urn:taro:utexas.hrc.00234 James Salter: A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Text converted by SPI Content Sciences Inc., July 2003. Finding aid written in English. James Salter Papers 1953-2000 37 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 galley file (15.54 linear feet) Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin Salter, James, 1925- The collection contains drafts and production material for Salter's novels and correspondence with other writers, actors, agents, producers, publishers, editors, and friends. Acquisition:

Purchase, 2000 (Reg. no. 14628)

 Access:

Open for research

 Processed by:

Liz Murray, 2001

 Scope and Contents

This collection of works and papers of American novelist and short story writer James Salter spans nearly fifty years of his writing career from 1953-2000. Arranged by title, the collection contains drafts and production material for his novels: The Hunters (1956), The Arm of Flesh (1961), Light Years (1975), Solo Faces (1979), A Sport and a Pastime (1980), and Cassada (2000). The screenplays include The Appointment (Omar Sharif, Anouk Aimée, and Lotte Lenya, 1969), The Blue Clown, Downhill Racer (Robert Redford and Gene Hackman, 1969), Lighthouse, Solo Faces, Three (Charlotte Rampling, Robie Porter, and Sam Waterston, directed by Salter, 1969), and Threshold (Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum, 1981). Also present is Salter's book of recollections Burning the Days (1997), Dusk and Other Stories (1990), and a play The Death Star. Correspondence is interspersed throughout, and includes writers, actors, agents, producers, publishers, editors, and friends such as Saul Bellow, Robert Creeley, Peter Coyote, Joseph Fox, Robert Fulton, Brendan Gill, Robert Emmett Ginna, Peter Glenville, Graham Greene, David Halberstam, Michael Herr, Christopher Mankiewicz, Michael Mewshaw, Edna O'Brien, Robert Parrish, George Plimpton, Martin H. Poll, Margaret Ramsay, Maxmillian Schell, Irwin Shaw, Ben Sonnenberg, Jr., and Diana Trilling.

Two books received with the manuscript collection were transferred to the HRC Library.

Additional material is expected.

 James Salter Papers--Folder List I. Works The Appointment, screenplay 1 1 Typescript of novel by Leone Antonio Viola, with JS's notes 1 2 Paperback version of novel, annotated for film Script drafts, holograph and typescript 1 3 July 1965 1 4 Sept. 1965 1 5 Oct. 1965 1 6-8 Nov. 1967 2 1 Nov. 1967, cont'd 2 2 Breakdown sheets 2 3 Production material, Feb. 1968 2 4 Production photographs 2 5 Clippings, includes film project Three 2 6 Correspondence, includes Three, 1963-1969 The Arm of Flesh, novel (1961) 2 7 Original typescript and notes 3 1-3 Original typescript, cont'd 3 4-5 Copy-edited typescript with author's corrections 3 6 Galleys The Blue Clown, screenplay 4 1 Film proposal based on Winston Brebner's novel Doubting Thomas 4 1 Film breakdown [removed to oversize flat files] 4 Treatments 4 2 Holograph notebook, April 1967 4 3 Typescript, with revisions; April 1967 4 4 Typescript, revised Scripts 4 5 Holograph notebooks, Oct. 1967 4 6 Typescript, Oct. 1967 4 7 April 1971 4 8 July 1971 5 1 July 1971, cont'd 5 2 Associated material, notes, correspondence, and clippings Burning the Days, Recollection (1997) 5 Pronaos 5 3 Outline and notes 5 4 Drafts You Must 5 5 Early draft, notes, and research 5 6 Original typescript, and correspondence; Oct. 1991 Esquire article 5 7 Notes and drafts, July 1992 6 1 Typescript and photocopy of article, Dec. 1992 6 2 Galleys 6 Icarus, outline and drafts, 1992-1993 The Captain's Wife 6 7 Original typescript and Esquire article 6 8 Notes and drafts A Single Daring Act 6 9 Corrected typescripts and correspondence 7 1 Air & Space article and correspondence 7 2-5 Forgotten Kings, typescript drafts, Esquire article, and file on Irwin Shaw, 1983 7 6-7 Europa, drafts and Esquire article Ukiyo 7 8 First drafts 8 1-2 Corrected typescripts and notes 8 3 Final corrected typescript 8 Dîners en Ville 8 4 Original corrected typescript 8 5 Corrected typescript and notes 8 6-8 Final typescript, Nov. 1996 9 1 Foreword, typescript drafts, and notes, April 1997 9 2 Notes for galleys or copy edited manuscript, 1997 9 3-4 Draft revisions, for Vintage and foreign editions; March 1998 9 5 New Yorker article Passionate Falsehoods, 1997 9 6 Post-publication reviews, events, book tours, and readings 9 7-8 Reviews, interviews, and articles 10 1 Post-publication comments 10 2 Correspondence with Kate Medina, Random House, and others Cassada, novel (2000) 10 3 Notes and outline 10 4-5 Holograph draft, Nov. 1998 10 6 Copy of The Arm of Flesh, uncorrected 10 7 Corrected first edition of The Arm of Flesh 11 1 Typescript with author's corrections, July 2000 11 2-3 First pass page proofs, Aug. 2000 11 4 Cowboys, story, typescript drafts and correspondence The Death Star (formerly The General), play 11 5-6 Outline, notes, and clippings 12 1-2 Outline, etc., cont'd 12 3 Material and clippings on medicine and doctors 12 4-6 Theater-related clippings and printed material Scripts 13 1-2 Holograph notebooks 13 3 Staged reading, Nov. 1973 13 4 Revised, 1974 13 5 Uncorrected typescript, n.d. 13 6-7 Correspondence, 1971-1975 Downhill Racer, screenplay 14 1-4 Research material 14 5 Research and production-related material 15 1-2 Research, cont'd 15 3 Litigation, notes, and correspondence 15 4 Notes, holograph notebook 15 Treatments 15 5 Aug. 1967 15 6-7 Sept. 1967 15 8-9 Oct. 1967 and associated material Scripts 15 10 holograph draft, June 1968 16 1 typescript, June 1968 16 2-4 drafts, Sept. 1968 Dusk and Other Stories (1990) 16 5 Holograph notebooks containing drafts of The Cinema, Cowboys, The Mechanical Bird, and The Destruction of the Goetheanum 16 6 Am Strand von Tangier [Tanger], uncorrected holograph draft and carbon typescript American Express 16 7 Typescript drafts 16 8 Drafts, notes, and correspondence 17 1 Goodbye, Bear film script related to American Express The Cinema 17 2 Holograph notebook 17 3 Typescript drafts and correspondence 17 4 The Destruction of Goetheanum, corrected typescripts and correspondence 17 5 Via Negativa, holograph drafts, typescript, proofs, and correspondence The Hunters, novel (1956) 17 6-7 First submitted draft, originally titled A Patron of Tokoshi's by John Eden (Salter pseudonym), Dec. 1953 17 8 Lobby card, 1958 17 9 Review of revised edition, 1997 Light Years, novel (1975) 17 10 Notes and research material Holograph drafts 18 1-3 Jan. 1972 18 4-6 Jan. 1973 18 7 Final outline for Hirâ 19 1-3 Hirâ typescript 19 4-6 Mohenjodaro typescript 20 1 Pre-publication correspondence and reader's reports 20 2-4 Setting copy 20 5 Blue lines 20 6 Uncorrected first proof Galleys 21 1 Master set, first pass, 11/25/74 21 2 Master set, second pass, 1/22/75 21 3 Final set, 2/14/75 21 4 Production material and notes 21 5-7 Reviews 22 1-3 Correspondence Lighthouse, screenplay 22 4-5 Notes for script and draft, 1979 22 6-7 Uncorrected scripts, Chance 23 1 Corrected script 23 2 Uncorrected script, top copy West Light 23 3-4 Man Is His Own Star, article on Royal Robbins in Questwith notes drafts, typescripts, and correspondence, March-April 1978 23 5 My Lord You, [formerly The White Dog and Genius], story in Bearing Witness, 1999 Solo Faces, screenplay and novel (1979) 23 6 Research material 24 1-3 Research material, cont'd Screenplay 24 4 Treatment drafts, 1974 24 5-7 Script drafts 25 1-3 Scripts, cont'd 25 4-5 Travel expenses, includes Threshold Novel 26 1 Holograph outline 26 2-4 Holograph draft 26 5 Notes and revisions 26 6-7 Typescript, first version, March 1978 27 1-2 First version, revised 27 3-6 Second version, two copies, 1979? 27 7-8 Setting copy Galleys [removed to galley files] 28 1 Jacket cover and photographs 28 2 Reviews 28 3 Notes on film and book projects 28 4-6 Correspondence, and associated material, 1976-1979 28 7 Line of Ascent, article for Esquire, June 1979 A Sport and a Pastime, novel (1980) 29 1-4 Holograph drafts, March and Oct. 1965 29 5-6 Corrected typescript and notes, Dec. 1965 30 1-3 Typescripts, March 1966 30 4 Correspondence, notes, and reviews Three, screenplay based on Irwin Shaw's short story, Then We Were Three 30 5-7 Scripts, including notes, associated material, and Shaw's comments 31 1-3 Scripts, cont'd 31 4 Italian version 31 5 Holograph production notes 31 6 Holograph notes for script and production 31 7 Budget 31 8 Car research 31 9 Correspondence 32 1-4 Production material and correspondence 32 5-7 Production photographs 32 8 Costuming 33 1-2 Post-production reviews, correspondence, and associated material Threshold, (previously titled Hearts, Passage, and State of the Art), screenplay Scripts 33 3-7 Jan.-April 1977 34 1 Script completely rewritten for Pearce & Burns, March-April 1980 34 2 April 1980 34 3-5 with revised pages, June 1980 34 6 July 1980 35 1 July 1980, cont'd 35 2-6 Aug. 1980 Photographs 36 1-2 Informal snapshots, on location 36 3-7 Casting 37 1-3 Production notes and correspondence 37 4 Verdun, proposed opera, never made 37 5 End of Carnival, play by Josef Topol, sent to JS for reading, not associated with his projects