A book tells the story of an author’s publication journey. A piece of short fiction is often printed in a periodical prior to its compilation in a larger collection or anthology. Stories take their shape through a variety of text-based mediums, and with the input of multiple editorial perspectives.

Eudora Welty and Richard Wright found early success between the pages of Harper’s Bazaar, as well as within the esteemed O. Henry Prize Award collections. Fellow Mississippian Hershel Brickell served as editor of this anthology from 1941 to 1951. His critical influence ultimately shaped Welty’s publication trajectory, as he urged the inclusion of “A Worn Path,” rather than Welty’s preferred story, “Powerhouse,” in the 1941 edition of the O. Henry Prize Award collection.

A glossy fashion magazine or monthly literary journal might not appear to be books in the traditional sense, yet these publications introduce a story at its nascent stages to a broader audience. A casual reader of Harper’s Bazaar might happen upon a writer’s work between beauty editorials and advertisements for cosmetics, thus lending the story visual and rhetorical associations that are absent from future print iterations. Custom illustrations impart new meaning on a writer’s work and enhance the aesthetic experience of engaging with literature.

A story first published in a periodical could experience revision before its compilation in a collection, as portrayed by Welty’s “The Purple Hat.” This short story appeared in the November 1941 issue of Harper’s Bazaar; a substantially revised version was later published in her 1943 collection, The Wide Net and Other Stories.

Wright’s short story, “Almos’ a Man,” was originally printed in the January 1940 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Twenty years later, it resurfaced under the adapted title “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” as the first story in a cycle of eight, 1961’s Eight Men.

Items in this case featuring Richard Wright:

• Harper’s Bazaar, January 1940
• O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1940 / Harry Hansen
• Eight Men / Richard Wright
• Acht Manner / Richard Wright (Eight Men, German)

Items in this case featuring Eudora Welty:

• Letter from Eudora Welty to Herschel Brickell, June 8 1941
• The Atlantic, June 1941, “Powerhouse. A Story” / Eudora Welty
• A Curtain of Green: a Book of Stories / Eudora Welty, introduction by Katherine Anne Porter
• Letter from Eudora Welty to Herschel Brickell, July 11 1941
• Harper’s Bazaar, November 1941
• “The Purple Hat” / Eudora Welty
• The Wide Net and Other Stories / Eudora Welty