urn:taro:utexas.hrc.00234 James Salter: A Preliminary Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom Center Finding aid created by Ransom Center Staff Harry Ransom Center, 2003 Text converted by SPI Content Sciences Inc., July 2003. Finding aid written in English. Collection Summary James Salter Papers 1952-2006 Manuscript Collection MS-03690 47 boxes (19.74 linear feet), 1 oversize folder, 1 galley file Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin Salter, James. The collection contains drafts and production material for Salter's novels and correspondence with other writers, actors, agents, producers, publishers, editors, and friends. English Acquisition:

Purchases, 2000 (Reg. no. 14628), 2006 (Reg. 16474)

 Access:

Open for research

 Processed by:

Liz Murray, 2001; Hope Rider, 2006

 Scope and Contents

2000, 2001 Acquisitions

This segment of works and papers of American novelist and short story writer James Salter spans nearly fifty years of his writing career from 1953-2000. Arranged by title, the collection contains drafts and production material for his novels: The Hunters (1956), The Arm of Flesh (1961), Light Years (1975), Solo Faces (1979), A Sport and a Pastime (1980), and Cassada (2000). The screenplays include The Appointment (Omar Sharif, Anouk Aimée, and Lotte Lenya, 1969), The Blue Clown, Downhill Racer (Robert Redford and Gene Hackman, 1969), Lighthouse, Solo Faces, Three (Charlotte Rampling, Robie Porter, and Sam Waterston, directed by Salter, 1969), and Threshold (Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum, 1981). Also present is Salter's book of recollections Burning the Days (1997), Dusk and Other Stories (1990), and a play The Death Star. Correspondence is interspersed throughout, and includes writers, actors, agents, producers, publishers, editors, and friends such as Saul Bellow, Robert Creeley, Peter Coyote, Joseph Fox, Robert Fulton, Brendan Gill, Robert Emmett Ginna, Peter Glenville, Graham Greene, David Halberstam, Michael Herr, Christopher Mankiewicz, Michael Mewshaw, Edna O'Brien, Robert Parrish, George Plimpton, Martin H. Poll, Margaret Ramsay, Maxmillian Schell, Irwin Shaw, Ben Sonnenberg, Jr., and Diana Trilling.

Two books received with the manuscript collection were transferred to the HRC Library.

2006 Acquisition

This addition to James Salter's Papers includes essays, a collection of short stories, material for screenplays, and two works of non-fiction. The bulk of the material was published between 2000 to 2006. This accretion is arranged in two Series: I. Works, 1977-2006 and II. Correspondence, 1952-2001.

The works in Series I. contain drafts and proofs of Salter's published collections of short stories, Last Night (2005), Life Is Meals: A Food Lover's Book of Days (2006), written with his wife, Kay; and There and Then: The Travel Writing of James Salter (2005). Also present are notes, drafts, and correspondence related to Salter's 2002 screenplay, The Hunters, based on his first novel; a first draft notebook for another novel/screenplay, Solo Faces (1979); and essays for GQ and Will Blythe's Why I Write.

The correspondence in Series II. includes letters written by Salter to his childhood friend Donald Morris (1952-2001), and letters from Salter and his wife to Bridgehampton friends Sheridan and Pamela Lord (1982-1994). Other correspondents include Gene Gutowski and Ruth Lilian, as well as Esquire and the National Endowment for the Arts.

 Note to Researchers

The description for the James Salter Papers combines two preliminary inventories that were created with minimal description in 2001 and 2006 for multiple acquisitions received between 2000 and 2006. The two inventories were combined into one in 2025 to comply with a new content management system. The 2006 container list was appended to the end of the original inventory. Because both descriptions began the box numbering with Box 1, the 2006 addition is differentiated by adding the letter "a" to the original box number (e.g., Box 1a, Box 2a, etc.). This preliminary inventory does not reflect any additions to the collection received after 2006.

 Separated Material

Two published books were transferred to the Ransom Center Library.

 James Salter Papers--Folder List I. Works The Appointment, screenplay 1 1 Typescript of novel by Leone Antonio Viola, with JS's notes 1 2 Paperback version of novel, annotated for film Script drafts, holograph and typescript 1 3 July 1965 1 4 Sept. 1965 1 5 Oct. 1965 1 6-8 Nov. 1967 2 1 Nov. 1967, cont'd 2 2 Breakdown sheets 2 3 Production material, Feb. 1968 2 4 Production photographs 2 5 Clippings, includes film project Three 2 6 Correspondence, includes Three, 1963-1969 The Arm of Flesh, novel (1961) 2 7 Original typescript and notes 3 1-3 Original typescript, cont'd 3 4-5 Copy-edited typescript with author's corrections 3 6 Galleys The Blue Clown, screenplay 4 1 Film proposal based on Winston Brebner's novel Doubting Thomas 4 1 Film breakdown [removed to oversize flat files] 4 Treatments 4 2 Holograph notebook, April 1967 4 3 Typescript, with revisions; April 1967 4 4 Typescript, revised Scripts 4 5 Holograph notebooks, Oct. 1967 4 6 Typescript, Oct. 1967 4 7 April 1971 4 8 July 1971 5 1 July 1971, cont'd 5 2 Associated material, notes, correspondence, and clippings Burning the Days, Recollection (1997) 5 Pronaos 5 3 Outline and notes 5 4 Drafts You Must 5 5 Early draft, notes, and research 5 6 Original typescript, and correspondence; Oct. 1991 Esquire article 5 7 Notes and drafts, July 1992 6 1 Typescript and photocopy of article, Dec. 1992 6 2 Galleys 6 Icarus, outline and drafts, 1992-1993 The Captain's Wife 6 7 Original typescript and Esquire article 6 8 Notes and drafts A Single Daring Act 6 9 Corrected typescripts and correspondence 7 1 Air & Space article and correspondence 7 2-5 Forgotten Kings, typescript drafts, Esquire article, and file on Irwin Shaw, 1983 7 6-7 Europa, drafts and Esquire article Ukiyo 7 8 First drafts 8 1-2 Corrected typescripts and notes 8 3 Final corrected typescript 8 Dîners en Ville 8 4 Original corrected typescript 8 5 Corrected typescript and notes 8 6-8 Final typescript, Nov. 1996 9 1 Foreword, typescript drafts, and notes, April 1997 9 2 Notes for galleys or copy edited manuscript, 1997 9 3-4 Draft revisions, for Vintage and foreign editions; March 1998 9 5 New Yorker article Passionate Falsehoods,1997 9 6 Post-publication reviews, events, book tours, and readings 9 7-8 Reviews, interviews, and articles 10 1 Post-publication comments 10 2 Correspondence with Kate Medina, Random House, and others Cassada, novel (2000) 10 3 Notes and outline 10 4-5 Holograph draft, Nov. 1998 10 6 Copy of The Arm of Flesh, uncorrected 10 7 Corrected first edition of The Arm of Flesh 11 1 Typescript with author's corrections, July 2000 11 2-3 First pass page proofs, Aug. 2000 11 4 Cowboys, story, typescript drafts and correspondence The Death Star (formerly The General), play 11 5-6 Outline, notes, and clippings 12 1-2 Outline, etc., cont'd 12 3 Material and clippings on medicine and doctors 12 4-6 Theater-related clippings and printed material Scripts 13 1-2 Holograph notebooks 13 3 Staged reading, Nov. 1973 13 4 Revised, 1974 13 5 Uncorrected typescript, n.d. 13 6-7 Correspondence, 1971-1975 Downhill Racer, screenplay 14 1-4 Research material 14 5 Research and production-related material 15 1-2 Research, cont'd 15 3 Litigation, notes, and correspondence 15 4 Notes, holograph notebook 15 Treatments 15 5 Aug. 1967 15 6-7 Sept. 1967 15 8-9 Oct. 1967 and associated material Scripts 15 10 holograph draft, June 1968 16 1 typescript, June 1968 16 2-4 drafts, Sept. 1968 Dusk and Other Stories (1990) 16 5 Holograph notebooks containing drafts of The Cinema,Cowboys,The Mechanical Bird, and The Destruction of the Goetheanum 16 6 Am Strand von Tangier [Tanger], uncorrected holograph draft and carbon typescript American Express 16 7 Typescript drafts 16 8 Drafts, notes, and correspondence 17 1 Goodbye, Bear film script related to American Express The Cinema 17 2 Holograph notebook 17 3 Typescript drafts and correspondence 17 4 The Destruction of Goetheanum, corrected typescripts and correspondence 17 5 Via Negativa, holograph drafts, typescript, proofs, and correspondence The Hunters, novel (1956) 17 6-7 First submitted draft, originally titled A Patron of Tokoshi's by John Eden (Salter pseudonym), Dec. 1953 17 8 Lobby card, 1958 17 9 Review of revised edition, 1997 Light Years, novel (1975) 17 10 Notes and research material Holograph drafts 18 1-3 Jan. 1972 18 4-6 Jan. 1973 18 7 Final outline for Hirâ 19 1-3 Hirâ typescript 19 4-6 Mohenjodaro typescript 20 1 Pre-publication correspondence and reader's reports 20 2-4 Setting copy 20 5 Blue lines 20 6 Uncorrected first proof Galleys 21 1 Master set, first pass, 11/25/74 21 2 Master set, second pass, 1/22/75 21 3 Final set, 2/14/75 21 4 Production material and notes 21 5-7 Reviews 22 1-3 Correspondence Lighthouse, screenplay 22 4-5 Notes for script and draft, 1979 22 6-7 Uncorrected scripts, Chance 23 1 Corrected script 23 2 Uncorrected script, top copy West Light 23 3-4 Man Is His Own Star, article on Royal Robbins in Questwith notes drafts, typescripts, and correspondence, March-April 1978 23 5 My Lord You, [formerly The White Dog and Genius], story in Bearing Witness, 1999 Solo Faces, screenplay and novel (1979) 23 6 Research material 24 1-3 Research material, cont'd Screenplay 24 4 Treatment drafts, 1974 24 5-7 Script drafts 25 1-3 Scripts, cont'd 25 4-5 Travel expenses, includes Threshold Novel 26 1 Holograph outline 26 2-4 Holograph draft 26 5 Notes and revisions 26 6-7 Typescript, first version, March 1978 27 1-2 First version, revised 27 3-6 Second version, two copies, 1979? 27 7-8 Setting copy Galleys [removed to galley files] 28 1 Jacket cover and photographs 28 2 Reviews 28 3 Notes on film and book projects 28 4-6 Correspondence, and associated material, 1976-1979 28 7 Line of Ascent, article for Esquire, June 1979 A Sport and a Pastime, novel (1980) 29 1-4 Holograph drafts, March and Oct. 1965 29 5-6 Corrected typescript and notes, Dec. 1965 30 1-3 Typescripts, March 1966 30 4 Correspondence, notes, and reviews Three, screenplay based on Irwin Shaw's short story, Then We Were Three 30 5-7 Scripts, including notes, associated material, and Shaw's comments 31 1-3 Scripts, cont'd 31 4 Italian version 31 5 Holograph production notes 31 6 Holograph notes for script and production 31 7 Budget 31 8 Car research 31 9 Correspondence 32 1-4 Production material and correspondence 32 5-7 Production photographs 32 8 Costuming 33 1-2 Post-production reviews, correspondence, and associated material Threshold, (previously titled Hearts,Passage, and State of the Art), screenplay Scripts 33 3-7 Jan.-April 1977 34 1 Script completely rewritten for Pearce & Burns, March-April 1980 34 2 April 1980 34 3-5 with revised pages, June 1980 34 6 July 1980 35 1 July 1980, cont'd 35 2-6 Aug. 1980 Photographs 36 1-2 Informal snapshots, on location 36 3-7 Casting 37 1-3 Production notes and correspondence 37 4 Verdun, proposed opera, never made 37 5 End of Carnival, play by Josef Topol, sent to JS for reading, not associated with his projects Addition (Reg. no. 16474), 2006 Series I. Works, 1977-2006 1a 1 Goddesses, essay in GQ (October 1988), typescript and galleys, 1988 The Hunters, screenplay 1a 2 Notes, ca. 1999-2000 1a 3 Draft, handwritten in notebook, January 2000 Typescripts by JS 1a 4 Original, March 2000 1a 5 Revised, 20 June 2000 1a 6-7 Revised, 2 copies, 12 July 2000 Typescripts by David Scarpa 1a 8 With handwritten notes by JS, [February 2000] 2a 1 28 March 2002 2a 2-3 With handwritten notes by JS, correspondence, 26 August 2002 2a 4 Final revised version, 17 October 2002 2a 5 Correspondence re screenplay, ca. 1998-2003 Last Night (short stories, 2005) 2a 6-7 Arlington, drafts, correspondence, clippings 2a 8 Bangkok, drafts, correspondence 2a 9 Comet, typescripts, galleys 3a 1 Eyes of the stars, correspondence, notes 3a 2 Give, drafts, galleys, correspondence 3a 3-4 Last night, notes, drafts, galleys, correspondence 3a 5 My lord you, typescript, proofs, photocopies 3a 6 Palm court, drafts 3a 7 Platinum, drafts 3a 8 Such fun, notes, drafts, galleys 4a 1 Page proofs, rough, corrected fragments 4a 2 Page proofs Life Is Meals: A Food Lover's Book of Days, with Kay Salter (2006) 4a 3 Draft notebook, loose notes 4a 4-9 Notes and drafts, handwritten and typed 5a 1-8 Notes and drafts, cont'd 5a 9 Corrected pages, with notes Typescript, in alphabetical order 6a 1-2 A-H 6a 3-5 I-Z 6a 6-9 Corrected photocopy 7a 1 Corrected photocopy, cont'd Edited manuscripts 7a 2-6 November 2005 7a 7-9 With notes by Judith Jones (Knopf editor) 8a 1 With notes, cont'd 8a 2-6 Final, with handwritten corrections, 23 December 2005 Proofs 8a 7 First pass 8a 8 Second pass, with notes and corrections 9a 1-2 Second pass, cont'd 9a 3 Illustrations and layout notes 9a 4 Page mock-ups Correspondence 9a 5 General, 1999-2006 9a 6 Re illustrations, 2004-2005 9a 7 Solo Faces (novel, 1979), first draft notebook, 1 August - 9 December 1977 9a 8 Some for glory, some for praise, essay for Why I Write, ed. Will Blythe, drafts and correspondence, 1997-1998 There and Then: The Travel Writing of James Salter (2005) 9a 9 Essays, C-R, typescripts and photocopies 9a 10 Evening in Basel, typescript, Lear's magazine 9a 11 The France of Kings, typescripts 9a 12 Essays, S-W, typescripts and photocopies 9a 13 [Unused essays] 10a 1 Galleys 10a 2 Jacket proofs 10a 3 Correspondence with Jack Shoemaker, Shoemaker & Hoard publishers, 2003-2005 Series II. Correspondence, 1952-2001 10a 4 Esquire, re Ike and the generals,1983-1985 10a 5 Gutowski, Gene, re The Pianist, 2000 10a 6 Lilian, Ruth, re Mandrake Root, 1999 10a 7 Lord, Sheridan and Pamela, 1982-1994 10a 8 Morris, Donald, 1952-2001 10a 9 National Endowment for the Arts, 1986