"The Who's Who of American Comic Books" surveys and other material.

The majority of this collection is comprised of biographical information about the comics writers, artists, and publishers that Bails contacted or researched. Much of the information takes the form of responses to the survey questionnaires sent out by Bails, as well as letters and resumes that some respondents chose to send either instead of or in addition to the questionnaires. It also includes biographical information on comics writers, artists, and publishers from other sources, such as newspaper and magazine interviews and correspondence with survey respondents helping to identify other potential respondents or clarify the roles their colleagues played in the comics industry. Other materials in the collection include correspondence from Roy Thomas, personal papers concerning Bails's college and graduate education, and notecards with Bails's unanswered questions about survey recipients.

[Item], Folder [number], Box [number], MSS 450, 2The Who's Who of American Comic Books3 surveys, Special Collections, Michigan State University Libraries, East Lansing, MI.

Jerry Bails's widow Jeanne Bails donated the collection to MSU's Special Collection Library in 2008.

The survey questionnaires in this collection were used to create "The Who's Who of American Comic Books," [Detroit: 1st edition 1973-1976], as well as later editions and eventually an online database "Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999," which as of July 2015 can be found at http://www.bailsprojects.com/ . The Special Collections Library also has a copy of the 1st print edition of "Who's Who" (call number PN6725 .B3), as well as the 1977 and 1978 additions (call numbers PN6725 .B3 1977 and PN6725 .B3 1978), and a later print edition (call number PN6725 .B3 1986).

Other materials belonging to Jerry Bails now in the Special Collections Library: Jerry Bails Microfilm Library of Comic Art (call number: 15791 Microfilm) Modesty Blaise scrapbooks, compiled by Jerry G. Bails. Author: O'Donnell, Peter, 1920-2010 (call number: folio PN6738.M6 B3 1970z) Justice Society of America scrapbooks, compiled by Jerry G. Bails (call number: folio PN6728.A4 B3 1946)

Jerry Bails (1933-2006) was a Wayne State University (Detroit) professor and longtime comics fan. He studied physics at the University of Kansas City from 1951-1955 and did one year of graduate work at the University of Chicago before returning to the University of Kansas City to earn a Master's degree and, in 1960, a Ph.D. in General Education. He was active in comics fandom for many years, helping found the fanzine 2Alter Ego3 and CAPA-alpha, the first amateur press association devoted entirely to comic books, in addition to editing 2Who's Who.3 In the 1970s Bails began compiling information about comics writers, artists, and publishers in the United States. With assistance from Hames Ware, he used the information to create 2The Who's Who of American Comic Books,3 which they first published in four volumes in print in the mid-1970s. Bails continued adding information about comics published through the year 1999 and more recent versions of 2Who's Who3 took the form of an online database which has been maintained but not updated since his death on November 23, 2006.

Finding aid online: http://as.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1897