Historical Material from UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections

The Abattoir Editions Collection comprises the correspondence, manuscripts, proofs, forms, and other papers relating to the books published by the small letterpress Abattoir Editions, in Omaha, Nebraska. Materials are arranged by the name of the author whose work was published in Abattoir Editions, with notes in the inventory list as to the types of material available for that particular author (correspondence, proofs, manuscript, etc.).

The Mary L. Richmond Cummington Press Collection covers the fine arts presswork of Harry Duncan (1916-1997) under the Cummington Press imprint, as well as examples of Duncan's work while at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, under the Abattoir Editions imprint. The collection includes books, galley proofs, prints, drawings, engraved copper plates, carved wood blocks, cards, playbills, and other materials created by diverse authors and artists and printed by Harry Duncan. These materials were collected by Mary L. Richmond.

This collection includes correspondence, photographs, personal documents, book catalogues, edited and unedited manuscripts of poetry from Philip Boatright and related individuals. The collection also includes works and personal papers from Boatright’s late wife Evelyn Hamilton Boatright. Items related to Evelyn Hamilton Boatright include works of poetry, manuscripts and drawings. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and edited proofs relating to a number of poetry collections.

The Steppenwolf Collection spans the years 1938-1991, with the bulk of the material dating from 1960-1977. The collection features the papers of Philip Boatright, editor of Steppenwolf: A journal of poetry and opinion, and his associate, Jean Shannon. Steppenwolf, an independent, literary journal, featured poetry from the late 1960’s through the mid 1970’s. Also included are the books held in Steppenwolf’s library including rare poetry volumes by John Betjeman, Raymond Carver and items illustrated by noted children’s author and illustrator, Tomie dePaola. The Collection contains correspondence, books, manuscripts, photographs, newsletters, postcards, catalogs, and sound recordings. Steppenwolf: A journal of poetry and opinion was founded by Philip Boatright in 1965, and was published in five volumes from 1966 through 1974. The journal published works from poets located across the country during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

The Seven Anderton Papers are comprised of the manuscripts, correspondence, and published works of short story author Seven Anderton, from circa 1926-circa 1958. The majority of his stories are westerns or detective fiction. One series of the collection comprises seven boxes of files containing primarily manuscripts and correspondence (both professional and personal), along with some newspaper clippings, check stubs, purchase orders, tax forms, songs, poems, magazines, cards, and family photographs.
The second series of the collection is the original issues of the pulp magazines in which his works were published, including but not limited to The Blue Book, Detective Fiction Weekly, Famous Detective Stories, Ranch Romances, Real Western Stories, Smashing Detective Stories, Super Sports, Ten-Story Sports, and Triple-X.

The Carl Jonas Papers hold the works of Omaha, Nebraska, novelist Carl S. Jonas. The manuscript portion of the collection includes typed novels and works-in-progress with hand-written corrections, including two versions of a novel entitled The X Family, an incomplete draft of The Deer and the Antelope Play, and three incomplete, untitled novels. The publications portion of the collection includes each of the author's eight published books: Beachhead on the Wind (1945), Jefferson Selleck (1952), Lillian White Deer (1964), The Observatory (1966), Our Revels Now are Ended (1957), Riley McCullough (1954), Snowslide (1950), The Sputnik Rapist (1973), and A Trout in the Milk (1972). A copy of a 1972 UNO master's thesis by Pat Williams entitled Initiation in the Novels of Carl Jonas is also available.

The Weldon Kees Book Collection comprises the published works of Weldon Kees, both books and periodical issues, along with a bibliography and a small assortment of news clippings.

The Icarian collection contains several hundred books formerly owned by a 19th Century utopian community based near Corning, Iowa. The collection consists of books published from the early 1700's to the late 1800's, most of them in French. The collection is of historical and sociological value to scholars of utopian studies and also includes documents, books, and articles relating to the history of the Icarian community. The collection was originally acquired by Iowa's Tabor College and it was then acquired by Omaha University when Tabor closed.

The Fredrick J. Zydek papers primarily document his work and career as a poet. Zydek’s collection thoroughly documents his poetry with a folder of material about each of his poems containing drafts and final versions of the poems as well as correspondence with publishers when the poems were published, which was frequently the case (15 cubic feet). Many of Zydek’s poems were published and they covered a range of topics. The collection also includes his short stories. Folders of material about Omaha’s Metropolitan Community Church, personal correspondence, and other topics are also part of the collection. The collection also includes information about courses Zydek taught for the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the College of St. Mary in Omaha. A scrapbook about Omaha’s Metropolitan Community Church where Zydek and his spouse Garold F. Storm were founding pastors contains news clippings about the founding and early years of the church in Omaha. Two boxes containing bound pamphlet binders primarily of Zydek’s class notes from his student days as well as his poetry and short stories are also part of the collection.

UNO Writer's Workshop Publications includes complete runs of Smackwarm, The Nebraska Review, Annex 21, Orion, and The Periodical of Art in Nebraska, all serial titles published by the Writer's Workshop at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (early on known as the UNO-Community Writer's Workshop). Smackwarm and its successor The Nebraska Review featured fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Although The Nebraska Review was a nationally recognized magazine, it was terminated in 2003 due to budget cuts at UNO. Annex 21 featured poetry. Orion featured science fiction short stories and art. The Periodical of Art in Nebraska (P-A-N) featured poetry, fiction, criticism, and interviews relating to the arts in Nebraska.

The UNO Science Fiction and Fantasy Club published Realms Volume 1 in Summer 1986. The fanzine contained short stories, poetry, comics, and standalone drawings by students of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. It is unknown whether any further issues were published.

The Omaha Collection is an eclectic mix of files relating to the city of Omaha, Nebraska, and to areas of research pursued by faculty members of the Municipal University of Omaha, notably Ralph M. Wardle, professor of English, and Wilfred Payne, professor of Philosophy. Of particular interest are letters to Ralph Wardle from prominent authors in response to invitations to speak in Omaha, including letters from writers Conrad Aiken, W.H. Auden, John Barth, Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov, Susan Sontag, and John Updike (all 1967); a letter from William Kloefkorn to Mel Bohn (1980).

This collection includes organizational records from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and its predecessors, the Municipal University of Omaha and the University of Omaha, dating from the institution's founding in 1908 to the present. Records originated from many colleges, schools, departments, offices, committees, faculty and staff organizations, student organizations, and alumni. Materials include publications, event programs, conference materials, publicity material, meeting minutes, correspondence, budget information, internal reports, policies, architectural drawings, photographs, and miscellaneous records from various UNO and UNO-affiliated groups or relating to UNO people, buildings, events, and academic programs.