de Grummond Collection

McCain Library and Archives
University Libraries
University of Southern Mississippi



R. R. KNUDSON PAPERS

Collection Number
Collection Dates
Collection Volume
DG0561
1972-1984
2.40 cu.ft. (8 boxes)

Biographical Sketch | Scope & Content | Related Collections | Series & Subseries | Box Inventory

Provenance

Material was donated by R. R. Knudson from 1979-1984.

Restrictions

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright

The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.

Biographical Sketch

Rozanne Knudson was born June 1, 1932 in Washington, D. C. She received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1954, a master's degree from the University of Georgia in 1955, and a Ph. D. from Stanford University in 1967. She has been both a high school teacher and an assistant professor in English. She acts as a visiting professor for many universities during the summer and also speaks at conferences all over the country. Ms. Knudson is most noted for her interest in sports literature. She is currently the executor of the literary estate of children's poet May Swenson. She writes under the name R. R. Knudson, and is nicknamed "Zan", like the character in many of her books.

Sources:


Scope and Content

The collection contains correspondence, typescripts, page proofs, galleys, and blues for many of R. R. Knudson's books. The materials are arranged alphabetically by title and within each title in the order in which they were probably created. Correspondence that dealt specifically with a title was arranged with the title, while other letters were arranged by date within the "alphabetical file" series. The correspondence includes letters from publishers, her publicist, editors, friends, and fans. The "alphabetical file" also contains a photograph of Ms. Knudson and some other miscellaneous materials. Ms. Knudson is probably most known for her stories about Zan Hagen and her best friend Arthur Rinehart. All five typescripts are represented in the collection. Suzanne "Zan" Hagen is introduced in Ms. Knudson's first book, Zanballer (1972) where Zan starts a girls' football team after the gymnasium collapses and the basketball team can no longer practice. In Zanbanger (1977), Zan gets kicked off the basketball team and petitions to a court to be on the boys' team. In addition to the typescript, correspondence, proofs, and a work schedule are in the collection. After injuring her shoulder during baseball season, Zan must quit playing. Her friend Rinehart develops a running program for her in Zanboomer (1978). There are also correspondence and proofs for this title. In 1984, Ms. Knudson reunites the two friends in Rinehart Lifts. In the story, Zan encourages Rinehart to lift weights and succeed at a new sport. Richard Egielski was chosen to illustrate the book and photocopies of the illustrations are included in the collection. However, the book was published without illustrations, although the dust jacket illustration was used. There are also page proofs and correspondence for this title. In Zan Hagen's Marathon (1984) Rinehart talks Zan into running in the Olympic marathon. Along with the typescript, there is also a work schedule, research materials, a book proposal, galleys and correspondence.

Ms. Knudson has also written other books about running. Speed (1983) is about a relay team and was published in the "Skinny Series" by Dutton. She contracted a photographer and some students who appeared in the pictures in the book. The typescript, photocopies of the preliminary illustrations and the contracts are in the collection. Fox Running (1975) is also the story of a runner. There is some correspondence with her publisher for this title.

Just Another Love Story (1983) is the story of a teenage boy, who with the encouragement of some friends, starts bodybuilding to impress his old girlfriend. The editor for the book changed publishing companies, so Ms. Knudson moved her book, too. There are numerous typescripts and drafts for the story. There is also correspondence with the editors and publishers, research materials about bodybuilding, and manuscript notes for the story.

Ms. Knudson's interest in bodybuilding also inspired two other books, both of which she co-wrote with Franco and Anita Columbu. Weight Training for Young Athletes (1978) uses pictures of Franco Columbu spotting young athletes bodybuilding. The contact sheets and some of the photographs shown in the book are in the collection. Ms. Knudson's typescript for the book, as well as lists of exercises that Franco Columbu helped her write, are also in the collection. The other weight training book, Starbodies (1978) was also co-written by Ms. Knudson and the Columbus. There is some correspondence from the publisher and Anita Columbu in the collection.

Three of the books represented in the collection, all of which have typescripts, were never published, "The Enchanted Soccerball", "Morgan's Marathon" and "The Valentine K. O." "Morgan's Marathon" was never completed, however she used some of the research materials for Zanboomer (1978). There is correspondence, a proposal, and a work schedule for "The Valentine K. O."



Series and Subseries

A. Alphabetical File

B. Books

C. Unpublished Works

D. Publisher's Promotional Items



Box Inventory


Box/Folder

A. Alphabetical File

1/1-1/4 Correspondence, 1/1 1974-1981, 51 items. 1/2 1982-1984, n.d., 46 items. 1/3 Correspondence with de Grummond Collection, 3 items. 1/4 Fan mail, 11 items. 1/5 Publisher's promotional materials, 12 items. 1/6 Photograph of R. R. Knudson, 1 item. 1/7 Miscellaneous, 4 items.

B. Books

Fox Running by R. R. Knudson (New York: Harper, 1975). 1/8 Correspondence with publishers, 1979, 5 items. Just Another Love Story by R. R. Knudson (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1983). 1/9 Correspondence with publishers, 1980-1984, n.d., 10 items. 1/10 Work schedule folders, 3 items. 1/11 Research materials, 10 items. 1/12 Miscellaneous manuscript notes, 14 items. 1/13 Typescript, edited, chapters 1- 11 (?), pp. 1-63. 1/14 Photocopied typescript, pp. 47-79. 2/1-2/2 Typescript, "third draft", 2/1 Chapters 1-5, pp. 1-44. 2/2 Chapters 6-8, pp. 45-81. 2/3-2/4 Typescript, with revisions, 2/3 Chapters 1-4, pp. 1-44. 2/4 Chapters 5-16, pp. 45-96. 2/5 Photocopied typescript, "fourth draft", pp. 18-58. 2/6 Photocopied typescript, edited, pp. 49-63. 2/7-2/9 Typescript, edited; 2/7 Chapters 1-7, pp. 1-68. 2/8 Chapters 8-13, pp. 69-139. 2/9 Chapters 14-18, pp. 139-187. 3/1-3/3 Photocopied typescript, edited; 3/1 Chapters 1-7, pp. 1-68. 3/2 Chapters 8-13, pp. 69-139. 3/3 Chapters 14-18, pp. 139-183. 3/4 Typescript for jacket blurb, 1 item. Photograph of original jacket cover with note from publisher, 2 items. Rinehart Lifts by R. R. Knudson (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1980). 3/5 Correspondence, dated 1978-1984, n.d., 31 items. 3/6 Typescript, edited with typesetter's marks; chapters 1-11, pp. 1-63. 3/7 Photocopied illustrations by Richard Egielski, never used in publication, 12 items. Photocopied jacket sketch by Richard Egielski, 1 item. 3/8 Jacket blurbs, 3 items. 3/9 Galleys, pp. 1-46. Speed by R. R. Knudson, photographs by Linda Eber (New York: Dutton, 1983). 3/10 Correspondence with publisher, 1982-1984, 10 items. Contract for photographer and runner, 2 items. 3/11 Work schedule folder, 1 item. 3/12 Typescript, minor corrections, pp. 1-35. 4/1 Typescript, edited with typesetter's marks; front matter, pp. i-iii, pp. 1-36. 4/2 Photocopies of possible photographs, 43 items. 4/3 Additions and corrections to typescript, 2 items. 4/4 Galley, edited, pp. 1-20. 4/5 Dust jacket, 1 item. Starbodies: The Women's Weight Training Book by Franco Columbu and Anita Columbu, with R. R. Knudson (New York: Dutton, 1978). 4/6 Correspondence from publishers, publicist, and Anita Columbu, 1982-1984, 13 items. Royalty statement, 1 item. Weight Training for Young Athletes by Franco Columbu, with R. R. Knudson (New York: Dutton, 1978). 4/7 Correspondence from publishers, publicist, and Franco Columbu, 1978-1984, n.d., 36 items. 4/8 List of exercises, 1 item. Article about Franco Columbu, 1 item. 4/9 Typescript, edited, 60 pp. 4/10 Photographs of Franco Columbu and a young athlete, 3 items. Contact sheets, 3 items. Zanballer by R. R. Knudson (New York: Delacorte Press, 1972). 4/11-4/12 Typescript, 4/11 Chapters 1-9, pp. 1-69. 4/12 Chapters 10-16, pp. 70-112. Zanbanger by R. R. Knudson (New York: Harper & Row, 1977). 4/13 Correspondence with publisher, 1979, 2 items. Royalty Statement, 1 item. 4/14-4/15 Typescript, edited, 4/14 Front matter, 4 pp., chapters 1-9, pp. 1-61. 4/15 Chapters 10-18, pp. 62-111. 4/16 Typescript for jacket blurb, 4 pp. 5/1-5/2 Proofs, "first pass", 10/1/76, 5/1 Chapters 1-9, pp. 0-66. 5/2 Chapters 10-18, pp. 66-119. 5/3-5/4 Proofs, "second pass", 11/4/76, 5/3 Chapters 1-9, pp. 0-66. 5/4 Chapters 10-18, pp. 62-111. 5/5 Galley of jacket blurb, 11/5/76, 1 item. 5/6 Blues, 6 items. 5/7 Miscellaneous, 6 items. Zanboomer by R. R. Knudson (New York: Harper & Row, 1978). 5/8 Correspondence with publishers, 1980, 2 items. Royalty statements, 2 items. 5/9-5/10 Typescript, edited, 5/9 Chapters 1-9, pp. 1-64a. 5/10 Chapters 10-20, pp. 65-144. 6/1 Typescript for front matter, 5 items. Typescript for jacket blurbs and spine copy, 5 items. 6/2-6/3 Proofs, "master set - first pass", 4/10/78; 6/2 Front matter, pp. i-vi, chapters 1-9, pp. 5-69. 6/3 Chapters 10-20, pp. 70-149. 6/4 Galley for jacket blurb, 5/16/78. 6/5-6/6 Proofs, "master set - second pass", 5/19/78, 6/5 Front matter, pp. i-vii, chapters 1-9, pp. 5-69. 6/6 Chapters 10-20, pp. 70-149. 6/7-6/9 Photocopied proofs, "new formats", 6/14/78, 6/7 Front matter, pp. i-vii, chapters 1-7, pp. 5-53. 6/8 Chapters 8-13, pp. 53-99. 6/9 Chapters 14-20, pp. 100-149. Zan Hagen's Marathon by R. R. Knudson (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1984). 7/1 Correspondence with publishers, 1983-1984, n.d., 7 items. 7/2 Research materials, 36 items. 7/3 Book proposal, 2 items. 7/4 Work schedule folders, 2 items. 7/5 Typescript, edited; chapter 1-9, pp. 1-70. 7/6 Typescript, with revisions; chapter 1-9, pp. 1-74. 7/7 Typescript, "second draft"; chapter 5, 2 pp. 7/8 Typescript, "third draft"; chapters 1-3, pp. 1-19. 7/9 Typescript, "third draft-not used"; chapters 3, pp.19-26. 7/10 Typescript, "fourth draft"; chapter 3, pp. 20-25. 8/1-8/2 Galleys, 8/1 Chapters 1-8, pp. 3-35. 8/2 Chapters 9-13, pp. 36-67.

C. Unpublished Works

"The Enchanted Soccerball" by R. R. Knudson, photographs by Justine Brandeis (unpublished, undated). 8/3 Photocopied typescript with photographs, edited, 23 pp. "Morgan's Marathon" by R. R. Kudson (unpublished, c. 1975). 8/4 Typescript, "third draft", edited, pp. 28-64. Note from author about the typescript, 1 item. [Some material in this unfinished novel was later used in Zanboomer (1978)]. "The Valentine K. O." by R. R. Knudson (unpublished, c. 1982). 8/5 Correspondence with publisher, 5 items. 8/6 Story idea and proposal, 3 items. 8/7 Work schedule folder, 2 items. 8/8 Typescript, "part of second draft", edited; 37 pp. 8/9 Typescript, "second and a half draft", edited; 14 pp. 8/10 Typescript, "third draft", edited; pp. 1-29. 8/11 Typescript, "fourth draft", edited; chapter 1-15, pp. 1-47. 8/12 Typescript, "fifth draft", edited; chapter 1-15, pp. 1-54.

D. Publisher's Promotional Items

8/13 Promotional materials for books published with May Swenson, 2 items.



Processed: October 14, 1997
Revised: June 2001

Biographical Sketch | Scope & Content | Related Collections | Series & Subseries | Box Inventory
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The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection

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