A Guide to the Mark Adams Papers, 1988-1993

Biographical Note

Mark Adams (1910-1997) worked for the New Deal in Washington, D. C., during the 1930s and was one of the founders and first printer of the Texas Observer in Austin, Texas, in 1954. In the 1980s and 1990s, Adams ran the Packrat Press in Oak Harbor, Washington, where he lived with his wife Ann. Adams also wrote several books, including Yarborough, Portrait of a People’s Senator: A Political Profile (1957) with Creekmore Fath, How to Live with an Uneasy Conscience (1983) with Bernard Rapoport, and Codicils of a Texas Testament (1990).

Scope and Contents

Composed of letters and literary productions, the Mark Adams Papers, 1988-1993, document Adams’ opinions and reminiscences about national and Texas political issues and events. An August 25, 1993, letter from Mark Adams to Fred Schmidt discuss Adams’ ideas about anonymity and explain several enclosures. The remainder of the collection, the enclosures, comprises photocopied letters to friends and literary productions, describing Adams’ opinions on national political issues and events, his reminiscences and historical anecdotes, information about the Packrat Press and its publications, and his activities in the Texas Democratic Party. The collection also consists of copies of Adams’ publications, including part of his book Codicils of a Texas Testament and articles for a newspaper column, "Voices of the Valley."

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Mark Adams Papers, 1988-1993, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers