Katherine Anne Porter
Library
Photo: Papers of Katherine Anne Porter, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries. Do not reproduce without permission.*
Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980) was an important American author, known mostly for her short stories and novel, Ship of Fools. Born in Texas, she spent most of her life outside of the state. She lived for long periods in New York City; Louisiana; California; and Washington, D.C.; as well as Mexico and Western Europe. Miss Porter's first published short story, "María Concepcíon," appeared in 1922; The Never-Ending Wrong, her last major work, was published in 1977. There were five major collections of her short stories published during her lifetime, including The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (1965), which won a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Ship of Fools was published in 1962, and The Collected Essays and Occasional Writings of Katherine Anne Porter in 1970.
The Katherine Anne Porter Library contains Ms. Porter's personal library, numbering nearly 4,000 titles. It includes copies of first editions of all her works, as well as variant and foreign language editions. Most of the library was donated to the University of Maryland by Miss Porter between 1966 and 1969, along with a portion of her personal papers and items of memorabilia. The UMCP Libraries continue to acquire Porter materials by purchase and donation. Ms. Porter's library is primarily housed in the Katherine Anne Porter Room of Hornbake Library.
Researchers may not make photocopies from Porter materials. Copies (at $0.25 a page) may be requested by completing a "Photoduplication Work Order" and submitting it to the Maryland Room Reference Desk staff.
The personal papers of Katherine Anne Porter are located in the holdings of the Archives & Manuscripts Department at the University of Maryland (LMSS 66-5).
*Permission to reproduce and distribute this photograph without alteration is granted to educational institutions for non-profit administrative or educational purposes as long as any reproduction carries the following credit line: Papers of Katherine Anne Porter, Special Collections, University of Maryand Libraries. Requests to obtain and for permission to reproduce this photograph for commercial purposes must be directed to Beth Alvarez, Curator of Literary Manuscripts, University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, MD 20742, 301-405-9298.
Items in the Katherine Anne Porter Library are non-circulating. Researchers may view the collection in the Maryland Room on the first floor of Hornbake Library, Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The telephone number is (301) 405-9212. For Saturday usage of this collection, all materials must be reserved by 3:00 p.m. on Friday.
