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Scope and Contents |
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The Jacobson collection consists of original and carbon copy typescripts, holograph
manuscripts, computer printouts, notebooks, correspondence, clippings, galley proofs,
page
proofs, dust jackets, book reviews and advertisements, offprints, programs, handbills,
personal documents, and a sound recording, ranging in date from 1941 to 1992. The
material
is arranged in three series: Works ([1953]-1992, 16.5 boxes), General Correspondence
(1952-1991, 9 folders), and Personal (1941-1987, 7 folders). The Works series is arranged
in
five subseries: Creative Works, Critical Works, Reviews of Jacobson's Works, Interviews,
and
Articles about Jacobson. |
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Most of Jacobson's works from 1954 to 1992 are represented in the collection. For
some
works, multiple drafts and corrected proofs reveal Jacobson's revision processes.
In
particular, the evolution of many of his short stories can be traced. Jacobson sometimes
uses photocopies of other works and correspondence in printing out or typing new
manuscripts, so that photocopies of some works and correspondence are located on the
versos
of later works. Published reviews of many of Jacobson's books show critical response
to his
work. |
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Most of the general correspondence is incoming correspondence from publishers, periodicals,
and other authors. Among the correspondents are Philip Larkin, Mary McCarthy, and
Leonard
Woolf. Fifty-nine letters from Jacobson's literary agent, Henry Volkening, cover the
years
1954-1964 and provide insight into the publication process of Jacobson's early books
and
short stories. |
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Among the few personal items in the collection are correspondence regarding Jacobson's
efforts to prove his eligibility to apply for the W. Somerset Maugham Award as a British
citizen and correspondence relating to his role as a director of Index of Censorship. |
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A list of all correspondents in the Jacobson collection is located at the end of this
inventory. |
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Series Descriptions |
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Series I. Works, [1953]-1992, 16.5 boxes |
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The series is divided into five subseries: Creative Works, Critical Works, Reviews
of
Jacobson's Works, Interviews, and Articles about Jacobson. |
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The first subseries, arranged alphabetically by title, consists of typescripts,
holograph manuscripts, notebooks, galley proofs, page proofs, proof copies,
advertisements, and reviews of Jacobson's novels, short stories, essays, and lectures.
All of Jacobson's major works are represented in the collection. For some works, such
as
The Beginners (1966), Her Story (1987), Hidden in the Heart (1991), The Rape of Tamar (1970), and The Story of the Stories: The Chosen People and Its God (1982),
the entire evolution of the work can be traced through revised drafts and proofs.
The God-Fearer (1992) is represented by five drafts, with the
first one titled Kobus and the final one copy-edited and
accompanied by the copy editor's list of queries annotated by Jacobson; page proofs;
a
proof copy; five drafts of the dust jacket blurb; and Jacobson's essay describing
the
origin of the book, "About the God-Fearer.
"Correspondence, book reviews, advertisements, and other associated materials
that Jacobson had kept with manuscript works remain filed with those manuscripts.
Where
Jacobson had labeled varying versions of manuscripts, those labels, such as "First draft,""Second
draft," and "Copy sent to typist," are retained
and are indicated in the folder list with single quotation marks. |
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Some short stories are present in variant versions. For example, "Long Weekend, "which was published in the collection Time and Time Again (1985), is also present as "Brian, "published in the New Yorker in 1984. Jacobson often uses earlier typescripts,
proofs, or printed copies of a work to make alterations for use in a later publication.
A printed copy of Beggar My Neighbour (1964) contains holograph
revisions for publication in Inklings (1973). Due to
Jacobson's habit of recycling the blank sides of old photocopies, some later works
appear on the versos of photocopies of older works and correspondence. A notebook
that
contains early drafts of multiple works has been filed under Jacobson's title for
it,
"Roughbook; various abandoned fictions...." |
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Jacobson's works were often published separately in England and the United States,
and
in those cases manuscripts are separated under the title of the corresponding edition.
Through the Wilderness was published in the U.S. by Macmillan in
1968 and was published in the U.K. by Weidenfeld and Nicolson under the title Inklings in 1973. Therefore, materials may be found under both
titles. |
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The second subseries, Critical Works, is also arranged alphabetically by title and
consists of typescripts, holograph manuscripts, galley proofs, page proofs, clippings,
and printed copies of book reviews and author profiles written by Jacobson. |
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The Reviews of Jacobson's Works subseries contains photocopies and printed reviews
of
Jacobson's anthology contributions, arranged by anthology title; reviews of Jacobson's
corpus, arranged by periodical title; and reviews in Hebrew. |
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In the fourth subseries are photocopies and printed copies of various interviews with
Jacobson from 1964-1985. These are arranged by the title of the periodical in which
the
interview appeared. |
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The fifth subseries, also arranged by periodical title, is made up of photocopies
and
printed copies of other articles about Jacobson. Included are articles about awards
Jacobson received and talks he presented. |
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Series II. General Correspondence, 1952-1991, 9 folders |
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The second series is divided into outgoing correspondence, incoming correspondence,
and
letters to the editor by or about Jacobson. There are few outgoing items of
correspondence in the collection; found here are a letter to a manuscript collector,
Eustin du Plessis, and photocopies of some of Jacobson's letters to biographer Sheila
Roberts (the originals are housed in the National English Literary Museum and
Documentation Centre in London). Other letters by Jacobson are located in the Personal
series. Among incoming correspondence are letters from publishing companies,
periodicals, and other authors, including one or more letters by Nadine Gordimer,
Philip
Larkin, Mary McCarthy, Alan Paton, William Plomer, Ronald Sanders, and Leonard Woolf.
Also of significance are letters from Henry Volkening, who was Jacobson's literary
agent
at Russell & Volkening. His fifty-nine letters cover the years 1954-1964 and trace
the
process of finding publishers for Jacobson's early works and reveal reactions to his
works. Correspondence with Gilbert Parker regards stage adaptations and screenplays
of
Jacobson's works from 1961-1963. All incoming correspondence is arranged alphabetically
by
name of the correspondent. Letters to the editor include photocopies and printed copies
of Jacobson's letters to editors of newspapers and periodicals regarding various topics,
as well as letters by other people, usually regarding published articles or reviews
by
Jacobson and sometimes with a reply by Jacobson. These are arranged by the title of
the
periodical. |
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Series III. Personal, 1941-1987, 7 folders |
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Among items in the third series are a 1941 quarterly report card from Kimberly Boys'
High School, Lower School, and Jacobson's identification card from Syracuse University.
An information sheet on the W. Somerset Maugham Award is accompanied by correspondence
showing Jacobson's efforts to prove British citizenship as eligibility for the award.
Clippings about John F. Kennedy, American literature, Jacobson's father, Ida Hersch,
and
other subjects are present. A printed copy of "The Diamond Pipe (for Dan Jacobson), "a poem written by Peter
Davison and published in the Times Literary Supplement,
is located in the series, as is a notice and program for a memorial service for
Robert Lowell in 1977. Jacobson served as a director of Index on Censorship, and correspondence with Elliott Abrams of
the U.S. State Department regarding contents of the periodical and a printed copy
of a
newspaper article Jacobson wrote about the periodical complete the series. |
