The Nakata and Stevens Papers, a new special collection related to Jack London, has recently been made public by the Sonoma State University Library. The key item within the collection is an original manuscript titled "A Hero to His Valet" by Yoshimatsu Nakata, transcribed by Barry Fox Stevens.
Walter H. Roeder, volunteer SSU Library archivist, will be presenting a paper at the 2008 Popular Culture Association Conference in San Francisco titled "The Manuscript in the Attic: The Londons, Nakata and Barry Stevens." His paper is based on materials found within the Nakata and Stevens Papers. A second presentation is planned for the Glen Ellen Historical Society in the spring.
From 1907 to 1915, Jack London and his wife, Charmian, employed Nakata as their valet. In the 1930's, Stevens, a psychologist and author, met Nakata in Hawaii, where he was practicing dentistry. She worked with him to document his recollections of the Londons.
The manuscript was sent to Charmian London and returned with margin notes and suggested changes. After the death of Barry Stevens, this version of manuscript was stored in an attic and eventually discovered by her family.
For more information about the collection, visit http://library.sonoma.edu/regional./
For more about the 2008 Popular Culture Association Conference go to
http://www.pcaaca.org/.
ABOVE, Yoshimatsu Nakata, a personal valet to Jack London from 1907 to 1915.
