Facsimiles, Inscriptions, and Dust Jackets: The Faulkner Book and its Unforeseen Significance

The year 1926 witnessed the return of William Faulkner’s interest in the handmade book. Over the course of that period, the young Mississippi poet created two works dedicated to his unrequited love, Helen Baird. Scholar Carvel Collins has noted: “[Their] association overtly affected at least four of Faulkner’s lesser works,” including Mayday and Helen: A Courtship. Now a part of Tulane Library’s Special Collections, the original handmade books were available only to a few. However, facsimiles were produced in 1977 (Mayday) and 1981 (Helen). Initially priced at a modest level, the increasing scarcity of the complete boxed sets have increased in value, prompting astute Faulkner book collectors to realize that limited fine printings, such as these, often grow in significance over time. Small press publications also feature in the Faulkner book world: for example, the rare 1924 edition of The Marble Faun. Described in 1925 by critic, John McClure, as “a book of verse rich in promise,” this edition prompted Faulkner collectors to go to great lengths to acquire the volume, of which only eighty copies are known. Showcased in this display are two unique examples of this work from the rare book collections. The first is an extremely rare dust-jacketed copy, purchased in 1924 by former Faulkner classmate, Bessie Furr, “as a Christmas present to herself.” The second instance is a copy inscribed by Faulkner to the postal inspector, Mark Webster, whose findings reportedly ended Faulkner’s career as the University postmaster. The author clearly did not blame the inspector, writing: “to Mr. Mark Webster/to whose friendship I owe extrication from a very unpleasant situation.” Books bearing such inscriptions by the author are extraordinarily unique in the collecting world, thereby increasing the significance of the object.

Featured on this shelf:

• Helen: A Courtship / William Faulkner
• Faulkner’s Mayday / Carvel Collins
• The Marble Faun / William Faulkner

Faulkner Translations: Global Presence of the Book

Scholar James Meriwether asserted that William Faulkner’s works had been translated into twenty-nine languages by 1961. Featured in this case are several examples of such translations. Featured here are several examples of scholars whose names will be familiar to readers, such as Jorge Luis Borges (Les Palmeras Salvajes/The Wild Palms 1940) and Albert Camus’ stage adaptation of Requiem for a Nun (Requiem Pour Une Nonne). In addition, the value of these books often reflected in the unique cover art, as well as their limited printing runs, in some cases. The earlier volumes also showcase the jagged results of “cutting pages,” where readers severed attached pages of a book with a pen knife in order to access the work.

Featured on this shelf:

• Wendemarke / William Faulkner (Pylon, German)
• Las Palmares Salvajes / William Faulkner (The Wild Palms, Spanish)
• Sartoris / William Faulkner (Swedish)
• Requiem für eine Nonne / William Faulkner (German)
• Sanctuary / William Faulkner (Danish)
• Soldatens Sold / William Faulkner (Soldiers’ Pay, Norwegian)
• El Villorio / William Faulkner (The Hamlet, Spanish)
• Assalone, Assalone! / William Faulkner (Absalom, Absalom!, Italian)

“The ‘I’ in As I Lay Dying”: The Twists and Turns of Faulkner Collecting

Even though Faulkner’s popularity with the United States book consumer market began to wane by the mid-to-late 1930s, collectors were still actively searching for unique copies of his works. However, after he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1949, first edition/first printing copies of his books became even more prized by bibliophiles and increasingly more difficult to acquire. Showcased here are examples highlighting the mindset of the book collector, such as: invoices from bookdealers to Faulkner bibliophiles, such as the Wynn family of Mississippi; correspondence from motivated booksellers seeking unusual copies of the author’s publications; and examples of association copies with extremely unusual histories, such as the singed copy of The Hamlet (1940). One of the more revealing items into this collecting world is a letter from H.W. Schwartz of Casanova Books to Faulkner’s early publisher, Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, where the bookseller describes being “besieged by our collectors,” for information about a possible dropped initial “I” in some of the early printings of As I Lay Dying (1930). Schwartz candidly shares his thoughts on this perceived urgency, writing: “the idea of manufacturing of points is to us a very silly one, and we hope to heaven that it will stop soon.” The department also holds copies of Faulkner books collected by friend and early Oxford, Mississippi champion, Phil Stone. Stone’s copy of The Hamlet is inscribed by Faulkner: “To Phil…Oxford, Mississippi 28 March 1940.” The original copy of the work was saved from the ashes of Stone’s home after a 1942 fire and maintained by the family through the decades. Due to the fragility of the original volume held in Special Collections, these reproductions from the cherished volume are on display.

Featured on this shelf:

• Letter from H. W. Schwartz, Casanova Books (Milwaukee, Wisc.) to Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 12 Oct. 1931
• As I Lay Dying / William Faulkner
• The Hamlet / William Faulkner

Special Collections would like to thank Rowan Oak, its curators, and the University Museum for the loan of the barrister case expressly for this exhibit.