Martin Staples Shockley Collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Richmond
Rare Books and Special Collections
Boatwright Library
University of Richmond
28 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lynda Kachurek
Phone: (804) 289-8458
Fax: (804) 287-1840
Terms of access:

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred citation:

[Box Number, Folder Number], MS-18, Martin Staples Shockley Collection, Book Arts, Archives, & Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.5 Linear Feet
Creator:
Shockley, Martin Staples, 1908-2003 and Shockley Family
Abstract:
The collection contains the manuscript for Martin Staples Shockley's unpublished work, The Richmond Stage: 1812-1825, as well as other writings of his. Also included are two copies of Mr. Shockley's obituary.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Box Number, Folder Number], MS-18, Martin Staples Shockley Collection, Book Arts, Archives, & Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Series I, Obituaries, includes Dr. Shockley's obituaries from the Dallas Morning News and an unnamed paper.

Series II, Manuscript: The Richmond Stage, 1812-1825, is the main part of the collection and holds the unpublished manuscript for The Richmond Stage: 1812-1825. This volume continues his earlier work of the same name that covered 1784 to 1812. The manuscript is typewritten with corrections and additions.

Series III, Other Works, includes an eclectic mix of reviews, unpublished poetry, and correspondence concerning Shockley's work.

Biographical / historical:

Born in Stuart, VA, Martin Staples Shockley received his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond, MA from Duke University and his doctorate in English from the University of North Carolina. He taught for six years at the University of Oklahoma, where he organized a doctoral program in American Literature. He also taught at Carleton College in Northfield, MN and later was chairman of the English department at Evansville College in Indiana. He resigned that position when he felt a colleague's academic freedom was violated. In 1950, he joined the faculty at the University of North Texas in Denton.

He was an advocate and supporter of American literature, especially Texas and Southwestern writing. He served as president of the Poetry Society of Texas, the Texas Folklore Society, the Texas American Studies Association and the Texas Conference of College Teachers of English. From 1964-1972, Dr. Shockley was secretary-treasurer of the Texas Institute of Letters, and chairman of both the Texas and the Southwest Conferences of the American Association of University Professors. In 1963, he was Fulbright Professor of English Literature at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Known for his exhaustive research, wry wit, and polished style, he published two widely used textbooks, as well as a stream of poetry, fiction, essays, and scholarly articles. His last three books were Southwest Writers (1967), The Richmond Stage: 1784-1812 (1977), and Last Roundup (1994).

Acquisition information:
The collection was donated by John Shockley.
Processing information:

Processed by Elizabeth Dickie.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in 3 series:

Series I: Obituaries