The Ransom Center: Now Hip With the High-Collared, Monocle-Wearing Crowd

We're always trying to extol the value of having the Harry Ransom Center right here in town. They keep so many valuable treasures safe, yet make them readily available to the Austin community. Who else is going to keep your authentic Raging Bull boxing trunks so "just-off De Niro" fresh for an eternity?

Well, it was only a matter of time before the HRC got mad props from New York's poshest periodical: The New Yorker. In the June 11 & 18 Summer Fiction issue, D. T. Max gives the Ransom Center a thoroughly delightful treatment in his "Letter from Austin" entitled "Final Destination: Why do the archives of so many great writers end up in Texas?"

In his piece Max addresses the Ransom Center's reputation for high-profile acquisitions, while giving figures for some its larger scores. Delving deep into the HRC's history, Max addresses how Harry Huntt Ransom's vision for improving the University's libraries and lavish spending habits created an institution that has been both lauded and denounced by scholars around the world. The piece also features an extensive profile of current HRC curator Thomas Staley, who for the past 20 years has overseen and negotiated some of the collection's most notable acquisitions. It's definitely worth a read.

"Final Destination: Why do the archives of so many great writers end up in Texas?"
The New Yorker
June 11, 2007
By D.T. Max

Photo of Thomas Staley by Gregg Cestaro, courtesy of the Harry Ransom Center

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By adam rice in News on June 5, 2007 1:00 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

adamr

I don't know if I'd cite this as sufficient fodder for east coast intellectual bashing... were there talk of dinner parties, polo, boats or lacrosse, then maybe... def. not a "hatchet job" or "boilerplate."

If anything, I thought Staley came through as shrewd and endearing in the essay.

Granted, Max drew the sports metaphor, but I think that was only one aspect to highlight that the HRC is a remarkable anomaly in the world of archives and depositories, institutions that have traditionally been steeped in and shaped by their own cultures. What also comes through is that the same energy put into the wrangling of these documents or artifacts also goes into their preservation. Oh, and these actions are imbuing these items with even greater value.

Rob

Mad props? I'd say this is boilerplate #1 for East Coast intellectuals: lament the fact that rich Texans with no culture are hoarding the world's literary treasures for sport. They even disparage Staley despite the fact that he's from Pittsburgh. Sad that the New Yorker decided to go the hatchet job route rather than take the high road.