Brian C. Daley papers

Overview

Administrative/Biographical Note

Brian Charles Daley was born in Englewood, New Jersey on December 22, 1947. An avid reader from an early age and a lover of science fiction, Daley became a New York Times bestselling author for his contributions to the science fiction genre. After graduating from Northern Valley Regional High School in 1965, he joined the army. He served a year long tour of duty in Vietnam and served the rest of his service in Berlin, Germany. Upon his return to the United States, Daley went to Jersey City State College, majoring in media. While completing his studies he wrote his first novel, The Doomfarers of Coramonde (1977). Like many of his generation, Brian Daley was elated when the first Star Wars movie came out. Fundamentally changed by the experience, Daley would go on to write the first Star Wars spin-off novels, and adapt the original Star Wars film trilogy into a series of radio dramas for NPR. Throughout his professional writing career, Daley wrote a number of novels, radio broadcasts, short stories, and contributed to a group of animated series. Daley also wrote under the pseudonym “Jack McKinney” with his friend, James Luceno. Together they would write the Robotech novels and the Black Hole Travel Agency series. Daley died of pancreatic cancer in his Maryland home on February 11, 1996, the same night that the cast of the NPR radio drama, Return of the Jedi, toasted him at their wrap party. He was survived by his partner of 14 years, historical fiction author Lucia St. Clair Robson. Timetable of Works: 1977 The Doomfarers of Coramonde (Coramonde Duology) 1979 The Starfollowers of Coramonde (Coramonde Duology) Han Solo at Stars’ End (The Han Solo Adventures) Han Solo’s Revenge (The Han Solo Adventures) 1980 Han Solo and the Lost Legacy (The Han Solo Adventures) 1981 Episode IV: A New Hope (NPR Star Wars Dramatizations) 1982 Tron (novelization of the movie) 1983 Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (NPR Star Wars Dramatizations) A Tapestry of Magic 1985 Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds (The Adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh) Jinx on a Terran Inheritance (The Adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh) 1986 Fall of the White Ship Avatar (The Adventures of Hobart Floyt and Alacrity Fitzhugh) 1987 No. 1 Genesis (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No. 2 Battle Cry (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No. 3 Homecoming (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.4 Battle hymn (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.5 Force of Arms (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.6 Doomsday (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.7 Southern Cross (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.8 Metal Fire (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.9 The Final Nightmare (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.10 Invid Invasion (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.11 Metamorphosis (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) No.12 Symphony of Light (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) 1988 No. 1 The Devil’s Hand (Robotech Series: The Sentinels; written as Jack McKinney) No. 2 Dark Powers (Robotech Series: The Sentinels; written as Jack McKinney) No. 3 Death Dance (Robotech Series: The Sentinels; written as Jack McKinney) No. 4 World Killers (Robotech Series: The Sentinels; written as Jack McKinney) No. 5 Rubicon (Robotech Series: The Sentinels; written as Jack McKinney) 1990 No.18 The End of the Circle (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) Kaduna Memories (written as Jack McKinney) 1991 Event Horizon (The Black Hole Travel Agency; written as Jack McKinney) Artifact of the System (The Black Hole Travel Agency; written as Jack McKinney) 1992 Free Radicals (The Black Hole Travel Agency; written as Jack McKinney) 1994 No.19 The Zentraedi Rebellionv (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) Hostile Takeover (The Black Hole Travel Agency; written as Jack McKinney) 1995 No.20 The Masters’ Gambit (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) 1996 No.21 Before the Invid Storm (Robotech Series; written as Jack McKinney) 1997 Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi (NPR Star Wars Dramatizations) Smoke on the Water (Gamma L.A.W.; published posthumously) 1998 Screaming Across the Sky (Gamma L.A.W.; published posthumously) The Broken Country (Gamma L.A.W.; published posthumously) 1999 To Water’s End (Gamma L.A.W.; published posthumously)

Scope & Content

The Daley collection contains Brian Daley’s personal collection of documents from his lifetime of work as a science fiction author. The bulk of this collection covers from 1978 to 1996. The contents are comprised mostly of manuscripts and research for his work, but personal material such as correspondence and financial documents are included. The collection is arranged in into eight series which include: Writings, Research Files, Correspondence, Schoolwork, Photos, Finances, Clippings and Publications, and Personal Materials. The first series, Writings, contains an assortment of his drafts and manuscripts. Due to his variety of writing styles, this series is divided into four subseries which demonstrate his versatility as an author: animated series, books, radio and audio drama, and short stories. Each of these subseries include manuscripts in a variety of stages of completion, from preliminary drafts to page proofs. The majority of this series is comprised of drafts from his Black Hole Travel Agency, GammaL.A.W., and NPR Star Wars series. The second series, Research Notes, exhibits the amount of time and effort Brian Daley put into each one of his works. This series contains notes and clippings of articles or images which would later be used in his writings. The folders are titled according to their original titles assigned by Daley. Although the folders materials are maintained in their original order, the folders were rearranged alphabetically for research purposes. The third series, Correspondence, includes both personal and business material. The business correspondence includes his communication with such companies as Del Rey Books, Dark Horse Comics, Ballantine, and LucasArts between 1978 and 1996. The business colleagues he most often kept in contact were Ellen K. Harris, Lucy Autrey Wilson, Vladimir N. Rybakov, Lester Del Rey, Calvin A Gongwer, and James Luceno. The collection also has a large amount of personal correspondence, including communication between friends, family, fans and fellow Vietnam veterans. Throughout his career, Brian Daley received mail from his fans throughout the world. An advocate of Veteran rights, this collection contains letters which he wrote to the Army and fellow soldiers concerning issues of the day. The collection also contains correspondence with during his 1967 tour of duty in Vietnam. The fourth series, Schoolwork, includes materials from his time attending Jersey City State College, located in New Jersey. The series is contains drafts of papers, poems and notes. There is a book titled Not an Ivory Tower: An Intimate History of Jersey City State College, which celebrated the school’s 60th anniversary. Also included is a folder which contains an assortment of poems which were used in a Creative Writing Sampler class, which he took in the spring of 1971. The fifth series, Photographs contains photos of Brian Daley, Star Wars and the U.S. Cavalry Blackhorses Regiment. The sixth series, Finances, includes tax information which he filed in 1995 and 1996. There are also the death and estate records which were issued in 1996 to Lucia St. Claire Robson, upon Daley’s death. The seventh series, Clippings & Publications, contains a combination of materials pertaining to Brian Daley’s work and interests. A large of this section includes newspaper and magazine clippings about Daley’s professional life, mostly focusing on his NPR Star Wars series, GammaL.A.W. series, and Del Rey Books. There are also Star Wars materials, such as comic strips and Magazines. This series also contains clippings and publications concerning Vietnam veterans. The eighth and final series, Personal Materials, is comprised of assorted materials from Daley’s personal interests and travels. A member of the 11th U.S. Cavalry Blackhorse Regiment, Brian Daley kept newsletters and materials related to the group. An avid reader and appreciator of Science Fiction, Daley made checklists concerning his fanzine and comic collections. Also included is a sketchbook and some loss drawings. These drawings pertain to Star Wars and scifi characters. As a science fiction writer, Daley attended a number of Con festivals. He attended HiroCon5 in Japan, and he kept in touch with a number of fans and saved memorabilia. This is the only material in this collection we have relating to any of the Cons he attended. This series also contains four VHS tapes, containing: Brian’s talk at Jersey City State College, a home video of Brian and Lucia’s trip to Japan, one of Daley and James Luceno’s trip to Guatemala, and one of his Memorials.

Organized into eight series: Series I. Writings Animated Series Books Radio & Audio Dramatization Short Stories Series II. Research Files Series III. Correspondence Series IV. Schoolwork Series V. Photographs Series VI. Finances Series VII. Clippings and Publications Series VIII. Personal Materials

Provenance Information

The present collection was donated by Lucia St. Claire Robson on October, 18, 2006: MSS 2006-03. An additional accession was made in in 2010 of the posthumuous materials not sent initially: MSS 2010-08 and 2010-11.

The manuscripts arrived in a somewhat disorganized state, but in generally good condition. The collection was donated in fifteen unnumbered cardboard boxes. Much of the collection was already assembled in titled folders, with varying degrees of organization. The names of these folders were maintained but the order of the folders was rearranged to better comprehend the collection as a whole. Most folders were kept in the order they were placed in the boxes. Correspondence was removed from varying folders and rearranged in chronological order. Writings were divided by topic and then organized chronologically by copyright date. All research notes were organized alphabetically. The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Andrea Shahmohammadi under the supervision of Marcia Peri, Archivist, in 2007. Additional accessions were received in 2010 (UARC 2010-08 and UARC 2010-11) pertaining primarily to Brian’s death and condolence letters received. Some remaining personal items are also included, particularly pictures and the logbook from his summer vacation home, Meadowsweet. These materials were added to the overall collection and the finding aid updated accordingly by graduate assistant, Colleen Walter. Oversized materials were rehoused by graduate assistant Colleen Walter in 2011 and the finding aid was updated to reflect these changes.

Access & Use

No restrictions.

Reproductions allowed for research purposes. Copyright maintained by the creator.

Subject Headings

• National Public Radio (U.S.)
• Del Rey Books (Firm)
• Dark Horse Comics
• Ballantine Books (Firm)
• LucasArts (Firm)
• Science fiction, American
• Authors, American 20th century
• McKinney Jack
• Luceno, James 1947-
• Robson Lucia St. Clair

Series Description & Container List

Expand all | Collapse all

Series I. Writings

Subseries I.A. Animated series

Subseries I.B Books

Subseries I.C. Radio and audio dramatization

Subseries I.D. Short stories

Series II. Research notes

Series III. Correspondence

Series IV. Schoolwork

Series V. Photographs

Series VI. Finances

Series VII. Clipping and Publications

Series VIII. Personal Material