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Ivan Doig papers, 1939-2023

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Doig, Ivan; Doig, Carol
Title
Ivan Doig papers
Dates
1939-2023 (inclusive)
Quantity
116.6 linear feet, (197 boxes, 2 objects, and 1 web archive)
Collection Number
2602, 2602 (collection)
Summary
Writer known for his fiction about Montana and the west. Collection of diaries, literary manuscripts, research papers, legal documents, photographs and memorabilia created or collected by Ivan Doig and his wife, Carol Doig.
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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Biographical Note

Ivan Doig (June 27, 1939 – April 9, 2015), a third generation Montanan, was born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. He grew up along the Rocky Mountain front where much of his writing takes place. His highly acclaimed memoir This House of Sky (1978), was a finalist for the National Book Award. A former ranch hand, newspaperman, and magazine editor, Doig graduated from Northwestern University where he received bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism. He earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Washington in 1969, and during his career was the recipient of three honorary doctorates. In the century's-end San Francisco Chronicle polls to name the best Western novels and works of non-fiction, Doig was the only living writer with books in the top dozen on both lists: English Creek in fiction and This House of Sky in non-fiction. He lived in Seattle with his wife Carol, who taught the literature of the American West.

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Content Description

The Doig Archive consists of manuscripts, proofs and galleys, typed and handwritten writing fragments, pocket notebooks, note cards, diaries, journals, photographs, audio/visual material, and memorabilia. The material has been sorted into twelve series based on subject and/or document type, and there is some overlap between these divisions. The first series consists of Doig's diaries and biographical information. The second series is the largest and consists of the various manuscript drafts and revisions, along with associated research and some publisher and promotion correspondence, all relating to sixteen books by Doig published between 1978 and 2015. The series of correspondence includes letters to and from other writers, publishers, and friends. Series four consists of essays, letters, and other materials by Doig on the process of writing and are not necessarily related to any given book title. His practice of taking notes on small pocket spiral notebooks, and also typing research findings or other writing ideas on note cards, are represented in two separate series. The note cards in particular relate back to the composition of Doig's books and some boxes bear the titles of those works. Other series include photographs, slides, audio and video recordings used for research purposes as well as readings and interviews with Ivan about his work. A series of material titled "Medical Journey" documents Doig's struggle with his final illness and includes both his own thoughts on the process as well as actual medical records. There is a small selection of Doig's favorite research books that were taken from his office library. Last, there is Carol Doig's personal papers, which document both her career as a writer and teacher, the deverlopment of their relationship, and their life together.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The arrangement and description of the collection closely follows a preliminary inventory created for the papers by Ms. Betty Mayfield, a close friend of the Doigs and the person who prepared the material for donation in 2015.

Series 1 Diaries and biographical information, 1971-2015

Series 2 Manuscripts

Series 3 Note Cards

Series 4 Writer's files

Series 5 Pocket Notebooks

Series 6 Correspondence

Series 7 Interviews and Readings

Series 8 Photographs

Series 9 Memorabilia

Series 10 General Research

Series 11 Medical Journey

Series 12 Research Books

Series 13 Personal Papers

Acquisition Information

Diaries, literary manuscripts, research papers, legal documents, photographs and memorabilia created or collected by Ivan Doig were donated to Montana State University by Carol Doig of Seattle, Washington on October 1, 2015. Mrs. Doig donated additional materials in January 2016, August 2018, August 2019, and December 2023.

Processing Note

This collection was initially processed 2016 January 13. Additions received in 2018 and 2019 were added in 2020-2021; processing included redacting personal information not only of Ivan and Carol Doig, but of others represented in the collection, notably Mrs. Doig's students at Shoreline Community College. A small addition from December 2023 was integrated in January 2024.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Kim Allen Scott, 2016. Additions and substantial revisions by Jan Zauha, 2020, and Jodi Allison-Bunnell, 2021 and 2024.
2024

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

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