Inventory of the Ovid Williams Pierce Papers, 1931-1968 and undated
[top]Descriptive Summary
Repository
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke
University
Creator
Pierce, Ovid Williams
Title
Ovid Williams Pierce Papers, 1931-1968 and undated
Language of Material
Material in English
Extent
Linear Feet
553 Items
Abstract
553 Items
Writer from Weldon, North Carolina.
Correspondence, drafts and proofs, typescripts, notebooks, clippings, speeches, and photographs concerning the life and works of North Carolina novelist Ovid Williams Pierce. Papers chiefly relate to the development and publication of the following novels: "Judge Buell's Legacy," "On A Lonesome Porch," "The Devil's Half," "The Plantation," and "The Wedding Guest." The correspondence is restricted, and chiefly consists of letters between Pierce and his friends and literary colleagues. The clippings mainly refer to the publication of Pierce's works. Also included is a volume entitled "Cultural Change in Eastern North Carolina as Reflected in Some of the Novels of Inglis Fletcher and Ovid Pierce."
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Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open to research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Copyright Notice
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ovid Williams Pierce Papers, Rare Book,
Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Ovid Williams Pierce Papers were received by the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library from 1955-1984.
Processing Information
Processed by RBMSCL staff
Encoded by Ted Holt and Paula Jeannet Mangiafico, August 2008
All accessions are described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Biographical Note
Ovid Williams Pierce was born in Weldon, N.C. in 1910. He received a B.A. from Duke University and a M.A. in English from Harvard. In World War II he served in Army Counterintelligence in the Caribbean. After the war he taught English at Southern Methodist University in Texas and at Tulane University in Louisiana. In 1956 he joined the faculty of East Carolina College. Pierce was the author of five novels: The Plantation (1953), On A Lonesome Porch (1960), The Devil's Half (1968), The Wedding Guest (1974), and Judge Buell's Legacy (1985). He was also the author of many short stories, articles, and reviews that appeared in a variety of publications. He received the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for The Plantation and On A Lonesome Porch, the North Carolina Literature Award in 1969, the Oliver Max Gardner Award in 1973, and the Brown-Hudson Award in 1982. He passed away in 1987.
[top]Collection Overview
Correspondence, drafts and proofs, typescripts, notebooks, clippings, speeches, and photographs concerning the life and works of North Carolina novelist Ovid Williams Pierce. Papers chiefly relate to the development and publication of the following novels: "Judge Buell's Legacy," "On A Lonesome Porch," "The Devil's Half," "The Plantation," and "The Wedding Guest." The correspondence is restricted, and chiefly consists of letters between Pierce and his friends and literary colleagues. The clippings mainly refer to the publication of Pierce's works. Also included is a volume entitled "Cultural Change in Eastern North Carolina as Reflected in Some of the Novels of Inglis Fletcher and Ovid Pierce."
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Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- Authors, American--Correspondence.
- American prose literature--Southern States.
- American literature--20th century.
- North Carolina--Fiction.
- Southern States--Fiction.
- Southern States--Social life and customs.
- Typescripts.
Related Material
A substantial collection of Ovid Williams Pierce's papers is held by the Joyner Library at East Carolina University, where Pierce taught. See the online finding aid for more details.
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | Writings Series | ||||||
| | Correspondence Series, 1931-1968 | ||||||
 | | Accession 10-27-1986 | ||||||
 | | Oversize Materials | ||||||
Detailed Description of Collection
Writings Series
(14 boxes)
On a Lonesome Porch
Box 1
First draft, chapters 1-14
Box 2
First draft, chapters 15-27
Box 3
First typewritten copy, final galley proof
Box 4
Third draft, publisher's copy
Box 5
Miscellany, reprint
The Plantation
Box 5-9
Manuscripts
Box 8
Notebook
The Devil's Half
Box 10
Notes
Rough draft, prologue and first 18 chapters
Box 11
Rough draft, chapters 19-46
Box 12
Fragment of drafts
Finished draft
Box 13
Editor's copy
Xerox copy, chapters 1-31
Box 14
Clippings (may also contain publicity for other works)
Box 17
Printed Material
Box 18
Foundry and galley proofs
Correspondence Series, 1931-1968
(2 boxes)
Box 15
1931-1952
Box 16
1953-1968
Accession 10-27-1986
(1 box)
Unprocessed material. Please contact a reference archivist before coming to use this material.
Oversize Materials
Narrative outline for book three
