Morrison, Toni, 1968-1983
- Scope and content:
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These files document Toni Morrison's editorial work in Random House's adult trade department from approximately 1971 until 1983. They include author and agent correspondence, publishing contracts, book reviews clipped from newspapers and magazines, and records of book production and publicity. Production files frequently include author photographs, book jacket samples, and interoffice correspondence regarding deadlines, copy editing, and permissions and other legal matters. Publicity files include launch party and book tour arrangements, advertising arrangements, and efforts to secure "quotes" or "blurbs" from other well-known authors praising the work to be published. (Morrison frequently requested blurbs from Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Alice Walker.) Acknowledgments of manuscript receipt, rejection letters, and responses to prospective authors' inquiries are also present. Expense reports document Morrison's travel on behalf of Random House, usually to meet with contracted or prospective authors. Random House also seems to have supported a certain amount of travel for Morrison's own speaking engagements at universities or literary events.
Some files related to authors whose previous works had been edited by others appear to have been kept in Toni Morrison's files for reference. For example, Lucille Clifton's books Good Times and Good News About the Earth were edited by Natalie Lehmann-Haupt, Alice Mayhew, and Nan Talese, but the editorial files for these works are included alongside Toni Morrison's files for An Ordinary Woman and Generations.
While the files sometimes include partial manuscripts, both with and without editorial annotations, they generally do not contain extensive documentation of the ways Morrison's editorial influence shaped the published work. Feedback and suggestions for addressing specific issues in a manuscript can sometimes be found in correspondence with the author. It is possible that more comprehensive editorial feedback was delivered in person or over the telephone, or directly on manuscripts that were returned to the author.
- Biographical / historical:
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Toni Morrison (1931-2019) worked as an editor in the adult trade division at Random House from approximately 1971 until 1983, when she left publishing to focus on her literary and academic careers. While her own writing generally took the form of novels, Morrison edited nonfiction, poetry, collections of short stories, and even a cookbook for Random House. Among the fiction writers and poets whose work she edited were Toni Cade Bambara, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Lucille Clifton, Gayl Jones, and June Jordan. Nonfiction works Morrison edited include Angela Davis's Autobiography (1974) and Women, Race and Class (1981), as well as Muhammad Ali's autobiography, The Greatest (1975). Many—though not all—of the works she edited addressed aspects of Black history and culture and feminist politics.
Morrison's secretaries provided significant logistical assistance throughout the publishing process. They drafted routine internal memos and external correspondence, the latter of which included rejection letters sent to prospective authors. They also sometimes corresponded directly with authors whose manuscripts were under contract in Morrison's absence, for example, during her 1977 book tour for Song of Solomon. Morrison's secretaries included Roberta Moore (1972-1973), Janet Overton (1973-1975), Pat Chu (1975-1977), and Eileen Ahearn (1977-1983).
Contents
Access and use
- Parent restrictions:
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The majority of this collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. Cataloged correspondence and manuscripts (Boxes Cat 1 - Cat 55) and Toni Morrison's editorial files (Boxes 1265-1275, 1509-1533, and 1683-1684) are on-site.
None of the materials may be published in any form in whole or in part without prior consultation with Random House, Inc. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
This is a large collection. The arrangement reflects decades of organization, from the editors, secretaries, and records managers at Random House who created and used the records, to the stewards at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library who preserve and make them accessible using ever-evolving archival best practices.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu