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Noel Polk Editorial Papers From the Library of America and Random House editions of the works of William Faulkner, Accession #13902, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
These papers were given to the University of Virginia Library by Noel Polk, May 17, 2007.
Since the fall of 2004, Noel Polk (1943-) has been professor of English at Mississippi State University and editor of The Mississippi Quarterly . Noel Polk is also one of the editors of the Library of America volumes of William Faulkner and has edited the texts in all five volumes of the Faulkner novels published by The Library of America.
Polk was born in Picayne, Mississippi on February 23, 1943, and received his B.A. degree in 1965 and his M.A. degree in 1966 both from Mississippi College. His doctorate work was completed at the University of South Carolina in 1970. He was previously Professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi and editor of The Southern Quarterly for twenty-seven years.
This collection consists of the editorial papers of Noel Polk, ca. 200 items (9 Hollinger boxes, ca. 4 linear feet), ca. 1968-2000, and undated, chiefly electrostatic copies of Faulkner manuscripts and first editions with Polk's collations, marginal editorial notes, editorial queries and decisions, together with some page and galley proofs of corrected text. Polk's work was used in the Library of America series on Faulkner and Random House corrected texts editions of the works of William Faulkner, or in the case of Sanctuary , the original text as intended by Faulkner.
The manuscript files are arranged in two series. Series I consists of manuscripts arranged alphabetically by the title of the book. Series II consists of correspondence, also arranged alphabetically.
Includes a copy of a letter from Noel Polk to Jim [Meriwether?] about his trip to Austin to work on the Absalom manuscript with Hershel Parker, a Melville scholar, his hopes of dealing with the actual process of composition based on a study of the relationships between the various inks and papers used by Faulkner, his problems with Faulkner's Revisions of Absalom, Absalom! by Gerald Langford (1911-2003) which he found less than helpful and inaccurate, and the unavailability of the galley proofs "kept under lock and key by Carvel Collins" for use in his own [never published] biography of Faulkner (August 12, 1975).
Correspondence with Evelyn Harter Glick, a member of Random House production and design staff during 1935-1936, and Louise Bonino Williams, director of publicity and promotion at Random House during 1936, who both include their reminiscences of Faulkner at that time.
Copy text, collation with First Edition by Library of American staff (in red) and Noel Polk's editorial marks, collations, and queries, and decisions in blue and purple.
TS Setting Copy, Collation with First Edition (Random House, 1962) along with editorial questions and decisions by Noel Polk, for the Library of America Text (2 of 2 folders).
Marginal Notes are Noel Polk's Collation of the Holograph Manuscript of Sanctuary at the University of Virginia with the paste-up printed text, which conflated the J. Cape and H. Smith (1931) First Edition with Faulkner's Revision of Sanctuary (a published collation of the first edition and the uncorrected galleys at the University of Texas at Austin) by Gerald Langford (1 of 3 folders).
Marginal Notes are Noel Polk's Collation of the Holograph Manuscript of Sanctuary at the University of Virginia with the paste-up printed text, which conflated the J. Cape and H. Smith (1931) First Edition with Faulkner's Revision of Sanctuary (a published collation of the first edition and the uncorrected galleys at the University of Texas at Austin) by Gerald Langford (2 of 3 folders).
Marginal Notes are Noel Polk's Collation of the Holograph Manuscript of Sanctuary at the University of Virginia with the paste-up printed text, which conflated the J. Cape and H. Smith (1931) First Edition with Faulkner's Revision of Sanctuary (a published collation of the first edition and the uncorrected galleys at the University of Texas at Austin) by Gerald Langford (3 of 3 folders).
Noel Polk's Collation of the Carbon Typescript of Sanctuary [at the University of Virginia] with the paste-up printed text, which conflated the J. Cape and H. Smith (1931) First Edition with Faulkner's Revision of Sanctuary (a published collation of the first edition and the uncorrected galleys at the University of Texas at Austin) by Gerald Langford (1 of 2 folders).
Noel Polk's Collation of the Carbon Typescript of Sanctuary [at the University of Virginia] with the paste-up printed text, which conflated the J. Cape and H. Smith (1931) First Edition with Faulkner's Revision of Sanctuary (a published collation of the first edition and the uncorrected galleys at the University of Texas at Austin) by Gerald Langford (2 of 2 folders).
Typescript Copy Collated against the J. Cape and H. Smith edition with Editorial Notes and Queries by Noel Polk (2 of 3 folders).
Typescript Copy Collated against the J. Cape and H. Smith edition with Editorial Notes and Queries by Noel Polk (3 of 3 folders).
Editorial Queries from Noel Polk and Responses by Jim Hinkle, Cleanth Brooks, and Tom McHaney.
TS Setting Copy with variants from the Random House First Edition (1957) Collated by Noel Polk for the Library of America Text (1of 3 folders).
TS Setting Copy with variants from the Random House First Edition (1957) Collated by Noel Polk for the Library of America Text (3 of 3 folders).
Collation with TS Setting Copy and Editorial Notes by Noel Polk for the Library of America Text (2 of 2 folders).
Edited Typescript by Noel Polk for the Library of America Text (1 of 3 folders).
Edited Typescript by Noel Polk for the Library of America Text (3 of 3 folders).
Noel Polk's Copy of the Corrected Proof, Notes are by the Library of America editors (2 of 2 folders).
Working Text- Emendations, Sources, etc. for the Library of America Text (1 of 2 folders).
Polk arranges to see her correspondence concerning Requiem for a Nun (1972); a misunderstanding of the intent of his article about Requiem for a Nun: A Play from the Novel by William Faulkner adapted for the Stage by Ruth Ford and his interest in Faulkner's activities in the summer and fall of 1951 (November 19, 1975).
Concerns permission for Polk to edit and publish Sanctuary The Original Text with an introduction and other textual apparatuses, including correspondence with Albert Erskine and Jill Summers.
Chiefly personal letters, discussing her work in a general way; mentions Carvel [Collins?] (April 17 and July 27, 1990); her opinion of [George?] Plimpton and her feelings about divorce (July 27, 1990); William Faulkner (May 11, 1992, January 16, 1996; December 15, 2000, undated Christmas card); the death of Sam [Seymour Lawrence] (July 3, 1994); teaching at the Memphis College of Art (September 5, 1995); and includes a copy of her story "Scoot's Home " [April 11, 1980].