Elizabeth Crook Papers

Photo by Christine Cook

Award-winning novelist Elizabeth Crook began donating her literary papers to the Southwestern Writers Collection/The Wittliff Collections in 1995.

Listed below is an archival inventory of the Crook holdings. Please contact the Archivist for details about access the Elizabeth Crook Collection.

For more information about Elizabeth Crook visit her author website.

Initial Donation:

Elizabeth Crook

Papers, 1984-2000

31 boxes (19 linear feet)

Acquisition: Gift donated by Elizabeth Crook, 1995 and 2001. (Note: In 2006 Crook donated an additional collection of papers for The Night Journal. A separate archival inventory for those papers is listed below.)

Access: Open for Research.

Processed by: Amanda York, 2001.

Biographical Note:

The author of three acclaimed novels, Elizabeth Crook was born in Houston in 1959. She lived in Nacogdoches and then San Marcos, Texas with her parents and brother and sister until 1966 when the family moved to Washington D.C., where her father was director of VISTA for Lyndon Johnson. Two years later her father was appointed Ambassador to Australia and the family moved to Canberra. When they returned to Texas she attended public schools in San Marcos, graduating from San Marcos High School in 1977. She attended Baylor University for two years and graduated from Rice University in 1982.

In 1985, Ms. Crook began intensely researching what would become a lengthy article in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly (July, 1990), focused on the 1828 marriage of Tennessee governor Sam Houston and the 20 year old Eliza Allen. This article became the touchstone of her best-selling first novel, The Raven’s Bride, published in 1991 by Doubleday. The 750 pg. manuscript was accepted by the publisher after fifteen publishing houses had rejected it; Crook’s soon-to-be editor at Doubleday, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, called her personally to accept it. Award-winning journalist and author Bill Moyers writes that in The Raven’s Bride, Crook “brought to life the great events of Texas past and turned them into a robust novel. The characters, the descriptions, and the drama are a panorama that only a fine historian or inspired novelist could handle to the reader’s delight, and Ms. Crook is both.”

In 1993, Ms. Crook was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. A year later, she published her second novel, Promised Lands: A Novel of the Texas Rebellion, also edited by Ms. Onassis at Doubleday. “At a time when war is sanitized, televised, and intellectualized, Crook’s most important contribution may be her reminder of the insanity and sheer waste of it all… Though she probably did not intend it that way, her account of the slaughter at Goliad is one of the most powerful anti-war statements I’ve read” (Joyce Slater, Houston Post).

Elizabeth Crook's third novel, The Night Journal, was published by Viking/Penguin in 2006. Widely praised by reviewers and already considered a modern Southwestern classic, The Night Journal won the 2007 Spur Award for Best Novel from the Western Writers of America as well as the 2007 Willa Literary Award for Historical Fiction.

Ms. Crook has also written for periodicals such as Texas Monthly and the Southwestern Historical Quarterly and has served on the council of the Texas Institute of Letters. She is a member of Western Writers of America and The Texas Philosophical Society, and was selected the honored writer for 2006 Texas Writers' Month, joining previous honorees O. Henry, J. Frank Dobie, John Graves, Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, Katherine Anne Porter, Elmer Kelton, Liz Carpenter, Sarah Bird, James Michener, and Horton Foote. Her first novel, The Raven's Bride, was the 2006 Texas Reads: One Book One Texas selection. She currently lives in Austin with her husband and two children.

Scope and Contents

Research notes, annotated typescripts, correspondence, photographs, and newsclippings in the Elizabeth Crook papers range in date from 1984-2001, and relate mainly to Crook’s novels of historical fiction, Raven’s Bride (1991), and Promised Lands : A Novel of the Texas Rebellion (1994). Series include I. Works (1984-1994), II. Mailing Lists (n.d.), and III. Clippings (1990-2000).

Series Descriptions :

Series I : Works:

Subseries A: Raven’s Bride: This subseries includes extensive research files and many annotated typescripts of Crook’s first novel. The research files include clippings, handwritten notes, photographs, and correspondence with research assistant Eva B. Denning, of Gallatin, TN, 1984-90. The typescripts have been arranged in alphabetical order by the various working titles.

Subseries B: Promised Lands: This subseries includes research files and annotated typescripts of Crook’s second novel. The typescripts have been arranged in alphabetical order by the various working titles. Correspondence includes a letter from John Graves commenting on Promised Lands, editorial correspondence with Jackie Onassis, and correspondence regarding publicity. Also includes 1 b/w publicity photo of Crook by Dan Flores.

Subseries C: Essays and Articles

Series II : Mailing Lists (n.d.):

The mailing lists in this series include personal and business contacts, as well as lists for publicity purposes, such as newspaper lists.

Series III : Clippings (1990-2000):

This series includes newsclippings, reviews, and select editorial correspondence, as maintained by Ms. Crook.

Inventory

Box File

Series I: Works

Subseries A : Raven’s Bride

Research

Allen, Eliza and family 771 1-3

772 1

Architecture 2

Bledsoe, Anthony 3

Boyers, Blackmore 4

Campbell, John B. 5

Cantrell, Stephen / Cannon, Newton 6

Carroll, William 7

Customs 8

Douglass Family 9

Eaton, John H. 10

Fashions 11

Foster, Robert C. 12

Gallatin, TN 13

Grundy, Felix 14

Guild, Judge Jo. C. 773 1

Hall, William 2

Horse breeding 3

Hume, Rev. William 4

Jackson, Andrew 5

Lewis, William B. 6

Maps 7

Martin, Robert, and McEwen, Robert 8

McGregor, Gen. John 9

Morris, Eastin 10

Nashville 11

Overton, John 12

Peyton, Bailie 13

Polk, James 774 1

Saunders / Donelson 2

Shelby, Isaac 3

Simon, Monkey 4

Trousdale family 5

Tyree, Clayton 6

Williams, Willoughby 7

White, W., & Williams, G.B. 8

Typescripts

“Notions of Honor”

Mary Beth’s manuscript (ca. 1984?) 775 1-3

Annotated typescript, n.d. 4

Annotated typescript, n.d. 776 1-2

“Runaway Scrape”

Annotated typescript, n.d., pgs. 1-284 776 3

Annotated typescript with bibliographic notes, n.d. 4

777 1-2

“Sam Houston and Eliza Allen”

Synopsis, with bibliographic notes, 47 pgs 3

Synopsis, with bibliographic notes, 66 pgs 4

Annotated typescript, n.d. 5-6

778 1

“Without a Stone”

Annotated typescript, rev. 12/1986 2-4

Typescript, 1987 779 1-3

Typescript, n.d. 4-5

780 1

Old version, n.d. 2-4

Annotated typescript, n.d. 781 1-2

Typescript, n.d. 3-5

782 1

Typescript, n.d. 2-3

Typescript, n.d. 4

783 1-3

Typescript, n.d. 4

Untitled

Typescript 5

Typescript fragment 6

Annotated draft, n.d. 784 1-3

Annotated draft, n.d. 4

Typescript, n.d. 785 1-3

Annotated draft, pencil and blue ink, n.d. 4-5

786 1-2

Annotated draft, n.d. 3-5

Annotated draft, n.d. 787 1-3

Annotated draft, n.d. 4

Annotated draft, n.d. 788 1-2

Typescript fragment, includes 1981 photo,

possibly of Crook 3

Annotated draft, n.d. 789 1-3

790 1-3

Raven’s Bride

Annotated typescript, n.d. 791 1-4

Typescript, n.d. 5

792 1-2

Raven’s Bride

Typescript, n.d. 792 3-5

Typescript, n.d. 793 1-2

Afterword typescript, n.d. 3

Annotated page proofs (with blue notes) 4-5

Annotated galleys (with blue notes) 794 1-2

Annotated galley (photocopy) 3

Mock-up with typesetting annotations 4-5

Computer disks (6 5.5” floppy, 2 3.5” 1 Mb) chapter drafts 795 1

Computer disks (6 5.5” floppy) “Sept-Oct. bound galleys” 2

Dustjacket quotes from Liz Carpenter, James Michener 3

Book design correspondence and proposed illustrations (1989-90) 4

Publicity correspondence (1990-1994) 5

Clippings (1990-1994) 6

Subseries B : Promised Lands (1990-1994)

Research notes and correspondence (1990 and n.d.) 7

Typescripts

Gates of the Presidio, annotated typescript 8

796 1

Goliad, n.d. (includes note from Crook to Harrigan) 2-4

Untitled, n.d. 5

797 1

Promised Lands, annotated t.s., n.d. 2-6

Revisions after Jackie Onassis’ 1/20/1993 suggestions 7

798 1-2

Clippings and reviews (1993-94) 3

Correspondence 4

Subseries C : Essays and Articles (1994-95, n.d.) 5

Remembering Jackie Onassis, My Editor (Publishers

Weekly, June 27, 1994) typescripts

Tribute to Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt given by

Elizabeth Crook on March 26, 1995, typescript

Crossing Over (essay on Barton Springs), typescript, n.d.

Series II : Mailing Lists 6

Series III : Clippings (1990-2000)

Photocopies (1990-2000) 799 -

Originals (2 boxes) 800-801

* * *

Accession 2006-112

Papers for Crook’s novel The Night Journal, which won the 2007 Spur Award for Best Novel from the Western Writers of America.

A detailed list of items along with their corresponding Box and Folder numbers listed below. Please note that access to unprocessed collections is granted on a case-by-case basis by the Archivist. Contact the Archivist for details.

Six boxes (and one oversized map folder) of materials related to Elizabeth Crook’s writing career, subjects include Aunt Sister, Dress Code and The Night Journal. Also included one manuscript by Stephen Harrigan titled Challenger Park. Crook read drafts of the manuscript and provided reader comments.

BOX # 763

* Aunt Sister

Drafts written for Texas Monthly article – highly annotated drafts, clean typed drafts, handwritten notes, f. 1

* Dress Code

Drafts written for Texas Monthly article, August 2004 – highly annotated drafts, various handwritten notes, typed drafts, few pages of correspondence, f. 2 & 3

* Hannah’s Noctuary

First draft which later became The Night Journal – various notes and random annotated pages of manuscript in no discernible order, f. 4 - 11

* Nasa Road One by Stephen Harrigan, eventually became Challenger Park

Copy of typed manuscript along with comments by Elizabeth Crook (other comments were given by phone and in person), f. 12

BOX # 764

* The Night Journal

Heavily annotated typed manuscript with added notes from both Steve Harrigan and Elizabeth Crook, f. 1 - 3

* The Noctuary

Annotated typed early draft, with added editing notes, for Crook’s previous agent, The Rafael Sagalyn Agency, f. 4 - 6

* The Night Journal

Annotated typed final copy edited draft for Viking Penguin, May 2005, f. 7 – 12

Typed manuscript with few revisions for Gail, Crook’s agent, f. 13 & 14

BOX # 765

* The Night Journal

Typed manuscript with few revisions for Gail, Crook’s agent, f. 1 (Cont’d from BOX # 764)

Typed manuscript with revisions suggested by her editor, through correspondence, for Viking December 2004 – February 2005, f. 2 – 4

Annotated typed manuscript, edited by Eleanor Crook (Elizabeth Crook’s mother) prior to be being sent to the publisher, f. 5 – 7

Galley proof pages copy sent to Crook by by Alessandra, editor assistant at Viking Publishers, f. 8 – 10

Typed manuscript edited by Molly Stern (Crook’s editor), along with mss. is a 4 page letter from Stern to Crook, f. 11 & 12

Annotated typed manuscript with revisions made for Gail Hochman, Crook’s agent, f. 13

BOX # 766

* The Night Journal

Annotated typed manuscript with revisions made for Gail Hochman, Crook’s agent, f. 1 (Cont’d from BOX # 765)

Annotated typed draft, f. 2 – 4

* The Noctuary

Typed draft edited by Judy Reed, Archeologist at Pecos National Monument, f. 5 – 7

* The Night Journal

Annotated typed manuscript, edited by Steve Harrigan, f. 8 – 10

Annotated typed draft, f. 11 – 12

BOX # 767

* The Night Journal

Annotated typed draft, f. 1 (Cont’d from BOX # 766)

* Miscellaneous materials, f. 2

Copy of prologue, correspondence, various handwritten notes, copy of review published in the Austin Chronicle, small spiral notebook paper containing notes written by Crook from her agent regarding an early version of the Night Journal, 5 compact discs used as backup files The Night Journal, notes from Charlie Meeks (San Marcos Culligan Man) used for Crooks’ book regarding a character named Meg whose career was a water quality expert, correspondence to/from Jane Graves, miscellaneous scraps of editing notes used for The Night Journal, excerpt from The Night Journal describing the train wreck scene, and one letter from Crook to Connie describing donation made on 6/2/2006

* Miscellaneous materials, f. 3

One advanced uncorrected proof copy of The Night Journal and one blue spiral notebook, which accompanies the oversized handwritten calendar, both referencing the Texas Revolution

BOX # 768

Two empty cardboard boxes with various handwritten notes and doodles made by Crook

OVERSIZED MAP FOLDER IN 705 AL Mapcase dr. 20

One oversized handwritten calendar, which accompanies blue spiral notebook, both referencing the Texas Revolution

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