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Thinking of bibliographies as nothing more than testaments to zealous collecting or fascinating but pointless catalogs of trivia cheats you of their real value. Bibliographies offer the most complete information available to most of us about what was published when; and what a particular edition should look like. Simply put, no one should attempt to build a serious collection without access to all the published bibliographies; and anyone wanting or needing first editions had better have a guide to identification more reliable than the seller trying to get your money.
Faulkner bibliography in America is itself a subject rich with fields of inquiry. The first American bibliography of Faulkner's work was Checklists of Twentieth Century Authors, First Series (1931). Why did Casanova Booksellers feel that an author who had published but eight titles warranted inclusion in a list? And how did these Milwaukee Booksellers become so enamored of this young Southern author that they themselves published Salmagundi? (And what is the full story behind the signed edition they were not just hoping for but had announced in their Checklist as forthcoming?) The next 25 years brought but two brief bibliographies and an inquiry as to why there was not more. Why so little bibliographical interest in an author who was no longer unknown but an international giant? And why, given the lack of interest before, did James Meriwether's 1957 effort suddenly ignite a blaze of interest that burns brightly to this day? Faulkner bibliographies have tales to tell us if we study them as we study their subject. Entries in this section include books, periodicals and pamphlets; and are listed mostly in chronological order. | ||||||||||||||
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| Number | Item |
Edition |
Condition | Cost | ||||||||||
| 15-1. | Meriwether, William Faulkner: A Checklist (1957) | paperback original, first printing | (F) | 20.00 | ||||||||||
| Princeton University's 1957 Faulkner exhibition was one of the first, predating that of the University of Virginia by two years. This checklist was designed to accompany the exhibition. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-2. | Meriwether, William Faulkner: An Exhibition of Manuscripts (1959) | paperback original, one of 500 copies | (F) | 20.00 | ||||||||||
| This 16 page illustrated booklet showed that the University of Texas had an impressive collection as well. (It does!) Like the Princeton Checklist this is too brief to serve as a comprehensive bibliography, but adds to the evidence of the growing interest in Faulkner. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-3. | The Princeton University Library Chronicle, Spring 1960 | original | (F) | 20.00 | ||||||||||
| Comprising 50 of the magazine's 80 pages, James Meriwether's "The Literary Career of William Faulkner: Catalogue of an Exhibition" was the birth of Faulkner bibliography as something more than a checklist. Meriwether probably already had in mind the volume that would come out the next year - but this, to my mind, is where it started. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-4. | Meriwether, The Literary Career of William Faulkner (1961) | a) first printing | (F/VG) | 30.00 | ||||||||||
| b) second printing, with some corrections (1972) | (F/VG) | 20.00 | ||||||||||||
| This volume expanded greatly on Meriwether's Princeton Checklist. Though slim compared with later efforts, it was the first try at a comprehensive bibliography. The list of translations remains an invaluable research tool. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-5. | The Booklover's Answer, #10 (1963) | paperback original | (VG minus) | 10.00 | ||||||||||
| A bi-monthly magazine for book collectors, this issue contains a Faulkner checklist, and lots of auction results for Faulkner. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-6. | Massey, William Faulkner: "Man Working" 1919-1962 (1968) | first printing | (F/none, as issued) | 50.00 | ||||||||||
| Linton Reynold Massey's catalogue of the 1959 University of Virginia exhibition was the second significant Faulkner bibliography, the first truly comprehensive bibliography. For years it was the citation for fine or obscure Faulkner materials. A reference book that itself deserves to be part of a collection. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-7. | (Massey) Man Collecting: The Works of William Faulkner (1976) | one of 900 softbound copies | (VG) | 30.00 | ||||||||||
| This book, resulting from the 1976 exhibition at U.VA in honor of Massey, is more the annotations of a compiler than a bibliography but still offers invaluable information about Faulkner-iana as the subject of a collection. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-8. | Capps, The William Faulkner Collection at West Point and the Faulkner Concordances (1974) | paperback original, one of 650 copies | (F) | 15.00 | ||||||||||
| 15-9. | Boozer, William Faulkner's First Book The Marble Faun Fifty Years Later (1974) | #620 of 1000 softbound copies | (F) | 25.00 | ||||||||||
| Bill Boozer was the third leading collector of Faulkner. This is his accounting of known copies of Faulkner's first book, illustrated. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-10. | Petersen, Each In Its Ordered Place (1975) | first printing | (XL, VG/VG) | 20.00 | ||||||||||
| Carl Petersen assembled one of the two finest private collections in the world. This catalog of his holdings was the third significant bibliography; the first by a private collector. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-11. | Petersen, On the Tracks of the Dixie Limited (1979): softbound original, limited to 1,000 copies | a) review copy, signed by Peterson | (F) | 50.00 | ||||||||||
| b) regular issue | (F) | 30.00 | ||||||||||||
| After writing his bibliography Petersen continued collecting and learning. This volume provides new listings, annotations, illustrations and histories. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-12. | Serendipity Books, William Faulkner: The Carl Petersen Collection (1991) | softbound original | (VG) | 20.00 | ||||||||||
| Though nominally a catalogue of books for sale this 643 page volume of most of Carl Petersen's collection is the most comprehensive (and easy to use) bibliography extent. If you only want one bibliography make it this one. (In 1991 many of these prices seemed wildly optimistic, a polite way of saying excessively greedy. Today, there are many many things I wish I could get at these prices.) | ||||||||||||||
| 15-13. | A Catalogue For the William Faulkner Collection at the University of Toledo (1977) | paperback original | (F) | 15.00 | ||||||||||
| 15-14. | Brodsky and Hamblin, A Comprehensive Guide to the Brodsky Collection - Volume 1: The Bibliography (1979) | first edition | (sealed) | 25.00 | ||||||||||
| Louis Daniel Brodsky's Faulkner collection was the other leading private collection. This catalogue, with over 2,000 entries, is the latest of the four significant bibliographies of Faulkner-iana. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-15. | Hamblin and Brodsky, A Perspective from the Brodsky Collection (1979) | paperback original, first printing, one of 2,500 copies | (F) | 15.00 | ||||||||||
| A catalog of a 1979 exhibition of Brodsky's collection. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-16. | Brodsky and Verich, Saxe and Bill: A Keepsake (1982) | paperback original, one of 500 copies | (F) | 15.00 | ||||||||||
| An illustrated booklet prepared for the Ninth Faulkner Conference at the University of Mississippi. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-17. | Brodsky: A Faulkner Collector/Scholar at Work (1983) | paperback original, one of 1,000 copies | (F) | 8.00 | ||||||||||
A catalog from a 1983 exhibition at the University of Mississippi of 67 items from the Brodsky collection of Faulkner-iana pertaining to Phil Mullen, Joan Williams, and Brodsky himself.
| 15-18. | Brodsky and Hamblin, Faulkner and Hollywood: A Retrospective From the Brodsky Collection (1984) | paperback original, one of 1,000 copies | (F) | 15.00 |
An illustrated booklet prepared for an exhibition at Southeast Missouri State University.
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| 15-19. | English Magnolias (1992) | paperback original, one of 500 copies | (F) | 15.00 | ||||||||||
| An illustrated catalog from an exhibition at the University of Mississippi of English editions by Southern writers. Though only part of this is on Faulkner the part that is is quite helpful, and the rest is worthwhile as well. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-20. | William Faulkner: The Wisdom Collection (1980) | paperback original | (VG) | 20.00 | ||||||||||
| William Wisdom donated his collection to Tulane University in 1970. Though not large compared with the collections of Petersen and Brodsky, the materials found in these 90 pages include important manuscripts and other items of interest. | ||||||||||||||
| 15-21. | Antic Hay Books, Catalog #81 | only edition | (F) | 5.00 | ||||||||||
| Since the 1940s lots of dealers have jumped on the Faulkner band wagon. This catalog offers 79 items from a Faulkner collection formed in Louisiana, and lets us see what prices were like in 1991 when this was issued. | ||||||||||||||
| See also item 8-5, with a guide to identifying first editions. | ||||||||||||||
