Born in New York City, Evan H. Rhodes (1929-2010) is a noted Key West-based author who penned many novels over the course of his lifetime, including the novel, The Prince of Central Park, which had been adapted into both a feature-length film and a musical. He graduated from New York University with a Master of Arts degree and then worked as a screen reader for Columbia Pictures and Universal International before settling down in Key West to write novels. He was also a member of the Author's League of America, the NYU Alumni Federation, and the Library of the British Museum and had exhibited his own sculptures at the Washington Square Gallery in New York City.

His papers contain a wide arrange of material documenting his noteworthy literary career, including manuscripts, playscripts, drafts, notes, research files, promotional materials, news clippings, reviews, correspondence, poetry, audio-visual materials, photographs, and ephemera.