Guide to the Joan Didion Papers

Bancroft Staff

The Bancroft Library

1996

The Bancroft Library

University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000

bancref@library.berkeley.edu

URL: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/bancroft-library

Contributing Institution: The Bancroft Library

Title: Joan Didion papers

Creator: Didion, Joan

Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 81/140 c

Physical Description: 7.5 linear feet (6 cartons)

Date (bulk): 1963-1992

Date (inclusive): 1963-2006

Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Language of Material: In English.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Advance notice required for use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Joan Didion in 1981, 1988, 1990, 1996, and 1997.

Biographical Note

Joan Didion (born December 5, 1934, Sacramento, California; died December 23, 2021, Manhattan, New York City) was an American novelist, essayist, and memoirist. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1956. She married writer John Gregory Dunne, with whom she often collaborated, in 1964.

Preferred Citation

Joan Didion papers, BANC MSS 81/140 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley..

Related Materials

John Gregory Dunne papers (BANC MSS 79/125 c).

Play it as it lays : a screenplay (BANC MSS 90/57 c)

Summary

Contains manuscripts and other papers concerning her works: River Run, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Play It As It Lays, A Book of Common Prayer, The White Album, Salvador, Democracy, Miami, After Henry, and The Last Thing He Wanted. Also includes essays by Didion, some originally published in the New York Review of Books. These include "The Deferential Spirit" "The Teachings of Speaker Gingrich" and "Something Horrible." Also contains a small amount of correspondence and transcribed notes from a speech.

Conditions Governing Use

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Didion, Joan

Authors, American -- 20th century.

Authors, American.

Women authors.

Manuscripts for publication

Run River 1963

Carton 1

Run River , chapters 1-12 of an early version

Carton 1

Run River, chapters 14-17 of an early version

Carton 1

Run River, original manuscript (pp. 1-306)

Carton 1

Run River, page proofs, author's copy

Slouching Towards Bethlehem 1968

Carton 1

Slouching Towards Bethlehem, original manuscript (pp. 1-228)

Carton 1

Slouching Towards Bethlehem, notes

Carton 1

Slouching Towards Bethlehem, galley proofs

Carton 1

Slouching Towards Bethlehem, page proofs

Play It As It Lays 1970

Carton 1

Play it As It Lays, Bancroft transmittal envelope

Carton 1

Play It As It Lays, working notes

Carton 1

Play It As It Lays, 1st complete draft

Carton 1

Play It As It Lays, photocopy of 1st complete draft

Carton 1

Play It As It Lays, rough rewrites - miscellaneous pages

Carton 1

Play It As It Lays, final original manuscript

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, printer's copy

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, galley with corrections by author

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, galley, revised

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, galley, revised with printer's marks

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, page proofs

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, page proofs, author's copy

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, master proof with some corrections and revisions

Carton 2

Play It As It Lays, master proof with printer's marks

A Book of Common Prayer 1977

Carton 2

A Book of Common Prayer, Bancroft transmittal envelope

Carton 2

A Book of Common Prayer, two first notebooks

Carton 2

A Book of Common Prayer, working notes and chronologies

Carton 2

A Book of Common Prayer, miscellaneous material

Carton 2

A Book of Common Prayer, early draft of first 110 pages

Carton 2

A Book of Common Prayer, original 1st draft (pp. 1-144)

Carton 3

A Book of Common Prayer, original 1st draft (pp. 145-303)

Carton 3

A Book of Common Prayer, photocopy of 1st draft with revisions

Carton 3

A Book of Common Prayer, revised draft 1976

Carton 3

A Book of Common Prayer, manuscript with holograph emendations (pp. 1-303)

Carton 3

A Book of Common Prayer, final version

Carton 3

A Book of Common Prayer, page proofs

The White Album 1979

Carton 3

The White Album, Bancroft transmittal envelope

Carton 3

The White Album, manuscript (pp.vii-279)

Carton 3

The White Album, copyedited manuscript (pp.1-280)

Carton 3

The White Album, printer's copy (pp. vii-281)

Salvador 1982

Carton 4

Salvador, Bancroft transmittal envelope

Carton 4

Salvador, 1st notebook (#24)

Carton 4

Salvador, notes

Carton 4

Salvador, 1st draft

Carton 4

Salvador, original manuscript with changes and printer's instructions

Carton 4

Salvador, proofs for New York Review

Democracy 1984

Carton 4

Democracy, Bancroft transmittal envelope

Carton 4

Democracy, early materials

Carton 4

Democracy, 1st notebook

Carton 4

Democracy, manuscript (pp. 1-297)

Carton 4

Democracy, photocopy

Carton 4

Democracy, page proofs

Carton 4

Democracy, review

Miami 1987

Carton 5

Miami, 1st manuscript

Carton 5

Miami, index with corrections

Carton 5

Miami, typescript with holograph corrections

Carton 5

Miami, page proofs

Carton 5

Miami, repro proofs

Carton 5

Miami, New York Review's 1st excerpt

Carton 5

Miami, New York Review 2nd excerpt

Carton 5

Miami, New York Review 3rd excerpt

Carton 5

Miami, New York Review 4th excerpt

After Henry 1992

Carton 5

After Henry, typescripts

Carton 5

After Henry, galley proofs

Carton 5

After Henry, page proofs

The Last Think He Wanted 1996

Carton 6

The Last Think He Wanted, copy edited typescript

Carton 6

The Last Think He Wanted, first proof

Carton 6

The Last Think He Wanted, second proof

Carton 6

The Last Think He Wanted, third proof

Carton 6

The Last Think He Wanted, production changes and correspondence

Essays and assorted other materials approximately 1980-2006

Carton 6

Letter from Los Angeles 1988-09-05

Carton 6

Letter from Los Angeles 1989-04-24

Carton 6

Letter from Los Angeles 1989-09-11

Carton 6

Letter from Los Angeles 1990-02-26

Carton 6

Sentimental Journeys (A, C, D, and E proofs) 1991

Carton 6

Sentimental Journeys, early draft with notes from Robert Silvers approximately 1991

Carton 6

Insider Baseball (C proof) 1988

Carton 6

The Deferential Spirit (proofs A, B, and C) 1996

General

First published in The New York Review of Books on September 19, 1996.

Carton 6

The Teachings of Speaker Gingrich (proofs A, B, and C) 1995

General

First published in the New York Review of Books on August 10, 1995.

Carton 6

"Something Horrible" in El Salvador (proofs A and B) and manuscript copy with author's inserts and corrections 1994

General

First published in the New York Review of Books on July 14, 1994.

Carton 6

Correspondence, Playbill from "The Year of Magical Thinking," notes and transcription from speech on May 14, 2006.