Series 1. Novels, ca. 1930-1973

Includes holographs, typescripts, typescript carbons, mixed manuscripts, and galleys for more than thirty of Buck's published novels. Many address the topic of Chinese peasant life. Some works are represented by multiple drafts, and some include corrections and revisions by the author.

Highlights include:
paged galleys of Buck's first novel, East Wind, West Wind;
a typescript of Sons;
original holograph and typescripts of The Patriot;
typescripts of The Angry Wife, her only novel set in West Virginia and one of many written under the pseudonym John Sedges; and
multiple drafts of Imperial Woman.

Additional drafts, outlines, and synopses for novels and novellas can also be found in Series 6, Other Works. Galleys and galley proofs can be found in Series 8, Oversized.