Inventory of the Ovid Williams Pierce Papers, 1931-1968 and undated

Abstract

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."

Descriptive Summary

Repository: David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Creator: Pierce, Ovid Williams
Title: Ovid Williams Pierce Papers, 1931-1968 and undated
Language of Material: English
Extent: Linear Feet, 553 Items
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Collection Overview

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 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 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

Expand All

Writings Series

(14 boxes)

On a Lonesome Porch

First draft, chapters 1-14

Box 1

First draft, chapters 15-27

Box 2

First typewritten copy, final galley proof

Box 3

Third draft, publisher's copy

Box 4

Miscellany, reprint

Box 5

The Plantation

Manuscripts

Box 5-9

Notebook

Box 8

The Devil's Half

Notes

Box 10

Rough draft, prologue and first 18 chapters

Box 10

Rough draft, chapters 19-46

Box 11

Fragment of drafts

Box 12

Finished draft

Box 12

Editor's copy

Box 13

Xerox copy, chapters 1-31

Box 13

Clippings (may also contain publicity for other works)

Box 14

Printed Material

Box 17

Foundry and galley proofs

Box 18

Correspondence Series, 1931-1968

(2 boxes)

1931-1952

Box 15

1953-1968

Box 16

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

Oversize Folder OF1

Historical 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.