The James A. Michener Papers consist of correspondence, notes, research materials and drafts of manuscripts created and compiled by best-selling author James A. Michener (1907-1997) in the course of his work on the novel Caribbean (1989).

Correspondence and memoranda found within the files provides information concerning the intellectual preparation required to compose an historical novel that spans more than four hundred years. Michener chose to preserve the results of his research and editorial efforts  "... so that aspiring writers can see what work lies ahead for them if they finally succeed. Stated better, what work they will have to do if they want to succeed." Exchanges with editorial staff members throughout the stages of manuscript preparation, and the concurrent suggestions, recommendations and revisions to the manuscript noted on various "copies" of the manuscript illuminate the internal aspects of the modern publishing industry.

The author includes notes and correspondence concerning the logistical, financial and personal decisions that influence the creative process. The pervasive degree of experimentation, discovery and change inherent in the process of creative writing appears throughout the stages of this manuscript. The very title of the novel, Caribbean, is a reflection of this evolutionary process, for the author first conceived on calling the volume Lost in the Sun.

Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, law professor, and legal analyst, the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novels How Sweet It Is! and Second Hand Smoke; the works of nonfiction The Myth of Moral Justice: Why Our Legal System Fails to Do What's Right and Payback: The Case for Revenge; and the forthcoming Crossing the Line: The High Cost of Weaponized Speech.

His writings and commentary on matters of justice, human rights, antisemitism, the Middle East, global terrorism, the Holocaust, and art and culture appear frequently in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, L.A. times, CNN.com, Slate, Salon, ABA Journal, The Daily Beast, and Jewish Week, Jewish journal, Algemeiner, Haaretz, and Times of Israel, among other publications.

Thane is the Legal Analyst for CBS News Radio and hosts "The Talk Show" at the 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association. He is also a Distinguished Fellow at New York University School of Law, where he directs the Forum on Law, Culture, & Society.

The Thane Rosenbaum papers include drafts, manuscripts, typescripts, book contracts, and reviews of books he authored such as: Myth of Moral Justice, Second Hand Smoke, Golems of Gotham, Stranger Within, Elijah Visible, Myth of Moral Justice, Pay Back and How Sweet It Is!. There are also speeches, essays, letters and legal writings by Mr. Rosenbaum. Finally, the collection also includes materials pertaining to the Forum on Law, Culture and Society (FOLCS) which he moderates at New York University, large posters of various public events he participated in and a box of audio-visual materials that relate to the above mentioned categories.