The Dorris Riter Collection contains the writings and materials collected by Dorris Riter over her

lifetime. Dorris Riter was born in Ogden, Utah, in 1922, but she lived most of her life in

California where she was an actress and eventually a writer, with three of her works being

published. This collection contains many of her writings, including novels, plays, poems and

short stories. It also contains scripts that she collected over the years, some of which she

performed. It also contains her correspondence, both personal and professional, and her dealings

with Edgemoore Publishing, who published her plays, All in a Day’s Work, and The Youngest

Wiseman.

The Collection is broken up into five main series: Correspondence, Edgemoore Publishing,

Research, Scripts, Writings and Miscellaneous. Writings is the largest series which includes all

of her novels, plays, poems, short stories and miscellaneous writings. In plays, the Youngest

Wiseman and the Newest Wiseman are the same work, just different titles, and in short stories the

story, Edge of Violence, uses the same title as her novel which was published, but is a completely

different work. Many of her plays and short stories were untitled, and are listed as such at the end

of each sub-series.

The Research series contains her notes from a notebook, mostly in French, and correspondence

and newspaper clippings about subjects she wanted to know more about. The Miscellaneous

series contains playbills, photographs, newspaper clippings and other miscellaneous materials.

For more information there is a Dorris Riter collection at the DeGolyer Library at Southern

Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.