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University of Texas at Austin

Ralph Ellison:

A Preliminary Inventory of His Collection at the Harry Ransom Cente

Creator: Ellison, Ralph, 1913-1994
Title: Ralph Ellison Collection
Dates: 1952-1961
Extent: 1 box (.24 linear feet)
Abstract: This small collection of the American author, critic, and scholar Ralph Ellison includes a signed, uncorrected proof of Invisible Man, Ellison's first novel and winner of the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction. Also present is a typed draft of Ellison's Esquire article "Manners and Morals at Minton's, 1941: the Setting for a Revolution," along with tearsheets of the published piece and a letter from Ellison offering the draft for auction on behalf of the student sit-in movement.
Call Number: Manuscript Collection MS-01309
Language: English
Access: Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials.
Use Policies: Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in the collections without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University of Texas at Austin assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use: Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information please see the Ransom Center's Open Access and Use Policies.


Administrative Information


Preferred Citation: Ralph Ellison Collection (Manuscript Collection MS-01309). Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin.
Acquisition: Purchase (1961) and Internal Transfer (1976)
Processed by: Steve Mielke, 2022
Repository:

Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin

Scope and Contents


This small collection of the American author, critic, and scholar Ralph Ellison includes a signed, uncorrected proof of the Random House 1952 first edition of Invisible Man, Ellison's first novel and winner of the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction, the first awarded to an African American author. The proof includes a Ransom Center bookplate "From the Library of Marianne Moore."
Also present is a typed draft of Ellison's January 1959 Esquire article "Manners and Morals at Minton's, 1941: the Setting for a Revolution," along with tearsheets of the published piece. Included is a 1961 letter from Ellison to Marvin Rich at the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) offering the draft for an auction on behalf of the student sit-in movement. In the letter, Ellison states that the article appeared in 1960, and that date is written on the tearsheets, but the piece was actually published in 1959.

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