Q. How can I access the unpublished J. D. Salinger short stories at Princeton?

About the Materials

The majority of Special Collections holdings related to JD Salinger can be found in the Story Magazine and Story Press Records (C0104). Notable holdings include:

• The unpublished J.D. Salinger short stories (including “The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls”) can be found in Box 14, Folder 25 and Folder 26, and Box 35, Folder 12 and Folder 13.
• A photocopy of a half-sheet of paper, on which there is a very short biographical note about Salinger can be found in Box 27, Folder 22.
•  A typed, signed, single-page note from Salinger to an employee at Story Magazine/Story Press (“Miss Keen”) asking her to continue to send out "nice announcement notes" to a number of people, whose names and addresses are listed, can be found in Box 78, Folder 19.
• A photocopy of a single-page letter from Harold Ober Associates (Oct. 1916) to Whit Burnett (founder and editor of Story) indicating that Mr. Salinger does not wish the story "Young Folks" to be included in an upcoming complication publication is in Box 37, Folder 24.

Accessing the Collection

As is true with all collections, all researchers are welcome to view materials from the Story Magazine and Story Press Records in the Special Collections Reading Room located on the C-Floor of Firestone Library during open hours.

To request materials, use the “request this box” button on the finding aid for the collection. To search within the collection for keywords, phrases, names or titles, please use the search bar underneath the title, or browse by using the collapsible menu on the left-side of the screen.

Upon your first visit to the library, you will need to check in with the access office on the first floor of Firestone Library in order to obtain an Access Card. Researchers will be asked to present a photo ID like a driver’s license, passport, school ID or work ID. It is not necessary to use a government-issued ID. Once your Access Card has been issued, please take the stairs or elevator down to C-floor, where you will find the Special Collections department. If you would like to have the ID Card made in advance of your visit so it is ready when you arrive, you can fill out a Special Collections ID Card Application online.

As a reminder, all food, drink, and personal belongings (such as bags, coats, laptop sleeves, pens, books, notebooks) must be stowed in the lockers available just outside the department. You are welcome to bring your laptop or tablet, but we will provide you with paper and pencils for handwritten notes.

You are also welcome to bring a camera, cell phone or other device to take pictures of the collection, but please leave any camera cases in your locker with other personal items. Please also be aware that due to preservation concerns, we do not allow the use of personal scanners, tripods, flash, or copy stands. To respect fellow researchers, we kindly ask you to remember to turn off any audible notifications on your devices when in the Reading Room. For more information please visit the Reading Room Guidelines page on our website.

Submitting a Digitization Request

Researchers who may not be able to visit in person can also request material be digitized and emailed to them as high-quality reproductions at no cost to the researcher. However, in order to provide effective and equitable service to all researchers, requests are limited to 300 pages per person/project. Published materials may be further limited due to copyright restrictions. Should you believe you are in need of services that do not align with our order fulfillment period or page limits, please reach out to public services staff to discuss your needs further.

You are welcome to contact Special Collections staff with questions or concerns via the Ask a Question form on our website.