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University of Texas, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center

James Salter:

A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center


Creator: Salter, James, 1925-
Title: James Salter Papers
Dates: 1953-2000
Abstract: The collection contains drafts and production material for Salter's novels and correspondence with other writers, actors, agents, producers, publishers, editors, and friends.
Extent: 37 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 galley file (15.54 linear feet)
Repository: Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin

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.

Restrictions

Access:

Open for research

Administrative Information

Acquisition:

Purchase, 2000 (Reg. no. 14628)

Processed by:

Liz Murray, 2001

James Salter Papers--Folder List

 

I. Works

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