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Jane Merchant Literary Manuscripts Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MS-0333

  • Staff Only

The Jane Merchant literary manuscript collection contains the copyedited, typewritten manuscripts of eight Merchant publications, both poetry and non-fiction, published by Abingdon Press. Available titles include Blessed Are You, Halfway Up the Sky, The Mercies of God, and Petals of Light.

Dates

  • 1954 September 7-1968

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 half box)

Abstract

The Jane Merchant literary manuscript collection contains the copyedited, typewritten manuscripts of eight Merchant publications, both poetry and non-fiction, published by Abingdon Press. Available titles include Blessed Are You, Halfway Up the Sky, The Mercies of God, and Petals of Light.

Biographical/Historical Note

Jane Hess Merchant was born in 1919 in Inskip (Knoxville), Tennessee. She was confined to her bed at age twelve from the congenital bone disease Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or Brittle Bone Disease, which also caused her to go deaf at age twenty-three. Despite her crippling disease, Merchant was an incredibly active and prolific writer. From her bedroom she penned more than 3,000 poems, 2,000 letters, and dozens of prose pieces. Although writing for several years, her first published work, a poem printed in an issue of “Progressive Farmer,” did not appear until 1946. Soon after, other publications like “Good Housekeeping” and “The Saturday Evening Post” were quick to print her work. She also maintained continual correspondence with friends, fans, and publishers throughout her life. Merchant passed away in 1972.

Arrangement

This collection is in one box. The material is arranged alphabetical by project title.

Previous Citation

Portions of this collection were previously listed as MS.0389 and MS.0683.

Acquisition Note

This collection was a gift from Jane Merchant.

Related Materials

Interested researchers may wish to consult:

  1. MS.1001, Alwin Thaler Papers on Jane Merchant, 1952-1972
  2. MS.2057, Sarah Ricketts Collection of Jane Merchant Material, 1937-1992
  3. MS.2150, Jane Merchant Collection (Addendum), 1957-1972
  4. MS.3794, Shirley Whitney Kerr Collection of Jane Merchant Material, 1950-2000
  5. MS.3972, "Belated Answer" by Jane Merchant, undated
  6. MS.4016, Jane Merchant Portrait, undated

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480