MenuPreliminary Inventory of the Carl V. Corley Papers, 1930s-1990s
Collection Overview
The Carl V Corley Papers contains the writings, drawings, scrapbooks, notebooks, and published materials that document the career and artistic output of the novelist and illustrator. The collection includes copies of all twenty-two of Corley's published works of gay male pulp fiction. In addition to these published items, the collection also includes typescripsts and manuscripts of published and unpublished works of gay fiction, southern history, and heterosexual erotica, some of which is in the form of comic books or graphic novels. Corley's pulp novels were set primarily in early twentieth century Mississippi and Louisiana, though several were set in the South Pacific, where Corley served during World War II, and reflect varying degrees of autobiographical content. Corley's later works also show his interest in historical subject matter as well as utopian science fiction. Many of Corley's published and unpublished works include cover and textual illustrations produced byCorley. The collection further includes photographs of the artist and friends, works by related authors and artists, correspondence with publishers, and some work-related notes and materials.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Carl V. Corley Papers, 1930s-1990s
- Creator
- Corley, Carl V.
- Extent
- 24.0 Linear Feet, 650 Items
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
- Language
- English.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights 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 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
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 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllScrapbooks, artwork, manuscripts and typescripts of published and unpublished works by Corley and books and and issues of magazines in which his work appears. Also included is correspondence relating to submission of work to publishers. Scrapbooks include photographs, drawings and notes relating to Corley's service in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II. Scrapbooks also include research and preliminary studies for several books and comic strips. There are scrapbooks which document Corley's work for the Mississippi and Lousiana Departments of Highways. One scrapbook contains Corley's personal photographs of friends and lovers from high school to the present. Included are maps and posters relating to Mississippi and Lousiana history and geography created by Corley while working for the Department of Highways.
Includes text for illustrated stories and comics, See also Oversize Boxes 13-16 and Oversize Cabinet IV:13.
Books, reports, and booklets written and/or illustrated by Carl Corley. See also: Oversize Box 15 for maps and posters by Carl Corley
Issues include writings and art by Carl Corley.
Historical Note
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1921 | Born in Florence, Mississippi |
| 1939-1945 | Served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific |
| 1947-1961 | Illustrator, Staff Artist, and Unit Chief in the Mississippi Highway Department |
| 1961-1981 | Illustrator, Staff Artist, and Unit Chief in the Louisiana Highway Department |
Carl V. Corley is an author and illustrator of a variety of materials such as gay "pulp fiction," comic books, physique art, science fiction, Louisiana history (especially on Cajun folkways), and also books on religious themes.
Corley was born in Florence, Mississippi in 1921. He graduated from Florence High School and served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific in World War II. After the war, Corley worked as an illustrator for the Highway Department in Mississippi (1947-1961) and Louisiana (1961-1981). In his official capacities, he designed and drew tourist guides, manuals, pamphlets, road maps, and traffic surveys. In the 1970s and early 1980s, he contributed an illustrated strip on Louisiana folklore to the Eunice(LA) News.
In the 1950s, Corley made a name for himself as a "physique artist," as he contributed drawings of scantily clad men to fitness magazines--a genre that has been identified by cultural historians as early homoerotica. Between 1966 and 1971, he published twenty-two paper back novels of gay male "pulp fiction."
Subject Headings
- Corley, Carl, 1921-
- United States. Marine Corps--History--World War, 1939-1945.
- Marines--United States.
- Gay men--Fiction.
- Gay men--Sexuality--Fiction.
- Gay men--Comicbooks, strips, etc.
- Gay men--Social life and customs--Fiction.
- Homosexuality in art--United States.
- Artists--United States.
- Science fiction--Illustrations.
- Authors, American--20th century.
- Illustrators--United States.
- Authors and publishers--United States--Correspondence.
- Human figure in art.
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Ocean.
- Cajuns--Social life and customs.
- Cajuns--History.
- Louisiana--History.
- Mississippi--History.
- Scrapbooks
- Typescripts
- Photographs
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Carl V. Corley Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
Purchased from Carl V. Corely in 1998.
Processing Information
Processed by Marion Hirsch and Don Sechler
Completed August 7, 1998
Encoded by Don Sechler
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
This collection is unprocessed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.