John Barth
A Register of His Literary Manuscripts in the Library of
Congress
Prepared by Manuscript Division staff
Revised by Margaret
McAleer with the assistance of Lena H. Wiley
Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
2008
Contact information:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division,
2008
Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms008022
Title: John Barth Literary
Manuscripts
Span Dates: 1955-1978
Bulk Dates: (bulk 1955-1968)
ID No.: MSS50971
Creator:
Barth, John, 1930-
Extent: 90 items;
11 containers plus 2 oversize;
8.4 linear feet
Language: Collection material in
English
Repository:
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Abstract: Author. Holograph and
annotated typed manuscripts and corrected galley and foundry proofs of several
of Barth's early novels, short stories, nonfiction writings, and speeches.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person
or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed
alphabetically therein.
Personal Names
Barth,
John, 1930-
Borges,
Jorge Luis, 1899-1986.
Subjects
American essays.
American fiction.
American
literature.
Short stories.
Speeches, addresses,
etc.
Related Names
Barth, John, 1930- Giles
goat-boy; or, The revised new syllabus (1966)
Barth, John, 1930- The
end of the road (1958)
Barth, John, 1930- The
floating opera (1955)
Barth, John, 1930- The
sot-weed factor (1960)
Occupations
Authors.
Provenance:The literary manuscripts of John Barth, author, were given to the
Library of Congress by Barth in 1968. Additional material was given by James L.
W. West in 1979.
Processing History:The literary manuscripts of John Barth were arranged and described in
1984. The collection was rearranged and rehoused and the finding aid was
revised in 2008 when items formerly on deposit by Barth were removed from the
collection.
Transfers:Audiocasssette recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture,
Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of
the John Barth Literary Manuscripts.
Copyright Status:Copyright in the unpublished writings of John Barth in these papers
and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved.
Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for further
information.
Restrictions:Restrictions apply governing the use, photoduplication, or publication
of items in this collection. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript
Division concerning these restrictions.
Preferred Citation:Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, John Barth Literary Manuscripts,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The literary manuscripts of John Barth (1930- ) span the years
1955-1978 with the bulk of the material dating from 1955 to 1968. The
collection consists of holograph drafts, annotated typed manuscripts, corrected
galley and foundry proofs, and miscellaneous editorial material from four of
Barth’s novels:
The Floating Opera (1955),
The End of the Road (1958),
The Sot-Weed Factor (1960), and
Giles Goat-Boy, or, The Revised New Syllabus (1966). Other
literary manuscripts include several of Barth's short stories, nonfiction
essays, and speeches. Among the speeches are drafts of “Jorge Luis Borges and
the Literature of Exhaustion” that Barth delivered at various universities in
1966 prior to the publication of his essay “The Literature of Exhaustion” in
1967.
The collection is arranged as fiction, nonfiction, and speeches and
alphabetically thereunder by title or type of material. Oversize material is
arranged and described according to the containers and folders from which the
items were removed.
| Container |
Contents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| BOX 1
|
Fiction |
|
| BOX 1
|
Novels |
|
| BOX 1
|
The End of the Road (working title “What to Do
Until the Doctor Comes”)
|
|
| BOX 1
|
Holograph draft (probable
first draft),
1955
|
|
(5
folders)
|
|
| BOX 1
|
Typescript revised first
draft,
n.d.
|
|
(7
folders)
|
|
| BOX 1
|
Typescript final draft,
carbon copy,
n.d.
|
|
(6
folders)
|
|
| BOX 1
|
The Floating Opera |
|
| BOX 1
|
Holograph first draft,
circa 1955
|
|
(4
folders)
|
| BOX 2
|
(3
folders)
|
|
| BOX 2
|
Typescript revised first
draft,
1955
|
|
(10
folders)
|
|
| BOX 2
|
Typescript final draft,
n.d.
|
|
(7
folders)
|
|
| BOX 3
|
Revised edition,
1966
|
|
| BOX 3
|
Preface |
|
| BOX 3
|
Setting copy
See also
Oversize |
|
(2
folders)
|
|
| BOX 3
|
Giles Goat-Boy |
|
| BOX 3
|
"Test borings," prospectus,
1960-1965
|
|
| BOX 3
|
Holograph first draft,
1965
|
|
| BOX 3
|
Vol. 1 |
|
(12
folders)
|
|
| BOX 4
|
Vol. 2 |
|
(10
folders)
|
|
| BOX 4
|
"Posttape" |
|
| BOX 4
|
Typescript first draft,
n.d.
|
|
| BOX 4
|
"Publisher's disclaimer"
and "Cover-letter to the editors and publishers"
|
|
| BOX 4
|
Vol. 1 |
|
| BOX 4
|
"Reels" 1-2 |
|
(7
folders)
|
|
| BOX 5
|
"Reel" 3 |
|
(8
folders)
|
|
| BOX 5
|
Vol. 2 |
|
(10
folders)
|
|
| BOX 5
|
"Posttape" |
|
| BOX 6
|
Final typescript with
corrections,
n.d.
|
|
| BOX 6
|
"Cover-letter to the
editors and publishers"
|
|
| BOX 6
|
Vol. 1 |
|
(15
folders)
|
|
| BOX 7
|
Vol. 2 |
|
(10
folders)
|
|
| BOX 7
|
"Posttape" |
|
| BOX 7
|
Miscellaneous editorial
material, including style sheet, list of corrections, table of contents, and
instructions to the proofreader from the copy editor,
1966
See also
Oversize |
|
(3
folders)
|
|
| BOX 7
|
Final galley proofs,
1966
|
|
| BOX 7
|
Corrected reader’s set
See
Oversize |
|
| BOX 7
|
Uncorrected
See
Oversize |
|
| BOX 7
|
Foundry proofs,
1966
|
|
| BOX 7
|
With notations
See Oversize
|
|
| BOX 7
|
Uncorrected
See Oversize |
|
| BOX 7
|
The Sot-Weed Factor |
|
| BOX 7
|
Character notes, plot notes,
and synopsis,
1958, n.d.
See also
Oversize |
|
(2
folders)
|
|
| BOX 8
|
Holograph first draft,
1958-1959
|
|
| BOX 8
|
Parts 1-2 |
|
(19
folders)
|
|
| BOX 9
|
Parts 3-4 |
|
(11
folders)
|
|
| BOX 9
|
Typescript final draft with
revisions (setting copy),
1960
|
|
| BOX 9
|
Part 1 |
|
(4
folders)
|
|
| BOX 9
|
Part 2 |
|
| BOX 9
|
Chapters 1-5 |
|
(2
folders)
|
|
| BOX 10
|
Chapters 6-32 |
|
(12
folders)
|
|
| BOX 10
|
Part 3 |
|
| BOX 10
|
Chapters 1-8 |
|
(4
folders)
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Chapters 7-21 |
|
(6
folders)
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Part 4 |
|
| BOX 11
|
Final galley proofs,
corrected,
1960
See Oversize |
|
| BOX 11
|
Foundry proof,
1960
See Oversize |
|
| BOX 11
|
Revised edition, setting
copy,
1966
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Miscellany,
1958-1968, n.d.
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Short stories |
|
| BOX 11
|
"Ambrose His Mark,"
1961, n.d.
|
|
| BOX 11
|
"The Invulnerable Castle,"
1958
|
|
| BOX 11
|
"The Song of Algol,"
1958, n.d.
|
|
| BOX 11
|
"Water-Message,"
1960, n.d.
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Nonfiction |
|
| BOX 11
|
"Jorge Luis Borges,"
1966
|
|
| BOX 11
|
New York Times book review statement,
1967
|
|
| BOX 11
|
"Publish or Perish,"
1965
|
|
| BOX 11
|
"Tobias George Smollett,"
1963
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Speeches |
|
| BOX 11
|
Introductions at writers series,
State University of New York, Buffalo, N.Y.,
1967
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Borges, Jorge Luis |
|
| BOX 11
|
Heller, Joseph |
|
| BOX 11
|
Updike, John |
|
| BOX 11
|
"John Barth Speaks to Young
Writers,"
1977-1978
|
|
| BOX 11
|
"Jorge Luis Borges and the
Literature of Exhaustion,"
1966-1967
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Readings |
|
| BOX 11
|
Harvard University, Cambridge,
Mass.,
1967
|
|
| BOX 11
|
Library of Congress,
1967
|
|
| BOX 11
|
University of Maryland, College
Park, Md.,
1967
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Oversize |
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Fiction |
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Novels |
|
| BOX OV 1
|
The Floating Opera |
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Revised edition,
1966
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Setting
copy (Container 3)
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Giles Goat-Boy |
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Miscellaneous editorial material,
1966 (Container 7)
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Final galley proofs,
1966
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Corrected reader's set (Container 7)
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Uncorrected (Container 7)
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
Foundry proofs,
1966
|
|
| BOX OV 1
|
With
notations (Container 7)
|
|
| BOX OV 2
|
Uncorrected (Container 7)
|
|
| BOX OV 2
|
The Sot-Weed Factor |
|
| BOX OV 2
|
Character
notes, plot notes, and synopsis,
n.d. (Container 7)
|
|
| BOX OV 2
|
Final galley
proofs, corrected,
1960 (Container 11)
|
|
| BOX OV 2
|
Foundry
proof,
1960 (Container 11)
|
|
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