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Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim writes to his mother that he is back at camp after having spent 10 days at a school for corporals. He said the training was more mental than physical and he spent his spare time writing for the school's newspaper. Jim gives his mother a run down of this daily activities at the school. Jim tells his mother that he has not received her letters, but explains that there was a grand reorganization of the International Brigades, so he may never receive some of them. Jim is glad he has been reunited with his friend, John Murra, after Murra's temporary post as interpreter. Jim explains that all his best friends are communists; they make the best soldiers and the best men. He says that he has received three letters from Walter Kerr who has encouraged Jim to write a few pieces about Spain. Jim thinks he will hold off until he sees some action.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner10

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: James writes that he is about to go into battle but is not at all nervous. He is now a corporal and in charge of four men. He talks about the long march to his current location and going into a nearby town where he had an omlette and wine. Censor marks visible.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner9

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: James writes to his mother explaining his new appearance: tan skin, shorter hair, slimmer. He will be sending this letter through Joe North of the Daily Worker who will send it air mail from Barcelona to Paris.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner13

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: James relates the story of his tooth abscess. He concerned about the dental bill and is prepared to put up a fight if he is overcharged; he will visit the dentist for his twentieth follow-up. He discusses having a bout of eczema, which has cleared up. James mentions a vague chance of getting an assignment through the United Press in Germany and is making progress in his German Berlitz course. He thinks he has a better chance of going to Spain to write stories about the Americans in the International Brigades.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner2

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim describes his daily routine and training to his mother. Mentions that he has seen Jimmy Sheean, Joe North, and Leigh White and they have brought him two letters, one of which is from Mrs. Lardner. He asks his mother to stop asking him to come home in her letters, as he thinks it slows them down by the censors. He also explains that he has not enlisted for a specific period of time; when one enlists it is for the duration of the war. Tells his mother to disregard news that Hitler and Musselini will withdraw support from Franco; he says that the Loyalists will not be tricked into weakening their forces. Jim asks about the family.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner12

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim writes to his mother that mail is slow and it is better for him to read the Daily Worker newspaper to get news about the International Brigade. Jim has written an article in the Volunteer for Liberty about what families in the United States can do to ensure their care packages make it to Spain. Jim spent a day at the beach, a reward for good works, and then saw three "terrible" movies on the way back to camp. He discusses visiting his friend, Elman Service, at corporal school where they drank a few bottles of Spanish champagne and crashed the matriculating corporals' party. His Spanish speaking abilities have begun to catch up with his French.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed, envelopes
Local Identifier: Lardner15

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: James recounts his being wounded during the Ebro Offensive. He describes his wounds and the bombardment. He is currently in a hospital with nothing to read. He intends to write a newspaper piece about his ordeal and have Walter Kerr of the Herald Tribune pass it along.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner18

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim describes to his mother the excitement of receiving mail and, as he writes the letter, the postman is standing on a barrel calling out recipients' names. Jim says that he just stepped outside and he can hear the cannon fire and see flashed on the horizon. He announces that he will be a part of a light machine-gun squad of five. He is doing well and is sun burned.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner8

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim writes to his mother that he spent four days in Barcelona and can see that there is no chance of him getting into an artillery unit. He says the International Brigade is very disorganized, as they have just moved north, from Albacete. He intends to visit the Lincoln-Washington Battalion at Mora-la-Nueva where he has a pass to move to the front. He will meet with John Gates, the political commisar, who will most likely send Jim to a training camp. Explains to Mrs. Lardner that their letters will be censored if they contain military information or overcritizism. Instructs her to cable the American Consulate in Barcelona if she is concerned about his safety.
Type: text
Genre: Typed Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner7

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Tells his mother that there has not been much action except for digging trenches and "personal refuges" from artillery shells. He recounts one night digging for seven hours on a stony hill, surrounded by the fascist lines. By day break, the trenches were deep enough to cover their heads, just in time for the bombings. He writes: "I was never so well paid for hard labor as by that feeling of comparative safety."
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner22

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim writes to his mother before he leaves for Spain. He will be traveling with Ernest Hemingway and will be the accredited correspondent for the Copenhagen "Politiken," the International News Service, and the Herald Tribune. He thinks that if things get exciting in Catalonia, the International News Service will want him for direct coverage of the war. He will be staying at the Majestic Hotel in Barcelona.
Type: text
Genre: Typed Letter Signed, envelopes
Local Identifier: Lardner5

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: James is currently away from fighting and tells his mother it is a miracle he wasn't hit. Promises to wire a note assuring her he is safe once he is far enough away from the artillery. He is glad to have gotten his mother's letter which caught him up on family news.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner21

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim writes to his mother about his time away from the front, in Barcelona. He was able to enjoy all the indulgences city life has to offer: a bath, a clean bed, good food. He assures her that it will be a long time before he sees any action. He mentions his close friends, John Murra (still convalescing from the Ebro Offensive, where he was shot through the shoulder) and Elman Service, two volunteers who write to Mrs. Lardner after Jim's disappearance.
Type: text
Genre: Typed Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner20

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Postcard caption reads: Un aspecto del Parque. Jim writes to his mother while healing from a leg injury. He tells her he is improving slower than he expected. He has been in the hospital for 22 days. He says that all of his best friends survived the Ebro Offensive (July 21, 1938).
Type: still image
Genre: Postcard
Local Identifier: Lardner17

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim tells his mother he will be going to Spain for his vacation, but promises to stay out of harm's way. He hopes that his research in Spain will lead to his writing a book. He has started taking Spainish lessons in preparation of his trip and mentions a prospective job in Germany. He discusses his financial situation and updates his mother on his dental health.
Type: text
Genre: Typed Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner4

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim reports on the progress of his injuries. He has walked into town without a limp and has been enjoying the easy life at his hospital. He believes there is still a piece of shrapnel in his leg. He compares his hospital to "an old people's boarding house in the Catskills."
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner19

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: Jim writes to his mother about her feelings on communism. He tells her about the communist ideology and that communists are not violent, unless the government has been forcibly overthrown. He thinks she has not given Soviet Russia the credit it deserves, especially when it comes to disarmament, working with the League of Nations, and throwing its weight behind the side of peace. He tells her about his 4th of July festivities, which included a good meal and athletic competitions in town. Jim describes the terrain of Catalonia as well as all the fresh fruit and vegetables the troops have been eating. He says that he has been made a temporary corporal.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner14

Title: James Lardner to Ellis Lardner
Description: James writes to his mother that contrary to the advice of Vincent "Jimmy" Sheean, he has decided to enlist to fight. He also asked Ernest Hemingway for advice; he thought it was a noble idea, but a personal one. James includes on page two his various reasons for fighting against fascism. He hopes his mother understands his position. He reassures her that the danger is greatly exaggerated in the press and that it is doubtful that Catalonia will fall.
Type: text
Genre: Typed Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner6

Title: James Lardner to Ring Lardner, Jr.
Description: Caption on postcard: Departamento de hidroterapia. James writes to his brother about being injured by shrapnel and is currently reading Marxist literature in the hospital.
Type: still image
Genre: Postcard
Local Identifier: Lardner16

Title: James Lardner to Ring Lardner, Jr.
Description: Jim writes to his brother about working with a difficult writer, Marcel Rivet, who has taken Jim's typewriter. He has enclosed a story by Rivet that Jim helped edit in English. He is hoping that if Ring can sell the story, it might encouraged Rivet to return his typewriter. Jim tells his brother that is it difficult to try to speculate about the war, and doesn't bother because by the time Ring gets the letter, the news will have proven Jim wrong. He discusses the current problems in Vienna, having written a good deal about it from France. He gives his opinions on Hitler's presence in Czechoslovakia and whether he will succeed in an actual invasion. He thinks that France will be glad to stay out of any confrontations in Czechoslovakia with regards to Germany. Jim has tentative plans to write a book about the Lincoln and Washington Battalions, and some pieces for the Herald Tribune and a few magazines. He is studying German for a prospective job that he is sure to get within the next few months. He is also studying Spanish history for articles he will be writing about the war in Spain. He intends to visit Barcelona, Valencia, and Madrid. He will also be best man at a friend's wedding. He writes that already the whispers have started(in French), "always a best man, never the groom."
Type: text
Genre: Typed Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner3

Title: James Lardner to Ring Lardner, Jr.
Description: Jim tells his brother that in the two months he has been in the Lincoln Battalion, he has not seen a single day of fighting. Nonetheless, he spends his time practicing infantry techniques. Jim says that he can't give Ring the inside scoop on the war as it is harder to follow in Spain than in California. He believes that any big change will have to come from the international community. Asks Ring what he thought about his piece on the Marx Brothers. Jim says that if there is any money for it forthcoming for the story, Ring can keep is as a loan. Jim asks his brother to send him a package of chocolate, tins of meat, and plum cake, care of Walter Kerr at the New York Herald Tribune office in Paris. His previous packages have gone missing.
Type: text
Genre: Autograph Letter Signed
Local Identifier: Lardner11

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