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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, Tennessee. She was confined to her bed at the age of twelve from the congenital bone disease Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which also caused her to go deaf at the age of twenty-three. From her bedroom, Merchant was able to write more than 3,000 poems, more than 2,000 letters, dozens of prose pieces, and to publish ten collections of her poetry. In addition to her published works, she also maintained continual correspondence with friends and fans throughout her life. Merchant died 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

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