William Faulkner Digital Library Project

Reconstructing William Faulkner’s Library: A Collaboration with the University of Mississippi Library

Shortly after William Faulkner’s death in the summer of 1962, Joseph Blotner, his early biographer, was allowed extraordinary access to the late author’s library at his home, Rowan Oak. Blotner cataloged each volume in the collection and his work was published in 1964 by the University of Virginia Press.

According to Blotner, there were approximately twelve hundred books in Faulkner’s library at the time of his death. Many of these works were gifted to the author by admirers, including several well-known literary figures. The library also contained books collected by Faulkner, as well as volumes he inherited from various family members. There were also several copies of Faulkner’s own publications (Joseph Blotner, William Faulkner’s Library- A Catalogue, p. 3-12).

The William Faulkner Digital Library Project will be an online reconstruction of the author’s 1962 library, involving the collaborative work and collections of William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak and the University Libraries’ Department of Archives & Special Collections. The project will involve innovative technology, scholarly essays, detailed descriptions of each book, as well as several other features intended to provide researchers with additional insight into Faulkner’s literary world.

Visit the project’s website here for more information: William Faulkner Digital Library Project