The Blessing Way, Assorted Draft Pages and Notes.
This manuscript is not a formal draft per se; it appears to be a grouping of notes and rough drafts of individual chapters for The Blessing Way. The pages are heavily edited throughout.
Tony Hillerman
Tony Hillerman (1925–2008), an Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident since 1963, was the author of 29 books, including the popular 18-book mystery series featuring Navajo police officers Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn, two non-series novels, two children’s books, and nonfiction works. He had received every major honor for mystery fiction; awards ranging from the Navajo Tribal Council's commendation to France 's esteemed Grand prix de litterature policiere. Western Writers of America honored him with the Wister Award for Lifetime achievement in 2008. He served as president of the prestigious Mystery Writers of America, and was honored with that group’s Edgar Award and as one of mystery fiction’s Grand Masters. In 2001, his memoir, Seldom Disappointed, won both the Anthony and Agatha Awards for best nonfiction.
The Blessing Way, Draft, p.5-205.
This is a typed draft of The Blessing Way, which is quite similar to draft 4 (MSS 501 BC / B01-F04), in that the page formatting, ink and typewriter paper appear to be the same between the two. This draft is also missing pages 1-4. Light editing and correction are visible throughout.
The Blessing Way, Draft, p.5-225.
This draft was originally 225 typed pages, however pages 1-4 are missing. It appears that this draft has been edited by someone other than Tony Hillerman - the editing style is somewhat informal so it is possible that this draft was reviewed and edited by Hillerman's wife, Marie.
The Blessing Way, Copy of Draft, p.1-150.
This manuscript is actually a carbon copy of a typed manuscript draft of The Blessing Way. It is possible that this was a backup copy of a draft that was sent to Hillerman's publisher, as the original typed copy of the draft is not in the Hillerman Collection.
The Blessing Way, Draft, p.1-108.
This is an early typed draft of 108 pages that shows a moderate amount of editing and correction by the author. The draft shows a variety of major organizational changes as well as many minor alterations.
The Ghostway, Draft.
This appears to be an early typed draft of The Ghostway and could possibly be the first draft due the apparent difference of word processing between chapters. The editing is very light and mostly is notes from the author in places where he feels that he should explain details in greater depth.
The Blessing Way, Draft, p.1-168.
This is the initial draft of The Blessing Way; this version has been heavily edited by the author, including many corrections, and revisions. It appears that many editing marks were made with a soft lead black pencil. Hillerman also used a variety of different types of paper in this draft, including UNM letterhead paper.
Note: The interactive manuscript is only partially complete, with hyperlink content only through page 5 of the document. The remaining interactive content will be completed in late 2014.
Correspondence Relating to People of Darkness.
There are four letters between Hillerman and his Harper Collins editor regarding
People of Darkness. In them, the two discuss revisions and changes to the story. These papers are not available online, but may be viewed in person at the University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research.
People of Darkness, Page Proofs and One Signature of Blue Line.
This proof is not available online, but may be viewed in person at the Center for Southwest Research.