TABLE OF CONTENTS
Scope and Contents
Restrictions
Index Terms
Separated Material
Administrative Information
Description of Series
Series I. Works,
1963-2004
Series II. Correspondence,
1963-2005
Series III. Career-Related Material
Oversize materials
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Alan Furst:
A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom
Humanities Research Center
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Creator: |
Furst, Alan |
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Title: |
Alan Furst Papers |
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Dates: |
1961-2005 |
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Abstract: |
The papers of American
writer Alan Furst contain drafts of his novels and non-fiction works, as well as
articles, book reviews, essays, poems, screenplays, and stories. Correspondence and career-related material are also
included. |
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RLIN Record #: |
None |
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Extent: |
31 boxes, 2
oversize boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 galley folder (14.62 linear
feet) |
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Language: |
English. |
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Repository: |
The University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom
Humanities Research Center |
The papers of American writer Alan Furst contain drafts of his novels
and non-fiction, as well as articles, book reviews, essays, poems, screenplays,
and stories. Literary and personal correspondence as well as career-related
material is also included. The papers are organized into three series: I.
Works, 1963-2004; II. Correspondence, 1963-2005; and III. Career-Related
Material.
The Works series is subdivided into Subseries A. Books, and Subseries
B. Other Writings. Book titles are arranged alphabetically and include the
novels
Blood of Victory (2002),
The Caribbean Account (1981),
Dark Star (1991),
Dark Voyage (2004),
Heart of the Raining Queen (serialized,
1977),
Kingdom of Shadows (2001),
Night Soldiers (1988),
The Paris Drop (1980),
The Polish Officer (1995),
Red Gold (1999),
Shadow Trade (1983),
The World at Night (1996) including 1997
screenplay, and
Your Day in the Barrel (1976). Also
present is material for
The Book of Spies (2002), an anthology of
literary espionage edited by Furst, and drafts of
One Smart Cookie (1987), written with
Debbi Fields, founder of the cookie and baked goods chain
"Mrs. Field's Cookies." All drafts are typed,
rather than handwritten or computer-generated. Revised sections are often typed
and taped on top of the original typescript. In addition, the drafts contain
many handwritten changes. Frequently present are notes and research material, a
succession of drafts, copy-edited typescripts, setting copies, proofs, dust
jackets, publicity (including posters for
Dark Star and
Red Gold), and reviews. A small amount of
editorial correspondence is available for a number of the novels.
Subseries B. Other Writings includes early typescripts such as a
graduate school paper on Sir George Savile, a fragment from an untitled first
novel, and poems. Also present are newspaper and magazine articles, numerous
book reviews, essays, screenplays, and stories. Furst 's articles on a variety
of topics appeared in popular magazines and newspapers including
Architectural Digest,
Elle,
Esquire,
50 Plus,
International Herald Tribune,
Islands,
New Choices,
New York,
The New York Times,
Pursuits,
Salon, and
Seattle Weekly. The articles are arranged
by year of publication and frequently include typescript drafts and tearsheets.
Of note is the April 1984
Esquire article,
"The Danube Blues," which sparked
Furst's interest in writing espionage novels. Numerous slides of his 1983
Danube trip are also available. Unproduced screenplays include
"Heros of the Last War" (1984), and
"Warsaw" (1992). Stories and essays
vary in title and topic, such as
"A Crisis in Our Lives," for the
1961/1962
Oberlin Yeoman,
"East Coast Time,"
"A New York Story,"
"Schmuck Economics" and
"Things in the Woods. "
The correspondence in Series II, primarily incoming letters, is
arranged in chronological order from 1963-2005, the bulk between 2001-2005.
Correspondents include academics, agents, booksellers, literary associations,
publishers, and readers worldwide. The small amount of personal correspondence
from friends and acquaintances is virtually all related to Furst's books, with
the exception of a 1963 letter from Furst's grandfather Max Stockman in which
his grandson is urged to be a teacher and "write as a
sideline" in his spare time.
Series III. Career-Related Material includes articles about Furst,
book catalogs and festival fliers, contracts and royalty statements, interviews
and publicity photographs.
Return to the Table of Contents
Access:
Open for research
Return to the Table of Contents
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People |
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Fields, Debbi. |
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Document Types |
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Contracts. |
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Galley proofs. |
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Typescripts. |
Return to the Table of Contents
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Books, books on tape, and personal effects received with this
collection were transferred to appropriate departments within the Ransom
Center. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Purchase, 2005 (Reg. no. 15374)
Hope Donovan Rider and Liz Murray, 2005
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Series I. Works,
1963-2004 |
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Subseries A. Books |
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Blood of Victory
(2002) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 1 |
1 |
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Notes and proposal; early title
"The Fools of Time" |
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2-5 |
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Research material |
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6-9 |
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First draft, fragments, rough order |
| Box |
Folder |
| 2 |
1-2 |
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First draft, fragments, cont'd |
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3 |
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Draft fragment, pp. 1-47 |
| Box |
Folder |
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Final first draft |
| Box |
Folder |
| 2 |
4-6 |
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Original typescript |
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7 |
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Photocopy |
| Box |
Folder |
| 3 |
1 |
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Photocopy, cont'd |
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2-3 |
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Final draft |
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4-5 |
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Copy edited typescript, 4/7/2002 |
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6 |
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Page proofs, incomplete; dust jacket
proofs |
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7 |
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Reviews, foreign |
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8 |
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The Book of Spies (edited by
Furst, 2002), notes, introduction, contracts, correspondence, dust jackets
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The Caribbean Account
(1981) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 3 |
9 |
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"Isn't Life a Fountain?,"
early title, drafts |
| Box |
Folder |
| 4 |
1-2 |
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"Isn't Life a Fountain?,"
cont'd |
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3-5 |
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Typescript titled
"The Caribbean
Account" |
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6-7 |
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Setting copy |
| Box |
Folder |
| 5 |
1 |
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Setting copy, cont'd |
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2 |
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Reviews |
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Dark Star (1991) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 5 |
3-6 |
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Notes, research, book synopsis, and chapter outlines
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7-8 |
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Draft |
| Box |
Folder |
| 6 |
1-2 |
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Draft, cont'd |
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3-5 |
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Setting copy |
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6 |
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Proofs, master set, first pass |
| Box |
Folder |
| 7 |
1 |
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Proofs, cont'd |
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2 |
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Dust jacket copy and jacket proofs |
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3* |
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Publicity and reviews (*poster removed to Oversize
Folder) |
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Dark Voyage (2004) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 7 |
4 |
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Notes |
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5-7 |
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First draft |
| Box |
Folder |
| 8 |
1-5 |
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First draft, cont'd |
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6 |
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Four intermediary drafts |
| Box |
Folder |
| 9 |
1-7 |
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Four intermediary drafts, cont'd |
| Box |
Folder |
| 10 |
1 |
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Four intermediary drafts, cont'd |
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Setting copy |
| Box |
Folder |
| 10 |
2-3 |
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Original typescript |
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4-5 |
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Photocopy |
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6 |
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Correspondence, re copy-editing |
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7 |
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Dust jackets |
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Heart of the Raining Queen
(1977) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 10 |
8 |
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Setting copy |
| Box |
Folder |
| 11 |
1 |
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Setting copy, cont'd |
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2-4* |
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Serialization in
The Weekly: Seattle's
Newsmagazine, tearsheets (*oversize tearsheets removed to Box 32)
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Kingdom of Shadows
(2001) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 11 |
5-6 |
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Research, notes |
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7-8 |
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First draft, with book proposal |
| Box |
Folder |
| 12 |
1 |
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First draft, with book proposal, cont'd |
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2-3 |
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Copy-edited typescript |
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4-5 |
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Setting copy |
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Proofs |
| Box |
Folder |
| 12 |
6 |
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Printer's proof |
| Box |
Folder |
| 13 |
1 |
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Printer's proof, cont'd |
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2-3 |
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Master set, first pass |
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4-5 |
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Master set, second pass |
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6-7 |
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Reviews, with related correspondence |
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Night Soldiers
(1988) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 14 |
1-2 |
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Notes and research |
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3 |
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Outline and plot summaries |
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Drafts |
| Box |
Folder |
| 14 |
4-5 |
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Two uncorrected photocopies to p.109 |
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6-8 |
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Top copy, with corrections |
| Box |
Folder |
| 15 |
1-2 |
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Top copy, cont'd |
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3-6 |
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Edited photocopy |
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Author's proofs |
| Box |
Folder |
| 16 |
1-3 |
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First set |
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4-6 |
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Extra set |
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7 |
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Paperback covers, dust jacket proofs and
copy |
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8 |
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Publicity, reviews, and related
correspondence |
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One Smart Cookie (with Debbi
Fields, 1987) |
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Drafts, 1986 |
| Box |
Folder |
| 17 |
1 |
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Debbi's copy |
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2 |
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Master copy |
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3 |
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Randy's copy |
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4-5 |
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Copy-edited typescript |
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6 |
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Correspondence re revisions |
| Box |
Folder |
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The Paris Drop
(1980) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 17 |
7 |
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"Where's My Chocolate Chip
Cookie?," early title, draft |
| Box |
Folder |
| 18 |
1-3 |
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"Original manuscript" |
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4 |
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Reviews |
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The Polish Officer (1995,
2001) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 18 |
5 |
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Notes and research |
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Drafts |
| Box |
Folder |
| 18 |
6-7 |
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"First draft
pages" |
| Box |
Folder |
| 19 |
1 |
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"First draft
pages," cont'd |
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2-6 |
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Intermediary drafts |
| Box |
Folder |
| 20 |
1 |
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Intermediary drafts, cont'd |
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Setting copy and photocopy (*removed to Oversize
Boxes 32-33) |
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Proofs |
| Box |
Folder |
| 20 |
2-3 |
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Copy-edited, 5/19/94 |
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Trade paperback edition |
| Box |
Folder |
| 20 |
4-5 |
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Uncorrected, 6/28/01 |
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6-7 |
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Master set, first pass, 6/28/01 |
| Box |
Folder |
| 21 |
1-2 |
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Master set, second pass, 7/26/01 |
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3 |
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Correspondence and publicity |
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Red Gold (1999) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 21 |
4 |
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Proposal, "work
points" |
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5 |
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Research |
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6-8 |
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Drafts |
| Box |
Folder |
| 22 |
1-4 |
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Drafts, cont'd |
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5 |
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Revisions and notes |
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* |
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Poster (*removed to Oversize Folder) |
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6 |
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Reviews |
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Shadow Trade (1983) |
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Drafts |
| Box |
Folder |
| 22 |
7-8 |
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First draft, titled
"Doubles" |
| Box |
Folder |
| 23 |
1-2 |
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"Original
manuscript" |
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3-4 |
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Proofs |
| Box |
Folder |
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* |
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Galleys (*removed to galley files) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 23 |
5 |
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Dust jackets |
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6 |
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Reviews |
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The World at Night
(1996) |
| Box |
Folder |
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Novel |
| Box |
Folder |
| 24 |
1 |
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Proposal |
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2 |
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Research, notes |
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3-6 |
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Draft |
| Box |
Folder |
| 25 |
1* |
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Publicity (*poster to removed to Oversize Folder)
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2-3 |
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Reviews |
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Screenplay, with James B. Harris |
| Box |
Folder |
| 25 |
4 |
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First draft |
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5 |
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Draft titled "Soldiers of the Night,"
1997 |
| Box |
Folder |
| 26 |
6 |
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Draft, 1998 |
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Your Day in the Barrel
(1976) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 25 |
7 |
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Final draft |
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8 |
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Reviews and correspondence |
| Box |
Folder |
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* |
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Poster for reading at Montana Books, Seattle
(*removed to Oversize Box 32) |
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Subseries B. Other Writings |
| Box |
Folder |
| 26 |
1 |
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"The Aphorisms of Sir George
Savile," graduate school paper, 1963-1964 |
| Box |
Folder |
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Articles (*oversize removed to Box 32) |
| Box |
Folder |
| 26 |
2 |
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Absolut vodka ads, various dates |
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3 |
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1976, 1981, Seattle Weekly |
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4-9 |
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1983-1984,
Esquire and
Islands |
| Box |
Folder |
| 27 |
1-3 |
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1985-1987,
Esquire,
Architectural Digest,
Elle |
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4-6 |
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1988-1990,
50 Plus,
International Herald Tribune,
New Choices,
Pursuits |
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7-9 |
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2001-2002,
New York,
Salon,
The New York Times |
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10-11 |
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Book reviews |
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12 |
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"First novel"
fragment, spring 1963 |
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13 |
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"The Last Catalogue," with
Jim Peterson |
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14 |
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Notes, typescript and handwritten
fragments |
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15 |
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Poems, ca. 1969-1970 |
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Screenplays |
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"Heros of the Last War,"
screenplay |
| Box |
Folder |
| 28 |
1 |
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Treatment, ca. March 1984 |
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2 |
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Screenplay, second draft, October 1984, for
Northwest Indies, Inc. |
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"Warsaw,"
screenplay |
| Box |
Folder |
| 28 |
3 |
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First revision, July 14, 1992 |
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4 |
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Photocopy |
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5 |
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Stories and essays, 1961-1983, and nd |
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Series II. Correspondence,
1963-2005 |
| Box |
Folder |
| 29 |
1 |
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1963, letter from grandfather with
photographs |
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2 |
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1975-1986 |
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3 |
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1988-1992, Paris |
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4 |
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1993-2000 |
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5-6 |
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2001 |
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2002 |
| Box |
Folder |
| 29 |
7 |
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January-March |
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8 |
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April-June |
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9 |
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July-September |
| Box |
Folder |
| 30 |
1 |
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October-December |
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2-4 |
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2003-2005 |
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Series III. Career-Related Material |
| Box |
Folder |
| 30 |
5 |
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Articles about Furst |
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6 |
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Book catalogs and fliers |
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7 |
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Book festivals, fliers |
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Contracts, with related correspondence |
| Box |
Folder |
| 30 |
8 |
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The Caribbean
Account |
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9 |
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Dark Star |
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10 |
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The Heart of the Raining
Queen |
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11 |
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Night Soldiers |
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12 |
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One Smart Cookie |
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13 |
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The Paris Drop |
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14 |
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The Polish Officer |
| Box |
Folder |
| 31 |
1 |
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Red Gold |
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2 |
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Shadow Trade |
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3 |
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Your Day in the
Barrel |
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4 |
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Magazine articles |
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5 |
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Other works |
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6 |
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Interviews |
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7* |
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Photographs, personal and publicity (*oversize contact
prints, April 1, 1981, removed to Box 32) |
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8 |
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Royalty statements and related
correspondence |
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| Box |
Folder |
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Oversize materials |
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