Montana-based author Thomas McGuane donates papers to Montana State University Library

Thomas McGuane, pictured in his office, is donating his papers to the MSU Library Archives and Special Collections. Submitted photo.

BOZEMAN — A collection of materials from the Montana-based writer Thomas McGuane will soon be available for the public to view at Montana State University’s Library.

The collection, which will be available for researchers and members of the community to view and use in the MSU Library’s Archives and Special Collections, includes notes, drafts and manuscripts of his short fiction, novels, essays and screenplays written since the 1980s. The collection features both published and unpublished works, as well as correspondence with friends, family and publishers, including correspondence with the writer Jim Harrison.

“We are so pleased to add Tom’s papers to our collections and look forward to sharing them with students, faculty and members of the public as part of our educational mission,” said Jodi Allison-Bunnell, head of Archives and Special Collections.

McGuane has written 10 novels, including the National Book Award-nominated “Ninety-Two in the Shade,” as well as six nonfiction essay collections and two short-story collections. McGuane is also a frequent contributor to The New Yorker magazine. His latest book is “Cloudbursts: Collected and New Stories.” His screenplays include “Rancho Deluxe” and “92 in the Shade.”

His work has won numerous awards, including the Rosenthal Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and it has been anthologized in the “Best American Stories,” “Best American Essays” and “Best American Sporting Essays.” He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

MSU archivist Heather Mulliner noted that McGuane’s papers will allow researchers to explore his writing process and follow the development of his works from early drafts to finished products.

“In addition to his manuscripts, researchers will also be interested in his correspondence with writer Jim Harrison,” Mulliner said. “Their letters reveal an intimate friendship and a bond between artists, which will be a treat for literary scholars and students alike.”

McGuane has a long relationship with MSU in general and with the library in particular, according to Allison-Bunnell. In 2016, he was the speaker for the library’s annual Trout Lecture, where he spoke on what fishing means.

Allison-Bunnell said McGuane’s donation is the result of years of work from staff in Archives and Special Collections. Those efforts have been led by special collections librarian James Thull, who called McGuane a great friend of the library.

“In addition to the donation of his papers, which are now one of the cornerstones of both our angling and Western writers' collections, Tom has consistently supported collection efforts and endeavors and even served as our 2016 Trout and Salmonid lecturer,” Thull said. “The impact of having Tom’s archival materials cannot be overstated.”

The collection will be available to researchers in early 2024 after the Archives and Special Collections staff complete their work housing and describing the collection. When the papers are available, any interested parties can make an appointment to view them.

The MSU Library’s Archives and Special Collections has more than 800 collections, including collections related to Montana agriculture and ranching, Montana engineering and architecture, Montana history, MSU history, Native Americans in Montana, regional writers, prominent Montanans, trout and salmonids, U.S. Sen. Burton K. Wheeler, and Yellowstone National Park and the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Other recent donations to Archives and Special Collections include collections from Ivan Doig; filmmaker and writer John Heminway; artists Bob and Gennie DeWeese; noted wildlife researcher and conservationist Frank Cooper Craighead Jr.; Mike Clark, who served as head of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition; and letters written to and from the author Robert Pirsig. More information is available online at www.lib.montana.edu/archives/.

Montana residents and MSU affiliates may borrow materials from the MSU Library, and the public is welcome to visit the library. To learn more, visit www.lib.montana.edu/.