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Thomas McGuane papers, 1965-2019

Overview of the Collection

Creator
McGuane, Thomas
Title
Thomas McGuane papers
Dates
1965-2019 (inclusive)
Quantity
31.8 linear feet, (in 62 boxes and 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
2721
Summary
The Thomas McGuane papers contain manuscripts and correspondence related to the literary career of writer Thomas McGuane. Manuscripts make up the bulk of the collection and include novels, short fiction, essays, and screenplays written between 1982 and 2010. McGuane's manuscripts consist of multiple drafts that feature edits from McGuane and his editors, which provide evidence of how his works took shape through the drafting and publication process.
Repository
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Thomas Francis McGuane III is an American writer. He was born in Wyandotte, Michigan, on December 11, 1939, to Thomas Francis McGuane Jr. and Alice (Torphy) McGuane. He attended the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hill, Michigan, for his primary education. McGuane received a B.A. in English in 1962 from Michigan State University, an M.F.A. in playwriting and dramatic literature from Yale University in 1965, and a Wallace Stegner Fellowship to Stanford University from 1966 to 1967.

As of 2023, McGuane published ten novels, four short story collections, five screenplays, and six collections of essays. McGuane first received recognition for his debut novel, The Sporting Club, published in 1969. He also received acclaim for his novels The Bushwacked Paino (1971) and Ninety-Two in the Shade (1973), the latter of which was nominated for a National Book Award. In the 1970s he made notable forays into cinema, writing screenplays for the films Rancho Deluxe (1975), the film adaptation of 92 in the Shade (1975), and Missouri Breaks (1976).

McGuane has also contributed numerous essays and short stories to magazines like Esquire and The New Yorker. His essays and stories have also appeared in anthologies such as The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Essays, and The Best American Short Stories.

McGuane moved to Livingston, Montana in the late 1960s, splitting his time between Montana and Key West, Florida. He continued to reside in Montana, living for a time in the Paradise Valley before he relocated to a ranch outside of McLeod, Montana on the Boulder River. His fiction and non-fiction reflect the influence of his life in Montana. McGuane's fiction is largely set in the American west, and Montana in particular, and focuses on themes of rural working-class life, ranching, and small-town drama. McGuane's non-fiction predominantly focuses on his life outdoors and his interests in fly fishing, bird hunting, bird dogs, and raising horses.

McGuane received an honorary doctorate from Montana State University in 1993. He also received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, which was presented to him at the 1993 Academy of Achievement Summit in Glacier National Park. He was a finalist for the 2013 National Magazine Award for his story "River Camp," a finalist for the 2015 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award for "Gallatin Canyon," and recipient of the 2016 Los Angeles Times Robert Kirch Award for lifetime achievement. In addition to his awards for writing, McGuane has been a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and was also inducted into the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the American Museum of Fly Fishing Hall of Fame in 2017.

McGuane has three children. His son Thomas McGuane IV was born to his first wife Portia Rebecca "Becky" Crockett in 1967. McGuane and Crockett were married from 1962 to 1975. His daughter Margaret Kidder McGuane was born in 1975 to his second wife Margo Kidder to whom McGuane was married for less than a year between 1976 and 1977. His daughter Anne Buffet McGuane was born to his third wife Laurie (Buffet) McGuane in 1979, who he married in 1977.

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Content Description

The Thomas McGuane papers consist of manuscripts of his writing and correspondence related to his literary career. Manuscripts make up the bulk of the collection and feature his novels, short fiction, essays, and screenplays from 1965 to 2019. McGuane's manuscripts include multiple drafts that feature edits from McGuane and his editors, which provide evidence of how his works took shape through the drafting and publication process.

McGaune's drafts span the bulk of his career and include some of his earliest work such as his MFA thesis from Yale and his debut novel The Sporting Club. Other novels featured in this collection include The Bushwhacked Piano, Ninety-Two in the Shade, Driving on the Rim, Keep the Change, Nobody's Angel, Nothing but Blue Skies, Panama, and Something to Be Desired. His drafts also include numerous short stories and essays, many of which appeared in his short-fiction collections To Skin a Cat, Gallatin Canyon, and Cloudbursts, and his essay collections An Outside Chance and The Longest Silence. Also included are screenplays for his films Rancho Deluxe, Tom Horn, Missouri Breaks, and 92 in the Shade, the latter of which McGuane directed.

Drafts of his writings also include other stories and essays that appeared in national publications such as Esquire, the New York Times, and The New Yorker.

The collection also includes correspondence with friends, family, and publishers. The most extensive correspondence includes several boxes of letters between McGuane and writer Jim Harrison, who is most well-known for his novel Legends of the Fall. McGuane and Harrison met at Michigan State University in the 1960s and maintained regular correspondence until Harrison's death in 2016. The correspondence is dated 1966-2011 and includes original incoming letters from Harrison and photocopies of outgoing letters written by McGuane. Other correspondence in the collection includes letters and faxes from publishers and editors, as well as incoming letters from friends and fans. Editors who frequently worked with McGuane and are represented in the collection include Seymour "Sam" Lawrence, Terry McDonell, Gary Fisketjon, and Deborah Treisman.

The collection includes a few early versions of novels and screenplays by McGuane's friends and fellow writers. Other collected items appear to have been used by McGuane for personal research projects.

Other items in this collection focuse on McGuane's writing career and include reviews of his work as well as interviews and profiles of McGuane. They also include select transcripts, memorabilia, and recordings of McGuane's speeches at various public events.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Series 1: Writings

Series 1, Sub-Series 1: Major Works

Series 1, Sub-Series 2: Short Stories

Series 1, Sub-Series 3: Essays, Articles, and Book Reviews

Series 1, Sub-Series 4: Manuscript Fragments and Incomplete Works

Series 2: Correspondence

Series 2, Sub-Series 1: General Correspondence

Series 2, Sub-Series 2: Project-Specific Correspondence

Series 3: Works by Others and Collected Items

Series 4: Publicity and News Coverage

Series 4, Sub-Series 1: Reviews and Publicity

Series 4, Sub-Series 2: Profiles, Articles, and Interviews

Series 4, Sub-Series 3: Public Events, Speeches, and Awards

Series 4, Sub-Series 4: Writings about McGuane

Acquisition Information

Gift of Thomas McGuane, December 2022. A portion of McGuane's unprocessed papers held at Michigan State University were transferred to Montana State University in April 2023. In November 2023, McGuane sent an addition of awards and plaques which were incorporated into Series 4, Sub-series 3: Public Events, Speeches, and Awards. In June 2024, Montana State University acquired an additional twenty-four boxes of McGuane's papers from Michigan State University.

Appraisal Notes

Approximately two linear feet of advanced reader copies (ARC) have been removed from this collection. Removed ARCs have been inventoried and any associated correspondence has been retained. The list of ARCs and correspondence can be found in Series III: Works by Others and Collected Items.

Duplicate copies of manuscripts that contained no mark-ups or additional edits have also been removed from the collection. Duplicate copies of magazines featuring reviews of McGuane's work or published copies McGuane's essays and short stories have been removed as well, and at least one copy of these publications has been retained.

Processing Note

Many of the manuscripts in the collection are undated. Undated manuscripts have been given approximate dates by the archivist based on associated drafts or publication date of the final work.

Unprocessed manuscripts received from Michigan State University in 2023 were foldered and inventoried by Michigan State University staff. These files were incorporated into series with the manuscripts and correspondence Montana State University received directly from McGuane.

Additional materials acquired from Michigan State University in 2024 were added as boxes 40-62 and incorporated into the existing arrangement of the collection.

Collection was processed in October 2023.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Authors and publishers
  • Authors, American--20th century
  • Fly fishing--Montana
  • Horses--Training--Montana
  • Hunting
  • Hunting dogs--Training
  • Novelists, American-- 20th century
  • Outdoor writers--Montana

Personal Names

  • Harrison, Jim, 1937-2016
  • McGuane, Thomas

Form or Genre Terms

  • Fiction
  • Manuscripts
  • Nonfiction

Heather Mulliner with assistance from Brendan Clark, Kristin Chibroski, and Liszka Bessenyey
2023

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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