Tram Combs Papers
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2005
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Tram Combs Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0123
Physical Description:
4 Linear feet
(10 archives boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1946-1964
Abstract: Papers of Tram Combs, writer and bookseller. Combs lived in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1940s and was associated
with many well-known writers. In 1951 he moved to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where he owned and operated a bookstore. Combs
was active in Gay literary circles and contributed to early Gay periodicals such as the
Mattachine Review and
One. Materials in the collection date from the late 1940s through 1964 and include correspondence, writings, and photographs.
Scope and Content of Collection
Dating from the late 1940s through 1964, the papers document the life, writings, and thought of Tram Combs. The collection
includes Combs' personal revelations about his life as a writer and Gay person in the 1950s and early 60s. In addition, the
papers provide unusual insights into Gay politics and literary infighting in the United States and the Virgin Islands.
Combs himself organized his own papers quite thoroughly. He often wrote notes explaining how the papers were originally created
and how and why the materials were arranged as they were. Arranged in six series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) NOTEBOOKS AND WORKING
SHEETS, 3) TYPESCRIPTS OF VERSE, 4) AUTHOR'S COLLECTION OF SERIALS, 5) WRITINGS OF OTHERS, and 6) PHOTOGRAPHS.
Biography
Elisha Trammel (Tram) Combs, Jr. was born 25 September 1924 in Riverview, Alabama, the son of Elisha Trammel, a cotton mill
superintendent, and LaFaye Hunt Combs. Elisha Jr. was educated in Southern schools until 1936, when his family moved to San
Francisco.
As a young man, Tram was primarily interested in botany, physics, and chemistry. While serving in the U.S. Army Air Force
he attended University of Washington in 1943 and 1944. He received a certificate of professional competence in meteorology
from University of Chicago in 1945. Combs left the air force in 1946 after serving as a meteorologist and becoming a second
lieutenant. For the next two years he attended Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (studying electronics
engineering) and the University of California, where he received an A.B. in physics in 1948.
From 1948-51 Combs worked as an oil chemist at the Tidewater-Associated Oil Company in Avon, California. Also during the
late 1940's he began to write poetry under the guidance of Kenneth Rexroth, Lawrence Hart and Josephine Miles. Discovering
his inclination towards writing and the arts, Combs abruptly changed careers in 1948, becoming the owner and manager of Island
Studios, a photographic studio in the Bay Area.
In 1951 Combs moved to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. There, using his talents as a bibliophile, linguist, and poet, he managed
and owned Tram Combs Books - a bookshop specializing in the literature and history of middle and southern Americas. Combs
also involved himself in community, cultural and political activities in St. Thomas. He served as a founder and trustee of
the Virgin Islands Art Museum (1955-56), helped to develop a Boy Scouts of America chapter, worked on building a local Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and participated in disaster relief work. He was an active member of the Gay literary
community, both in the Virgin Islands and the U.S., and he regularly submitted articles and suggestions to Gay periodicals
such as
Mattachine Review and
One.
Combs earned the respect of noted contemporary poets such as Kenneth Rexroth and William Carlos Williams -- both of whom
wrote forewords to Combs' first book. However, Combs' writing never received public acclaim or commercial success. Some critics
complained of his verse's sentimental tone, overabundance of private references, and modifying clauses. Others praised his
verbal compression, his unusual typography, his detailed attention to nature and fellow human beings, and his honest, intense,
but quiet voice. As William Carlos Williams wrote, "It is in the construction of a verse about an island sunset, that the
reader will find what is hidden for him there; not what he thinks he will find but something surprising, amazingly simple
and altogether delightful."
Preferred Citation
Tram Combs Papers, MSS 0123. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 1987.
OFF-SITE STORAGE
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Gay liberation movement -- United States
American poetry -- 20th century
Virgin Islands of the United States -- Photographs
Photographic prints -- 20th century
Combs, Tram, 1924- -- Archives
Auerhahn Press
Mattachine Society
May, James Boyer -- Correspondence
Nesmith., Robert I. -- Correspondence
Priest, Alan, 1898-1969 -- Correspondence
Stern, Gerd -- Correspondence
Stiles, Knute, 1923-2009 -- Correspondence
CORRESPONDENCE
Scope and Content of Series
Series 1) CORRESPONDENCE
Although it comprises a relatively small portion of the collection, the correspondence is fascinating in that both sides
of many exchanges are present. Combs kept carbon copies of even his most mundane letters. Many of these letters are lengthy,
gossipy, and full of interesting personal, political and literary trivia. Major correspondents include Auerhahn Press, D.
Clark, James Boyer May, the Mattachine Society (one of the first Gay liberation organizations), Robert I. Nesmith, Alan Priest,
Gerd Stern and Knute Stiles. The correspondence with Clark is particularly revealing of Combs' personal life and feelings.
Combs' letters to Gonzalo Segura include Combs' opinions of the activities of the Mattachine Society. The series is organized
alphabetically by correspondent.
Although the collection contains references to Combs's extensive correspondence with William Carlos Williams, Lawrence Ferlinghetti,
Gary Snyder, Robert Duncan, Jonathan Williams and Kenneth Patchen, these letters are not included. It is likely that this
correspondence was sold prior to UCSD's acquisition of the papers.
Box 1, Folder 1
Miscellaneous correspondence, A-Z
Box 1, Folder 2
Allen, Donald
1958 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 3
Allen, Luther
1957 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 4
American Academy for the International Morality, Inc. (A.I.M.)
1963
Box 1, Folder 5
Anderson, Forrest
1959 - 1960
Box 1, Folder 6
Auerhahn, Press
1960 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 8
Beye, Holly and David Ruff
1959 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 10
Bryant, Byron
1955 - 1957
Box 1, Folder 12
Ching, Reverend D.S.
1956 - 1959
Box 1, Folder 13
Cholakis, Jo Ann
1956 - 1959
Box 1, Folder 14
Chumbly, Harold
1959 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 15
Clark, D. (Dolores Corinne)
1956 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 16
Combs, Elisha and LaFaye
1954 - 1958
Box 1, Folder 17
Combs, Larry H. and family
1957 - 1958
Box 1, Folder 18
Corretjer, Don Antonio
1955 - 1956
Box 1, Folder 19
Crowe, Donald
1959 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 20
Daniel, Albert E.
1953 - 1955
Box 1, Folder 21
DeJoel, Miriam (Koshland)
1951 - 1963
Box 1, Folder 23
Der Kreis/The Circle
1957
General note
See also CORRESPONDENCE - Allen Luther
Box 1, Folder 24
Dettman, Preston (Winston Book Service)
1958 - 1963
Box 1, Folder 25
Dickson, Pratt (a.k.a. Manfred Wise)
1959
Box 1, Folder 26
Donovan, Laurence
1958 - 1959
Box 1, Folder 27
El Corno Emplumado
1962 - 1964
Box 1, Folder 29
Fleischer, Justin
1953 - 1955
Box 1, Folder 30
Folkways Record (Moe Asch)
1953 - 1954
Box 1, Folder 31
Ford, Kenneth
1959 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 1
Harcourt, Brace and Company (Margaret Marshall)
1959
Box 2, Folder 2
Hart, Lawrence
1951 - 1963
Box 2, Folder 3
Hedley, Leslie Woolf
1959 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 5
Instituto de Cultura Puertoriquena (Ricardo Alegria, director)
1955 - 1958
Box 2, Folder 7
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
1957 - 1958
Box 2, Folder 9
Lee, Nanying and Kem
1955 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 10
Liberation (Bayard Rustin, ed.)
1951
Box 2, Folder 11
Library of Congress
1957 - 1959
Box 2, Folder 12
Mattachine Society, Inc. (Hal Call and Don Lucas, eds.)
1955 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 13
May, James Boyer
1958 - 1959
Box 2, Folder 16
McKenna, Rollie
1961 - 1963
Box 2, Folder 18
Montreal Review (ed. Allen Geller)
1963 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 20
Nachshen, Brian
1963 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 21
Nesmith, Robert I.
1953 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 24
Norman (full name unknown)
1959
Box 2, Folder 25
One, Inc. (
One Magazine)
1954 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 27
Pagan, Bolivar
1955 - 1959
Box 2, Folder 28
Poetry Center (San Francisco State College)
1959 - 1965
Box 2, Folder 32
Ramlov, Preben
1963 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 33
Redl, Harry and Anne
1959
Box 2, Folder 34
Renaissance (John Bryan, ed.)
1962 - 1963
Box 2, Folder 35
Roman Books, Inc.
1963 - 1964
Box 2, Folder 36
Russell, Peter
1952 - 1963
Box 2, Folder 37
San Francisco Review
1958 - 1959
Box 2, Folder 38
Segura, Gonzalo (Tony), Jr.
1957 - 1958
General note
See also CORRESPONDENCE - Mattachine Society
Box 2, Folder 39
Smith, Glanville
1959 - 1963
Box 3, Folder 1
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
1956 - 1957
Box 3, Folder 3
Stiles, Knute
1951 - 1961
Box 3, Folder 4
Stolen Paper Review (Jeff Berner, ed.)
1963 - 1964
Box 3, Folder 5
Trinidad and Tabago Tourist Board
1957
Box 3, Folder 6
Tze-Chiang, Chao
1960 - 1962
Box 3, Folder 7
Van Dam Rubber Co., Inc.
1953 - 1954
Box 3, Folder 9
Webb, Jon (Loujon Press)
1964
Box 3, Folder 10
Weslayan University Press
1961 - 1964
Box 3, Folder 12
Yde, Jeris (National Museum - Copenhagen)
1954 - 1957
Box 3, Folder 13
Unidentified correspondence
NOTEBOOK AND WORKING SHEETS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 2) NOTEBOOKS AND WORKING SHEETS
NOTEBOOKS AND WORKING SHEETS contains jottings and drafts of poems in manuscript form. The description - Working Sheets -
was used by the poet himself, who used that title for all working drafts of his verse. The materials are arranged chronologically
wherever possible. Undated working papers were placed in a separate folder.
Box 3, Folder 14-15
Notebook of verse - Drafts of poems arranged and explicated by Combs
1946 - 1950
TYPESCRIPTS OF VERSE
Scope and Content of Series
Series 3) TYPESCRIPTS OF VERSE
Arranged into three subseries: A) Published Books, B) Unpublished Books, and C) Miscellaneous Poems.
A) Published Books: Typescript copies and revisions (some with annotations) of four of Combs' major works. These items are
organized chronologically by book title. Materials from
Saints Thomas' and Francis' cities songs o' Tram and
Briefs: poems are not found in this collection.
B) Unpublished Books: Combs' compilation of three large collections of poetry, along with lengthy Christmas cards containing
verse. These works are arranged by title and date.
C) Miscellaneous Poems: Includes a notebook of some of Combs's earliest poems, collected and arranged by the poet and entitled
"Combs Poems: thru 1950." Also in this subseries is an extensive collection of miscellaneous typescripts of poems dating from
1951 to 1964 and arranged chronologically. Curiously, there are fewer typescripts for the years 1955 and 1956. This may be
due to the fact that Combs was busy helping to found the Virgin Islands Museum during that time.
Box 3, Folder 18
Working papers - Carbon copy of typescript with explanatory note
1948 - 1950
Box 3, Folder 19
Author's early typescript version - Carbon copy
1956
Box 4, Folder 1
Author's early typescript version - Typescript with annotations
1957
Box 4, Folder 2
Author's proof pages
1957
General note
Typeset with annotations
Box 4, Folder 3-4
Book order form and advertising blurbs
1957
Ceremonies in Mind: Artists, Boys, Cats, Lovers, Judges, Priests (1959)
Box 4, Folder 5
Selected draft of "polished versions of poems"
ca. 1958
Box 4, Folder 6
Early working version, including explanatory notes and annotations
ca. 1958
Box 4, Folder 7
Author's early typescript version - Includes pencil drawings
1958
Box 4, Folder 8
Draft with editor's annotations, typeset
1959
Box 4, Folder 9
Extra signature pages, typeset
ca. 1959
Box 4, Folder 10
Bond copy with cover
1959
Box 4, Folder 11-12
But Never Mind: Poems, Etc., 1946-1950 (1961) - Author's typescript versions
1959
General note
Carbon copy of typescript
Box 4, Folder 13
Working papers from which final version prepared - Includes annotation, typescripts, carbon copies of typescripts
ca. 1963
Box 4, Folder 14
Early version - Includes some instructions by author, two carbon copies of typescript
undated
Box 4, Folder 15-16
Carbon copies of typescript
1965
Box 5, Folder 1
Carbon copies of typescript
1965 - 1965
Box 5, Folder 2
Annoted version arranged by author, typescript and carbons
1965
Box 5, Oversize MC-044-07
Galley proof pages - Author's and printer's copies with annotation
1965
Box 5, Folder 3
Sketch for rami binding and sample cloths from R. Bruckman
Box 5, Folder 4
Poems of God - Author's typescript version with extra notes
ca. 1955
Box 5, Folder 5-7
Journey-Man's Vision - Author's early version with typesetting instructions
1959 - 1959
General note
Three carbon copies of typescript
Box 5, Folder 8
Ink - Author's early typescript version
ca. 1967
Box 5, Folder 9
Includes selected poems - Hand-assembled
1955
Box 5, Folder 10
"This year's up - roar for the next" - Hand-assembled, includes photograph
1955
Box 5, Folder 11
"The Christmas Clutch" - Hand-assembled, includes photograph
1957
Box 5, Folder 12
Combs Poems: thru 1950 - Drafts of poems with photographs "pertinent to the poems," typescripts, manuscripts
1945 - 1950
Miscellaneous typescripts
AUTHOR'S COLLECTION OF SERIALS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 4) AUTHOR'S COLLECTION OF SERIALS
Includes relatively obscure periodicals which contain published versions of Combs' writing, as well as reviews of Combs' work.
These items are arranged alphabetically by serial title.
Box 8, Folder 6
List of periodical publications by Combs - Chronological list complied by Combs
ca. 1963
Box 8, Folder 7
Between Worlds, no 3. 1962 - Contains five poems by Combs
Box 9, Folder 1
Bim, vol. 8-9, nos. 30-33 - Contain selected verse by Combs
1960 - 1961
Box 9, Folder 2
Home Journal, no. 825, - Contains two poems for Mis' Wallace
1956
Box 9, Folder 3
Liberation, vol II, nos. 6 and 10 - First contains Combs' "Dinosaur" poem, and the second has the corrected version of it
1957 - 1958
Box 9, Folder 4
Mattachine Review - Contains supplemental insert with some of Combs' verse
1959
Box 9, Folder 5
One: Homosexual Viewpoint - Contains love poem, sort of
1959
Box 9, Folder 6
Poetry, vol. 96 no. 4 - Contains review of
Ceremonies in Mind by R. Sward
1960
Box 9, Folder 7
San Francisco Review, vol. 1 no. 2. - Contains "Pieces"
1959
Box 9, Folder 8
Sparrow, no. 13 - Contains review of Comb's
Ceremonies in Mind by J. Weil
1960
Box 9, Folder 9
Trace, no. 30 - Contains review written by Combs
1959
Box 9, Folder 10
Virgin Islands Carnival Brochure - Includes article by Combs
1959
WRITINGS OF OTHERS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 5) WRITINGS OF OTHERS
Composed of Combs' small collection of what appears to be his friends' and students' writings. It is arranged alphabetically
by author.
Box 9, Folder 11
Barlow, R. H. Work submitted for Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize in Poetry
1942
Box 9, Folder 12
Hoffman, John. Journey to the End - Copied from copy owned by Gerd Stern
ca. 1963
Box 9, Folder 13
Kostolefsky, Joesph. Home Again, Home Again
Box 9, Folder 15
Molnav, Thomas. Leo Shestov - A Man Outraged by Reality
Box 9, Folder 16
Norris, Robert.
Skulls and Sedan Chair
Box 10, Folder 1
Ryan, John Allen. Selected poems - Copied by Combs
1950 - 1958
Box 10, Folder 2
Toesca, Maurice. Esperanza - Translated by Francis Carmody
PHOTOGRAPHS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 6) PHOTOGRAPHS
Includes both prints and negatives. Most of the images are snapshots of Combs' family and friends, along with many scenes
from the Virgin Islands.
Box 10, Folder 7
Miscellaneous - Snapshots