Announcements

Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies Acquires New Collection of Steinbeck Correspondence

In December 2020, the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies acquired a remarkable collection of handwritten correspondence and photographs from the family of Daga and Jack Ramsey, John and Elaine Steinbeck’s neighbors in Sag Harbor during the 1950s and 1960s. The two couples were frequent dinner companions and shared a love of dogs. In fact, the Ramseys often cared for the Steinbecks’ poodle Charley while his owners were away. The correspondence covers almost exactly the period of Charley’s life, approximately 1955 through 1963, including the preparations for the 1960 driving tour that formed the basis of Steinbeck’s 1962 book Travels with Charley.

The letters reveal a late-career Steinbeck who was comfortable with himself, emotionally open, even a little vulnerable. One letter references an incident when Steinbeck and Ramsey (who was somewhat younger) apparently came to blows. But Steinbeck is always generous with his friends, always full of encouragement, praise, and wisdom. The correspondence should help researchers fill in a picture of Steinbeck during the last productive period of his life.

The Daga and Jack Ramsey Collection will be digitized as soon as the Center’s staff is able to return to work on-site. Expect an announcement in these pages when the archive becomes available online.

Online Resources for Steinbeck Scholars

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies is currently open to researchers by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact Archivist Peter Van Coutren at peter.vancoutren@sjsu.edu.

Fig. 1.

John Steinbeck shows off “Rocinante,” his custom camper, for neighbor Jack Ramsey in August 1960.

Daga and Jack Ramsey Collection, Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies.

Fig. 2.

John Steinbeck shows off “Rocinante,” his custom camper, for neighbor Jack Ramsey in August 1960.

Daga and Jack Ramsey Collection, Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies.

The Center would like to call attention to several digital tools available to researchers.

Cox-Manville Steinbeck Bibliography

https://steinbeckbibliosite.sjsu.edu

This database is a comprehensive annotated bibliography of works by and about John Steinbeck, the largest project of its kind dedicated to a single American author. Compiled by SJSU since the Cox Center’s founding in 1974, the database now has over twelve thousand entries. A new web interface introduced in 2020 allows researchers to perform keyword searches and to sort results by author, year, journal, and many other criteria.

Steinbeck Center Photo Archive

http://digitalcollections.sjsu.edu/steinbeck-photo-archive

This searchable archive of 2,300 photos related to Steinbeck is housed in the new Digital Collections repository of SJSU’s Martin Luther King Jr Library. The new system allows researchers to search on fields including date, description, photographer, and Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH).

For assistance searching any of the Center’s digital resources, please contact us at steinbeck@sjsu.edu.

John Ditsky Steinbeck Research Fund at Ball State University

Thanks to a generous donation from Mrs. C. Suzette Ditsky, Steinbeck scholars are able to receive grant moneys to support research at Ball State University Libraries using the Steinbeck Collection at Ball State University Archives and Special Collections.

John Ditsky, a world-renowned Steinbeck scholar, received his PhD from New York University in 1967 and enjoyed a thirty-seven-year career in academia with positions at the University of Windsor, the University of Detroit, and Wayne State University. During his career, he served as Vice President of the International Steinbeck Society, President of the New Steinbeck Society of America, and Chair of the Editorial Board of the Steinbeck Quarterly.

Applicants should submit an application to Ball State University Libraries by sending an email to libarchives@bsu.edu and attaching (1) a research proposal (minimum of two pages); (2) a current CV; and (3) two letters of recommendation from colleagues, faculty members, or others who can speak to your academic qualifications.

The research proposal should address the following:

• • Your overall proposed budget with estimated line-item expenses...