspondence with agents negotiating for publication of works by Nancy Hale. Included are extensive office files of Elizabeth Nowell, Nancy Hale's agent from the 1930s until 1957, with a break during World War II. The Nowell files primarily document Nowell's post-war representation of Nancy Hale beginning around 1950 and ending with Nowell's death in 1957. These files include correspondence between Hale and Nowell (arranged chronologically) as well as Nowell's correspondence with publishers and agents on Hale's behalf (arranged alphabetically by the name of the firm).

Publishers is divided into three sections Correspondence, Agreements and contracts, and Royalty reports each arranged alphabetically by firm.

Early writings consists of manuscripts, notebooks, and correspondence with publishers about pieces written by Nancy Hale prior to 1928, the year she married, moved to New York, and began writing to make a living. They are arranged by type of material.

Articles consists of drafts, notes, typescripts, and published versions of a variety of published and unpublished non-fiction pieces. Shorter pieces are filed in chronological order at the beginning of the series. Others are filed alphabetically by title or subject (if the piece is untitled).

Book reviews and introductions consists of drafts, published versions, notes, and correspondence book reviews and introductions by Nancy Hale. Book reviews are filed alphabetically by the author(s) of the work. Introductions are filed by the title of the work.

Children's consists of short stories and one book filed by title. Many of these were written in the 1980s with the aim of providing reading materials for dyslexic readers.

Plays contains scripts, and photographs and programs from productions of the plays arranged chronologically.

Poems consists of drafts and published versions of poems arranged chronologically.

Stories consists of notes, drafts, and published versions of stories arranged alphabetically by title.

Books consists of notes, research material, drafts, typescripts, reviews, publicity materials, and correspondence arranged alphabetically by title of the book. Included are 8 volumes.

[see also Oversize Materials]