Evelyn Oppenheimer was born in Dallas, Texas in 1907 and graduated from Forest Avenue High School, now Madison High School. She received her Ph.B. at the University of Chicago where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1929. During her time at college, Oppenheimer began writing book reviews for local newspapers. While recovering from an emergency appendectomy, she heard a radio broadcast of New York radio reviewer Alexander Woollcott and knew she had found her calling.
In 1934, after returning to Dallas, Oppenheimer began giving oral book reviews, first at Sanger Brothers and then at A. Harris and Titche-Goettinger department stores. Due to her Dallas success, she traveled from East Texas to the Texas Panhandle speaking in various cities. In 1949, she began weekly radio book reviews, first at KRLD-AM and other local Dallas stations, and in the early 1970s at WRR-FM, where she continued to broadcast until a few months before her death. Her radio program was the longest running radio book review show in the United States and could be heard in Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Oppenheimer served as a literary agent for over twenty-five years to many authors including Elithe Hamilton Kirkand, Ramon Adams, Frank Tolbert, Fred Lowery, Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller, and Stanley Marcus, among others. She also taught contemporary literature at Southern Methodist University’s School of Continuing Education (1976) and was an instructor in literary criticism at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University, University of Dallas, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Wisconsin Extension.
Oppenheimer’s published books included:
An avid collector of books, Oppenheimer donated 800 first-editions to Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University, many of them signed by their authors, as well as her personal archive of hand-corrected transcripts and tape recordings of her broadcast reviews. She donated her collection of rare children’s books to the University of North Texas and the remainder of her library to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Tascosa, TX after her death.
Evelyn Oppenheimer died at the age of 90 in September 1998.
Sources:
Compton, Robert.
Nomination form, Evelyn Oppenheimer papers, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University (BridArch 208.12).
Simnacher, Joe.
Vick, Frances B.
The Evelyn Oppenheimer papers chronicle Oppenheimer’s career as a pioneer book reviewer, author, and Texas literary agent. The collection features 10 linear feet of book review audio reels and transcripts, book manuscripts, photographs, newspaper articles, and correspondence. The materials in the collection document Oppenheimer’s influence on and contributions to the literary scene in Dallas, Texas, and the southwestern United States over six decades (1934-1998).
The collection is organized into five series:
Evelyn Oppenheimer donated her correspondence with Peter Hurd regarding her position as his literary agent and her correspondence with Peter Rogers regarding work on the mural in the Texas State Archives building in Austin to DeGolyer Library: Evelyn Oppenheimer correspondence, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University (A1991.1773c)
A collection of letters to Gerald Ashford, amusements editor for the
Evelyn Oppenheimer Papers, 1962, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.
The collection is open for research use. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the Bridwell Library.
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.
This collection is indexed under the following terms in the Southern Methodist University Libraries' online catalog. Researchers desiring related materials may search the catalog using these terms.
[Identification of item], Evelyn Oppenheimer papers, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.
Gift of Evelyn Oppenheimer, 1988.
This collection was arranged and described in 2011 by Allison Osborn. Data in square brackets is estimated or supplied by the archivist.
Allison Osborn, 2011.
Ada Negraru, 2011.
The first series, Audio and Visual Recordings, contains audio reels of Oppenheimer’s radio broadcast book reviews. There are seventy folders, most of which contain two reels, organized in chronological order. Two cassette tapes and two VHS tapes are included.
Series 2 contains seventeen folders of photographs. One photo album and one scrapbook were disassembled and are included in the series. The majority of photographs are from book signings and events honoring Evelyn Oppenheimer.
The third series contains materials related to books written by Oppenheimer, honors and awards she received, donations she made, and her education. The series includes book manuscripts and transcripts, correspondence, newspaper articles, and awards. Oppenheimer’s diploma is also included.
Series 4 contains sixty-eight folders of newspaper articles, correspondence, book reviews, and hand-written notes related to books reviewed by Oppenheimer. This series remains in original order with the exception of the last four folders and the oversize materials. Letters from Chaim Potok and Margaret Mitchell are of particular interest.
The fifth series contains twenty-seven folders and eleven bound books of transcripts for Evelyn Oppenheimer’s radio book review program. The transcripts are arranged in chronological order within each subsection (loose and bound).