The Jan de Hartog Papers, 1943-2005, consist of manuscript material, correspondence, scrapbooks, photos and other material documenting the life and career of Jan de Hartog (1914-2002). The papers are divided into six series: (1) Works, (2) The Hospital Materials, (3) Career, (4) Personal, (5) Personal Correspondence, and (6) Photographs.

The Works series contains manuscript material, including notes, manuscript and typescript drafts, galley proofs, play scripts, television scripts and dictation tapes for "The Captain," "The Hospital," "William and Mary," and various other works. "The Captain" sub-series includes notes, various typescript drafts of the work, the publisher's copy of the work, galley proofs, tape recordings, and page proofs. Many of these items are heavily edited by either the author or the copy editor. "The Hospital"  sub-series contains notes, outlines, drafts, and galley proofs of the work. Additional documents relating to the response to The Hospital and to Jan and Marjorie de Hartog's  work at Jefferson Davis Hospital is included in The Hospital Materials series.

Materials series includes notes, clippings, speeches, correspondence, photos and scrapbooks related to the de Hartogs' hospital volunteer work at Jefferson Davis Hospital as well as the publication of and response to de Hartog's 1964 book, "The Hospital." Outgoing correspondence is arranged by date; incoming correspondence is arranged alphabetically. An index of correspondents is available; contact Special Collections for more information.

The career series contains clippings, correspondence and commemorative material related to de Hartog's writing, teaching, and theatrical productions.

The personal correspondence series contains correspondence between de Hartog and several friends and colleagues including: Herman Wouk, Colin Wilson, Joel Gross, Connie Bessie, Simon Michael Bessie, and correspondence between Marjorie de Hartog, Herman Wouk, and Larry McMurtry.

The photographs series contains photographs of de Hartog at various stages of his life.  It includes photographs from the play "Four Posters," de Hartog as a professor at the University of Houston, Marjorie de Hartog, photographs from Jefferson Davis Hospital, and miscellaneous photographs.

The personal series has obituary information and clippings.

Books, personal effects, and sound and video recordings have been removed from the papers and cataloged separately. They are accessible through the UH Libraries online catalog under the series heading "Jan De Hartog Papers."