Edward Abbey's "Vox Clamantis In Deserto: Some Notes from a Secret Journal" production records

MS 336
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Letter to Mr. Kimball

Letter to Mr. Kimball from Edward Abbey regarding Vox Clamantis in Deserto

Collection area: Literature

Collection dates: 1988-1989

About this collection

Vox Clamantis in Deserto is a collection of fragments from Abbey's journals that he kept "fairly faithfully." In his correspondence with Clark Kimball, Abbey called the work "Vox Clamantis in Deserto: A Selection of Quotes from the Notebooks & Journals of Edward Abbey." In his introduction to the work, Abbey says that the "fragments, or notes, were obviously not chosen at random, but with an eye to propositions and declarations that say something provocative in a minimum number of words."

This collection contains the original typescript literary manuscript (ca. 1989) sent to The Rydal Press, the "Memorandum Agreement," correspondence between Clark Kimball and the Abbeys from November 1988 to February 1989, an edited manuscript, various proofs, galleys, and dummies used to prepare the manuscript for publication during 1989, and a production copy of the work. The book was published in a limited edition of 250 numbered copies, and is available in Special collections, call number PS3551 .B2 V6 1989.

Historical background

Edward Abbey was born in Pennsylvania on 29 January 1927 and died in Tucson, Arizona, on 14 March 1989. He authored seventeen fiction and nonfiction books, and wrote numerous articles and reviews for national and regional publications. Vox Clamantis in Deserto was his last nonfiction work and was "in press" at the time of his death in March 1989. The Rydal Press is represented in this collection by Clark Kimball.

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