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1938 AYN RAND (2) RKO Contracts / H.N. Swanson Agency STAMPED Photostats + COATwo original 1938 photostat contracts dated July 13, 1938, between
Ayn Randand
RKO Radio Pictures,
retained in the professional files of
H. N. Swanson.
Material Included
• Agreement – 25 pages
• Supplemental Agreement – 10 pages
• Both dated July 13, 1938
• Concerning motion picture rights toNight of January 16th
• Swanson Agency stamp present throughout
• Period photostat duplication
These are vintage agency file photostats created and retained as official office documentation of the Rand / RKO transaction.
They are not later reproductions.
Historical Context
In July 1938, Rand contracted with RKO for the motion picture rights to her Broadway playNight of January 16th.
This agreement predatesThe Fountainhead(1943) andAtlas Shrugged(1957) and reflects Rand’s active engagement with the Hollywood studio system during her formative professional years.
RKO, one of the major studios of the Golden Age, regularly utilized photostat duplication for legal and agency circulation. These documents represent the surviving agency-side record of that transaction.
They document Rand not as later cultural figure, but as working playwright negotiating entry into studio-era film production.
Format
Authentic 1930s photostat process — the standard legal duplication method prior to xerography.
The tonal characteristics and ghosting typical of the process are present and consistent with period photostat production. Camera calibration may accentuate background impressions in photographs; in-hand appearance is more uniform.
Condition
Very Good or better. Normal handling wear consistent with agency file retention. Swanson archive stamping present. Please review photographs carefully.
Swanson / Gotler Provenance
From the professional files of the Swanson / Gotler literary agency.
Guaranteed vintage and original as issued. Accompanied by Certificate of Authenticity documenting Swanson / Gotler provenance.
H. N. SWANSON / JOEL GOTLER LITERARY AGENCY
Harold Norling Swanson (1899–1991) was a Hollywood literary agent who represented numerous prominent American writers and negotiated significant book-to-film properties during the studio era.
Beginning in the mid-1930s on Sunset Boulevard, Swanson served as intermediary between authors and the major studios. Among the writers represented by the agency were Ayn Rand, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler, William Faulkner, James M. Cain, Kenneth Millar (Ross Macdonald), Pearl Buck, Elmore Leonard, John O’Hara, Joyce Carol Oates, Joseph Wambaugh, Philip Wylie, and Cornell Woolrich.
In 1979, Joel Gotler acquired the Swanson agency client list as well as the client list of Irving “Swifty” Lazar. Joel Gotler & Associates remains in operation.
Swanson / Gotler Archive Notice
This material originates from the professional files of the Swanson / Gotler literary agency and was generated in the ordinary course of agency representation.
The documents are offered strictly as historical artifacts. No literary, publication, performance, or intellectual property rights are conveyed with this sale.
Any rights, if applicable, remain with the respective estates or rights holders.
The accompanying Certificate of Authenticity documents provenance only.
Shipping
Shipped via UPS, fully insured, with adult signature confirmation.
Packed well for safe transit.
