Helen Hooven Santmyer Papers
A Guide and Inventory
SPEC.RARE.CMS.8
INTRODUCTION
First published in 1982 by the Ohio State University Press, Helen Hooven Santmyer called nearby Xenia, OH home. Her works affirmed the engaging and ethereal qualities of life in the small towns of the Midwest. Fame and recognition, however, were latecomers in her life. Her first book, …And Ladies of the Club, received critical acclaim after a nearly 50-year writing process. The novel languished in relative obscurity upon publishing as 88-year-old Santmyer relocated to a local nursing home. But fortune smiled in 1984 when the book landed in the hands of a Hollywood producer who adapted it into a TV miniseries. …And Ladies of the Club subsequently rocketed to the top of the New York Times weekly list of book sales and was selected as a Book of the Month Club read that year. Santmyer died at age 90 after releasing several more novels. In 1996, the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame honored her for contributions to the literary world.
The Rare Books and Manuscripts Helen Hooven Santmyer Collection includes much of the author’s work toward her first novel, from early notebooks to final page proofs. The manuscripts and typescripts are organized chronologically to highlight Santmyer’s extensive writing process. Also included are drafts of Ohio Town and Farewell, Summer. The former explores pre-World War I Xenia, OH in an autobiographical context while the latter twists the same period into a fictional account of love and loss. Furthermore, the collection includes the exciting unpublished manuscript of The Hall with Eight Doors, fan mail amassed by Santmyer, and several photographs.
Shahmeer Azmat
February 21, 2012
Overview of the Collection:
Box and Folder Listing:
Box 1
Folders 1-3:
- Early notebooks
- …And Ladies of the Club – Manuscript expansion
- …And Ladies of the Club – Manuscript expansion (continued)
Notebooks 1-10: …And Ladies of the Club – working manuscript
Ledger book
(1931): Financial accounts – working manuscript
Box 2
Notebooks 11-21:
…And Ladies of the Club – Working manuscript
Box 3
Notebooks 22-23 & Folders 4-10:
…And Ladies of the Club – Working manuscript
- …And Ladies of the Club- Manuscript “From B. XXIII-B. XXIV B-p.91”
- …And Ladies of the Club- Manuscript
- …And Ladies of the Club- Manuscript
- …And Ladies of the Club- Manuscript
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 1, chapters 1-6
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 1-3
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 4-7
Box 4
Folders 11-17:
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript, chapters 8-10
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 11-12
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 13-14
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 15-17
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 18-21
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 22-25
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 26-27
Box 5
Folders 18-25:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Typescript/manuscript, chapters 28-30
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapters 31-35
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript/manuscript, chapter 36
- …And Ladies of the Club– Carbon of several drafts, chapters 1-6
- …And Ladies of the Club– Carbon of several drafts, chapters 7-10
- …And Ladies of the Club– Miscellaneous pages
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 1-4
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapter 5
Box 6
Folders 26-32:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Typescript 2, Chapters 6-8
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 9-10
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 11-12
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 13-14
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 15-16
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 17-18
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 19-20
Box 7
Folders 33-39:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Typescript 2, Chapter 21
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 22-23
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 24-25
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 26-27
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 28-29
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 30-31
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapter 32
Box 8
Folders 40-46:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Typescript 2, Chapters 33-34
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapters 35-36
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 2, Chapter 37
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, preliminary work
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 1-4
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 5-8
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 9-10
Box 9
Folders 47-53:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 11-12
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 13-14
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 15-17
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 18-19
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 20-21
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 22-23
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 24-25
Box 10
Folders 54-58:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Typescript 3, setting copy, chapter 26
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 27-28
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 29-30
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 31-33
- …And Ladies of the Club– Typescript 3, setting copy, chapters 34-36
Box 11
Folders 59-64:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Galley proofs
- …And Ladies of the Club– Galley proofs
- …And Ladies of the Club– Galley proofs
- …And Ladies of the Club– Galley proofs
- …And Ladies of the Club– Galley proofs
Box 12
Folders 65-75:
- “Farewell, Summer” – Typescript I
- “Farewell, Summer” – Typescript II
- "Farewell, Summer” – Typescript III pp. 1-135
- "Farewell, Summer” – Typescript III pp. 136-246
- "Farewell, Summer” – Typescript/manuscript miscellaneous pages
- “Farewell, Summer” – Typescript/manuscript miscellaneous pages
- “Farewell, Summer” – Manuscript miscellaneous pages
- “The First Public Library in Xenia…”
- “A Day in the Life of Chaucer"
- “Defoe and the Roads of England"
- “Farewell, Summer” – Manuscript miscellaneous pages
Box 13
Folders 76-82:
- …And Ladies of the Club- Page proofs, pp. i-iv, 2-313
- …And Ladies of the Club– Page proofs, pp. 314-599
- …And Ladies of the Club– Page proofs, pp.600-905
- …And Ladies of the Club– Page proofs, pp. 906-1207
- …And Ladies of the Club– Page proofs, pp. 1208-1344
- “Anne Morrow Lindbergh”
- “Browning’s Conception of the Freedom of Will”
- “The Craigie House”
- “A Day in the Life of Chaucer"
- “Defoe and the Roads of England"
- “Farewell, Summer” – Manuscript miscellaneous pages
Box 14
Folders 83-93:
- "The Hall with Eight Doors” – Typescript pp. i-iii, 1-199
- "The Hall with Eight Doors” – Typescript pp. 200-363
- “Items from a Scrapbook” – Typescript
- “Journalism in Southwestern Ohio, 1840-1865”
- “The Abbey Theater, Lady Gregory and J.M. Synge”
- “The Life and Works of Clara Reeve” – Typescript pp. 1-246
- “The Life and Works of Clara Reeve” – Typescript pp. 257-513
- “Lucretia Mott” – Typescript
- “Luigi Pirandelo: A Critique” – Typescript
- Notebook – early notes
- “The House on Third Street” – Manuscript
Box 15
Folders 94-101:
- Ohio Town– Typescript, chapters 1-4
- Ohio Town– Typescript, chapters 6-8
- Ohio Town– Typescript, chapters 9-13
- Ohio Town– Typescript/manuscript, miscellaneous pages
- Ohio Town– Typescript, miscellaneous pages
- Ohio Town– Typescript, early miscellaneous pages
- Ohio Town– Typescript, early miscellaneous pages
- Ohio Town– Typescript, early miscellaneous pages
Box 16
Folders 102-112:
- Ohio Town– Typescript, early miscellaneous pages
- Research notes (?) - Typescript/manuscript
- Research notes (?) - Typescript/manuscript
- Research notes (?) - Typescript/manuscript
- “Primitive Religion South of the Sahara” – Manuscript
- “Romanticism Today” – Typescript
- “The Significance of the Loire…” – Typescript
- “The Sonneteer: A Day in the Life of Shakespeare” – college paper
- “The Scottish Border in History, Legend and Ballad” – Typescript
- “The Storied Nile” – Typescript
- Varia and exams given
Box 17
Folders 113-127:
- Notes
- Juvenilia
- Scrapbook (1908-1912)
- 1909 tickets from the Pullman Company railway
- A prospectus of the annual entertainment of the Dramatic Club of Xenia High School
- The Xenia, OH 1910-11 high school course of study with Santmyer's selections
- Promotional materials frmo the Greene County Young Woman's Christian Association
- The March 29, 1912 program of the Denison University Glee Club
- The text of a speech performed by Santmyer at her junior reception in high school
- Program for "The Vicar of Wakefield" by Oliver Goldsmith, performed by the Xenia High School class of 1912
- Commencement program for the Central High School Class of 1912
- A list of upcoming special features at the Bijou Theatre of Xenia, OH during the week of Sept. 5, 1912
- The Xenia High School 1910-11 Course of Study
- A list of the annual entertainment of the dramatic club, 1910
- Introductory material to the Greene County Young Women's Christian Association, 1912
- A Denison University Glee Club program, 1912
- A speech written by Santmyer as she finished her junior year of high school
- Commencement materials from the Central High School Class of 1912
- A list of special features at Bijou Theatre, 1912
- An "Education and Physcial Training" pamphlet of the YWCA, 1912
- Santmyer's high school schedule, 1912
- Household Inventory (?)
- Miscellaneous pp. and notes (some …And Ladies of the Club) – Typescript/manuscript
- Notebook – Poetry and …And Ladies of the Club notes
- Poetry – Typescript/Manuscript
- Memorbilia
- Miscellaneous correspondence
- BOMC Correspondence
- Jane Jordan Brown Correspondence
- Contemporary Authors Correspondence
- Harper and Row Correspondence
- OSU Press Correspondence
- G.P. Putnam’s Sons Correspondence
Box 18
Folders 128-136:
- Ohio Town fan mail and general correspondence A-D
- Ohio Town fan mail and general correspondence E-R
- Ohio Town fan mail and general correspondence S-Z
- Jacob Sandoe diploma from University of Pennsylvania
- General Correspondence A-F
- General Correspondence G-R
- General Correspondence S-Z
- Miscellaneous
- Clippings
Box 19
Folders 137-143:
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail A
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail B-Bo
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail Br-Ch
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail Ci-Cz
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail D
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail E-F
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail G
Box 20
Folders 144-149:
- …And Ladies of the Clubfan mail H
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail I-K
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail L
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail M-Ma
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail Mb-Mz
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail N-O
Box 21
Folders 150-155:
- …And Ladies of the Clubfan mail P-Q
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail R
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail S-Sh
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail Si-Sz
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail T-V
- …And Ladies of the Club fan mail W-Z
Box 22
Folders 156-162:
- Photographs of Santmyer's childhood
- Photographs of Santmyer and Mildred Sandoe interspersed among others older photographs of unidentified friends and family
- 2 small boxes of photographs from a press photography session
- Miscellaneous clippings and pamphlets including those from the Greene County Historical Society, items from Wellesley College, and recognition of Santmyer by the Ohio Commission on Aging.
- Clippings on happenings in Xenia, Wellesley College, and recognition of Helen Hooven Santmyer
- General correspondence from family, including a large amount from Phil Santmyer
- Copies of historic maps of Xenia, OH, nomination forms from the National Register of Historic Places, and copies of photographs of the nominated homes in Xenia.
Box 23
Folder 163:
- Miscellaneous items including recognition and publishing materials for Santmyer's various novels
- A pedigree chart dating Helen Hooven Santmyer's ancestry to 1485.
- Wellesley Folder
Other items
- 3 scrapbooks of clippings
- Helen Santmyer’s High School and College Diplomas
- Varia – Press plates, et cetera