James Branch Cabell Collection 1932-1956

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

Collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred citation:

James Branch Cabell Collection, Accession 5298-v, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Summary

Creator:
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

James Branch Cabell Collection, Accession 5298-v, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Background

Scope and content:

[Thanks Wyllie for sending a magazine which proved to be of strong interest to Cabell.]

[Asks Cabell for one of the ninety-seven copies of his book discussing Ellen Glasgowfor the Virginiacollection of rare books and manuscripts at the University of Virginia. ]

[Expresses pleasure after reading his article on contemporary Virginialiterature and confesses that he too has puzzled over "what a Virginian is?"]

[Makes a case for Cabell leaving his papers and manuscripts in the care and safekeeping of the Manuscripts Department of the University of Virginiabecause 1) a great writer's papers should be at a University and neither of the two Richmondinstitutions is interested in collecting contemporary material and 2) the University of Virginia Libraryalready has related papers, such as the Joseph C. Cabell Papers and the Cabell-Carrington Papers.]

[Agrees to weigh carefully Berkeley's request to make the University of Virginiathe repository for his papers and gives his best wishes ("unflavored with any special optimism") to the University in its pursuit of the Ellen Glasgowpapers with Mrs. Van Doren.]

[Thanks Cabell for giving serious consideration to his request for the University to be the depository of his papers and informs him of Mrs. Van Doren's response to his letter seeking the Ellen Glasgowpapers, "So far there has been no decision made about the permanent disposal of Miss Glasgow's papers and manuscripts. I may say, however, that Mr. Morley and I have discussed --and with considerable favor --the University of Virginia as a repository."]

[Notifies Cabell of "a beautiful group of Cabell first editions" given to the Library by Mrs. T. Catesby Joneswhich includes the New York, 1919, Jurgen, and the LondonJurgenof 1921, and makes another plea for Cabell's papers.]

[Acknowledges news of the gift of Mrs. T. Catesby Jonesto the Library of Cabell first editions with the comment, "I admit that I very much dislike the first edition of any book by me, upon the rational ground that it invariably contains errors which the printer and I have united to contribute."]

[Informs Berkeley that although he has spent all spring weeding out his files and papers keeping only those items he was willing to preserve he has not yet decided upon their ultimate deposition.]

[Discusses some advantages to an author who has a depository institution willing to cooperate with him to preserve his work and offers again to preserve them at the University of Virginia. ]

[Shares his delight with Wyllie's review of his book As I Remember Itbut takes him to task for accusing him of "getting even" with Ellen Glasgow"whom I both loved and admired. She was, in addition to her other talents, a shrewd business woman who made the very utmost of her resources. That is all I had meant to convey"; he also expresses his joy that the Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginiais going to publish Mrs. Frances J. Brewer's Cabell bibliography.]

[Describes the progress with Mrs. Frances Brewer's Cabell bibliography which is to be published by the University of Virginia Press, offers to send a set of the galley proofs of the bibliography to Cabell and defends his discussion of Cabell and Ellen Glasgowin his review of Cabell's book.]

[Asks for Wyllie to please send a set of the galley proofs of Mrs. Brewer's bibliography of his work and offers to suggest any recent additions that she may have missed; he also hesitates to write a preface to the fourth bibliography of his work because he feels that the theme may be exhausted but promises to see what he can do.]

[Asks when Mrs. Brewer's bibliography will be published as he is leaving for the summer cottage where he will have little data with which to check any galley proofs.]

[Discusses in great detail improvements that he believes should be made in Mrs. Brewer's Cabell bibliography by employing the Hinman collator.]

[Confesses that he believes it will be impossible and unnecessary to compare all of his various editions on the Hinman machine as most of the changes were to correct errors by the printers and were not really revisions.]

[Concedes that regarding his suggestions about the Cabell bibliography "that of the things that are necessary, only some of them are possible" and asks Cabell to let him know when he will return to Richmondin the fall "so that I can start annoying you anew."]

[Believes Desmond Tarrant's Towards Jerusalem, for which he answered questions and supplied some general commentaries, was excellent, suggests he submit his treatise to the Bibliographical Society, and asks Wyllie to answer as many of Mrs. Brewer's questions as he can.]

[Informs Cabell that he has answered Mrs. Brewer's inquiries and that he is immersed in Desmond Tarrant's critical study of Towards Jerusalem. ]

[Describes the visit of Mrs. Brewer to Poynton Lodge and asks his opinion of Tarrant's treatise.]

[Informs him of his decision to sell some of his manuscripts and to present others to various libraries, including the University of Virginiaand asks for a list of competent appraisers.]

[Sends the first galleys of both Mrs. Brewer's bibliography and Matthew Bruccoli's supplementary notes on the collections at the University of Virginia. ]

[Encloses a copy of Matthew Bruccoli's unfavorable assessment of Towards Jerusalemwhich parallels his own view that the book would need considerable reworking.]

[Recommends that he write Tarrant "that the book, while containing much that is fine, needs overhauling. In the version that I have, the entire first fourth of the typescript is devoted to recent American authors in general, with just an occasional mention of Cabell --which is disproportionate, and would bewilder at outset almost any reader as to what exactly the book is to be about. These three chapters should be made into one chapter." He also believes that Tarrant should discuss more of his works than just the eighteen that are mentioned.]

Acquisition information:
Transfer, 1992 June 24
Processing information:

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Physical location:
Physical description:
24 items