University of Virginia Library
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library© 1997 By the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. All rights reserved.
Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Processed by: Special Collections Department Staff
There are no restrictions on access to the Library's microfilms of the William Faulkner manuscripts in its custody; the microfilm may be consulted by any interested party, and it will be lent through the interlibrary loan system. Materials are constantly added. Long-term loans may be arranged. Use of the microfilm will be restricted to the premises of the borrowing library. No loans will be made to individuals. Researchers should enquire of the Manuscripts Division concerning availability of microfilm of manuscripts that are pertinent to their work. Most of the literary manuscripts in our collections written by Faulkner, both holograph and typescript, have also been published in facsimile in William Faulkner Manuscripts , 25 vols (New York: Garland, 1986-87).
By the terms of the agreement by which the William Faulkner Foundation transferred the original manuscripts to the University, access to the original manuscripts is restricted (to ensure the survival of the physically-delicate originals) to doctoral candidates at the dissertation stage of their programs, and to certain mature scholars and critics. But even these researchers must demonstrate need to see the originals that goes beyond the requirements of most routine research. A doctoral candidate at the dissertation stage, or other qualified researcher who believes that his or her work requires access to the originals must correspond with the Curator of Manuscripts prior to arrival at the Library to obtain permission for access.
No microfilm, electrostatic, or other types of copies may be made of materials written by William Faulkner that are in our William Faulkner Collections. Other materials in the collections may be copied subject to the normal rules of the Library established under the conditions of the Copyright Act. All copying is performed by the Printing Services Department of the University.
See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.
William Faulkner Collection, Accession 6074-z, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library
These items were purchased by the Library from Jeffrey H. Marks Rare Books of Rochester, New York , on April 3, 1997 .
Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
There are thirty-two items, 1930s(1942-1944), chiefly letters from William Faulkner (1897-1962) while working for Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, Calfornia , to his wife, Estelle Oldham Franklin Faulkner (1896-1972), and his daughter, Jill Faulkner , in Oxford, Mississippi .
w/env. [concerns an account with Black, mentions persuading "Missy" [ Jill Faulkner ] to not get sick]
w/env. [concerns pictures drawn by Jill Faulkner , inquires to start of school]
w/env. [concerns letters received from family, mentions a particular photograph]
w/env. [concerns packages he mailed to the family, including stockings and birthday presents, and mentions the start of school]
w/env. [concerns household finances and the furnace system, requests more preserves]
w/env. [concerns household finances, in particular a suit of Estelle's; discusses his own salary at Warner Brothers Studio and his raise being turned down by "Warner himself" supposedly due to the salary freezing laws although Faulkner guesses that "I belong to the wrong race, my birth certificate belying my face..." ; refers to farm business]
w/env. [mentions his trip there to see a big bomber-plane factory]
w/env. [advises on the feeding and killing of a hog; hopes to find a doll, Sonja Henie style, with the help of Mrs. [Robert] Buckner ; discusses plans for Christmas presents for family and household and farm staff]
w/env. [refers to receiving permission to leave from December 12th until January 12th; writes that Mrs. Buckner is having the Sonja Henie doll mailed; mentions the work on his teeth; wishes to discuss the possibility of the family coming to California following Christmas; describes Burbank during wartime --no lights in windows after dark, police and air raid wardens patrolling all night, barrage balloons and search lights...]
w/env. [discusses having his new teeth; mentions the approximately thirty days leave and plans to do some work at home and draw pay; discusses plans for his departure and arrival in Memphis by airplane and alternative plans if the army takes his seat]
w/env. [writes about plans to go the mountains fishing with [Howard Winchester] Hawks ]
[hopes to reach Memphis, Tennessee by Sunday morning]
w/env. [mentions his financial situation, hunting for a place to live for him and his family, and currently living with the [Albert] [Isaac] B[ezzerides] family ; provides support over her disappointment in not finding a place for them to live]
w/env. [describes previous afternoon visiting house agents; train full of Navy men and their wives bound for San Pedro and San Francisco in preparation for a big offensive in the Pacific; mentions the impact on the housing situation; mentions living at the Bezzerides family house and that he hopes to hear about a room in a private home closer to town; has work on two pictures, one for the head Warner man, [Hal B.] Wallis (1899-), and one for Howard [Winchester] Hawks ]
w/env. [writes that he helped set fence posts at the Bezzerides; mentions that he met two actresses, [Lauren] Bacall (1924-) and [Dolores] Moran , and the man in the picture [ To Have and Have Not ], Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957)]
w/env. [mentions having lunch in th commissary with [Howard Winchester] Hawks and a Colonel and Mrs. Price, southerners in the Air Force ; supports Jill Faulkner in her school work and piano lessons]
w/env. [wants them to come to California at the end of May; mentions Missouri Pacific refunding two tickets; advises on making arrangements for the farm and making plans with Boojack and Prince; mentions finding only one available place to live and it not being very desirable]
w/env. [Saturday --writes that he is discouraged over finding a house or apartment due to certain OPA rules as explained by Sidney [Phil] Moss (1917-); says that he will try to find a dude ranch within a six-hour bus ride for Estelle Faulkner and Jill Faulkner to stay for a month; explains his difficult living and working conditions and financial situation.
Sunday --writes that he is finishing the picture this week and that [Howard Winchester] Hawks has another idea; wishes to make plans to go home to Rowanoak by next September; still plans on looking into the dude ranch.
Monday --explains the living arrangements with the Bezzeride family and wants to find his own place before their visit; finishing the picture soon; still looking for the wedding ring]
[writes that he went dove hunting in Mexico with [Howard Winchester] Hawks and Clark Gable (1901-1960); mentions that he is going to see her horse Lady. Written on the verso of a TLS, September 15, 1944, from Mista Bezzerides to "Jilly."]
w/env. [gives encouragement and tries to persuade her not to worry; discusses Missy's [ Jill Faulkner 's ] horse Lady and plans to send her home when possible; plans to visit home for awhile when [Howard Winchester] Hawks is through with him]
w/env. [advises her on horse riding and finding a good horse in due time; mentions that he hopes to get Lady home; refers to Estelle Faulkner being troubled about "Buddy" [ Malcolm Argyle Franklin ]; asks her to stop worrying about not having a good horse until he gets home; mentions training Lady in a jumping chute]
[mentions her horse Lady and making arrangements with Mr. Ross to rent a horse for Jill; relates his evening activities of cooking and visiting the golf course during a tournament]
w/env. [concerns the death of a Mr. Crafton on Sunday morning and the services that day; hopes to have Lady home next year]
w/env.[mentions writing a script while finishing with [Howard Winchester] Hawks ; plans to leave by the 10th of December and arrive in Memphis on the 18th and hopes to meet Estelle and Jill there for some shopping; writes how he worked on an extra outside script for Hawks and on Sundays and nights on a new studio job for extra money; mentions looking forward to Boojack's meals as he is "usually pleased at table, but Faulkner is the worst damn cook I ever ate behind."]
w/env. [mentions her horse Lady being fine and Margaret Cunningham and Mrs. Bezzerides wanting to ride her; discusses breeding Lady to Rah by mid-January and making arrangements to get Lady home by the spring so she can have her goal at Rowan Oak ; writes that he has reservations for Kansas City and is trying to get them all the way to Memphis ; jests about Lady's becoming more thoroughbred and sends kiss from same ]
[appreciates the necklace]