The Georgia Room is pleased to hold two manuscripts by the prolific, popular author Edison Marshall, the original draft of West With The Vikings as well as an editor’s copy of the same work. We’ve set up an exhibit on it, and we invite you to visit and take a look.
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Despite being born in Rensselaer Indiana in 1894, by virtue of marriage to Agnes Sharpe Flythe and calling Augusta home from the 1920s until his death on October 29, 1967 Augusta laid claim to Edison Marshall. And Marshall laid claim to Augusta. Marshall was a figure in its cultural life, as a member of the Augusta Authors’ Club. He was constantly in the public eye serving on local commissions or as a speaker at local clubs and charity events. And his entertainments and gatherings at his home Breetholm were sure to be a snippet in the society news column.
Augusta didn’t mind being associated with success either. Marshall was worth claiming as a resident.
Marshall had published works in almost every conceivable genre. First writing short stories and serialized articles, Marshall branched out into historical novels. While these were the mainstay of his work, he also had a science fiction novel and screenwriting credits to add to his writing resume. Marshall turned his hand to so many genres and so many titles, because as he put it, “I write to be read.”
As a popular author, by 1964, Marshall’s books reached sales of 10 million in hardback alone and were translated into eight languages. Several of his titles, among them Benjamin Blake, Yankee Pasha and The Viking – not to be confused with West with the Vikings – were made into blockbuster movies with some of the most popular stars of the day.
So, why did the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library end up with the original manuscript of West With The Vikings?
The donation was part of a project proposed by a past president of the library board of directors, Rabbi Norman Goldberg. Goldberg hoped that the Augusta Public Library would come to house more manuscripts by Augusta authors resulting in a large collection. At the board meeting held in February of 1962, Goldberg announced Marshall’s intention of donating several of his manuscripts to the Augusta Public Library. The manuscript of West With The Vikings was considered the inaugural deposit and the celebration accompanying its donation was titled, “Foundation Day of Richmond County-Augusta Library’s Collection of Original Manuscripts.” At this celebration, the manuscript was presented to the library on April 20, 1962.
The Augusta Chronicle, in an article published on August 11, 1962, mentioned that the University of Oregon, considered Marshall’s alma mater, had approached Marshall over the donation of his personal papers and manuscripts to that institution. The paper reported Marshall as saying he could only comply with part of the request since his present and future manuscripts were committed to the Augusta Public Library.
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And yet, the Georgia Room has only West With The Vikings in its collection. By Marshall’s death on October 29th, 1967, no further deposits had been made. Who knows where the breakdown in the gifting process occurred.
Could Marshall have done more to safeguard his intent to give other materials to the Augusta Public Library? A public declaration wasn’t enough to secure this. One thing Marshall should have done was to leave a formal deed of gift to the library. A deed of gift would have guaranteed that the relationship between Marshall, the library, and the items he wished to donate would have been preserved.
Have you, like Edison Marshall, considered leaving material that could be historically significant to a library or archives? What could you do to make this happen?
A good first step is to read through these two brochures by the Society of American Archivists:
Donating Your Personal or Family Records to a Repository https://www2.archivists.org/publications/brochures/donating-familyrecs
A Guide to Deeds of Gift https://www2.archivists.org/publications/brochures/deeds-of-gift
If you decide to donate your materials, consider making the Georgia Room your first stop for more information. We are happy to talk over the donation potential of your collections and whether our repository is the most logical one to house them. We only ask that you call 706-826-1511 to arrange for a visit so we can give your donation the attention it deserves