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Size | 2.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1000 items) |
Abstract | Rhoda K. Faust owned and operated Maple Street Bookshop and Faust Publishing, both of New Orleans, La. Around 1979, Faust befriended Thelma Toole, mother of author John Kennedy Toole (1937-1969). They, with help from author Walker Percy, succeeded in convincing the Louisiana State University Press to publish John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces in 1980. Toole was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the novel in 1981, eleven years after he had committed suicide. Toole's first novel was was The Neon Bible, which he wrote at age 16. According to Rhoda K. Faust, Thelma Toole loaned Faust the manuscript of this earlier work and granted her permission to publish it. Sometime around 1980, Thelma Toole demanded the return of the manuscript and denied having given Faust permission to publish it. Faust filed suit claiming that Toole had entered into a verbal contract with her. Courts in Louisiana failed to recognize the validity of the verbal contract. Materials in the collection include scrapbooks compiled by Faust containing photocopies of letters, 1962-1963, from John Kennedy Toole to his parents, and correspondence, 1963-1964, between Toole and publisher Robert Gottlieb of Simon and Schuster regarding possible publication of Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces . Additional materials include correspondence and legal documents, 1980-1986, related to the lawsuit between Rhoda Faust and Thelma Toole regarding publication rights to John Kennedy Toole's first novel, The Neon Bible; clippings related to John Kennedy Toole, Rhoda Faust, and the lawsuit; materials related to Faust's management of Maple Street Bookshop and Faust Publishing; photographs of John Kennedy Toole, Thelma Toole, and Rhoda K. Faust; audiocassettes and a videotape related to John Kennedy Toole and A Confederacy of Dunces; information regarding Toole's personal library; and three coffee mugs belonging to Toole. There is also correspondence with Reid Mitchell, 1982-1985, about the possible publication of his manuscript, Carnivaltime; with Nancy Lemann, 1983-1985, relating to her role as editorial advisor to Faust Publishing; and with Craig Bebinger, who wrote an article describing an incident at the Maple Street Bookshop. |
Creator | Faust, Rhoda K. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
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Rhoda K. Faust owned and operated Maple Street Bookshop and Faust Publishing, both of New Orleans, La. Around 1979, Faust befriended Thelma Toole, mother of author John Kennedy Toole (1937-1969). Together Faust and Thelma Toole, with the help of author Walker Percy, succeeded in convincing the Louisiana State University Press to publish John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces in 1980. Although John Kennedy Toole had committed suicide eleven years earlier in 1969, he was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for A Confederacy of Dunces in 1981. Before writing A Confederacy of Dunces in his late 20s, John Kennedy Toole had authored another novel, The Neon Bible, at age 16. According to Rhoda K. Faust, Toole's mother, Thelma Toole, loaned Faust the manuscript of this earlier work and granted her permission to publish it. Sometime around 1980, the friendly relationship between Faust and Thelma Toole turned sour, and Thelma Toole demanded the return of the manuscript and denied ever giving Faust permission to publish The Neon Bible . Faust filed suit against Thelma Toole claiming that Toole had entered into a verbal contract with her, which granted her company, Faust Publishing, the right to publish The Neon Bible. Lower courts and appeals courts in Louisiana failed to recognize the validity of the verbal contract. The Neon Bible was finally published by Grove Press in 1989.
Back to TopThe collection is materials from New Orleans, La., bookseller and publisher Rhoda K. Faust, most of which relate to Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Kennedy Toole. Materials include scrapbooks compiled by Faust containing photocopies of letters, 1962-1963, from John Kennedy Toole to his parents, and correspondence, 1963-1964, between Toole and publisher Robert Gottlieb of Simon and Schuster regarding possible publication of Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces . Additional materials include correspondence and legal documents, 1980-1986, related to the lawsuit between Rhoda Faust and Thelma Toole regarding publication rights to John Kennedy Toole's first novel, The Neon Bible; clippings related to John Kennedy Toole, Rhoda Faust, and the lawsuit; materials related to Faust's management of Maple Street Bookshop and Faust Publishing; photographs of John Kennedy Toole, Thelma Toole, and Rhoda K. Faust; audiocassettes and a videotape related to John Kennedy Toole and A Confederacy of Dunces ; information regarding Toole's personal library; and three coffee mugs belonging to Toole. There is also correspondence with Reid Mitchell, 1982-1985, about the possible publication of his manuscript, Carnivaltime; with Nancy Lemann, 1983-1985, relating to her role as editorial advisor to Faust Publishing ; and with Craig Bebinger, who wrote an article describing an incident at the Maple Street Bookshop.
Back to TopArrangement: Pages have been removed from scrapbooks, but original order is preserved.
Pages from four scrapbooks compiled by New Orleans bookseller and publisher Rhoda K. Faust include photocopies of letters, 1962-1963, from John Kennedy Toole in Puerto Rico to his parents; photocopies of correspondence, 1964-1966, between Toole and publisher Robert Gottlieb of Simon and Schuster regarding possible publication of Toole's manuscript A Confederacy of Dunces; correspondence, 1979-1983, between Faust and Toole's mother, Thelma Toole; materials, 1980-1987, related to the lawsuit between Faust and Thelma Toole regarding publication rights to The Neon Bible; and various clippings, 1978-2000, related to John Kennedy Toole and his novels, A Confederacy of Dunces and The Neon Bible , the lawsuit, and Rhoda K. Faust.
Folder 1 |
John Kennedy Toole letters, 1962-1966Letters from Toole to his parents during his service in the United States Army as an English instructor in Puerto Rico. Toole discusses his Puerto Rican students, the weather, his obsession with Marilyn Monroe, and his "creative writing." It was during Toole's service in Puerto Rico that he wrote the bulk of A Confederacy of Dunces. Also included is correspondence between Toole and publisher Robert Gottlieb of Simon and Schuster regarding possible publication of Toole's manuscript. Ultimately, Gottlieb passed on Toole's manuscript of A Confederacy of Dunces, which was later awarded the Pulitzer Prize after it was published posthumously in 1980. In his letters to Toole, Gottlieb notes that "there must be a point to everything in the book, a real point, not just amusingness that's forced to figure itself out." |
Folder 2 |
Thelma Toole material, 1979-1980Letters from Thelma Toole to Rhoda K. Faust, Walker Percy, and others regarding publication of A Confederacy of Dunces. Also included are "A Diversified Program of Piano Selections and Nostalgic Songs Dedicated to My Genius Son..." and other programs and guest lists for receptions held by Thelma Toole and Faust in honor of the book's publication. |
Folder 3 |
Rhoda K. Faust versus Thelma Toole, 1979-1980Correspondence and other materials related to a disagreement between Faust and Thelma Toole regarding publication rights to The Neon Bible, a novel written by John Kennedy Toole when he was 16. Faust alleged that Thelma Toole entered into a verbal contract granting her the right to publish the novel. In addition, Thelma Toole loaned Faust correspondence, books, and other items belonging to her son, John Kennedy Toole. Thelma Toole denied the existence of the verbal contract and demanded that Faust return the correspondence, manuscripts, books, and other items related to John Kennedy Toole. |
Folder 4 |
Rhoda K. Faust versus Thelma Toole, 1981-1982Includes letters from Thelma Toole to Rhoda Faust and other members of the Toole family, letters from Thelma Toole's attorneys, and letters from various publishers to Rhoda Faust regarding The Neon Bible. |
Folder 5 |
Rhoda K. Faust versus Thelma Toole, 1983-1985Correspondence regarding legal matters, court documents, and a copy of Thelma Toole's will. Also included is a chronology of conversations between Faust and Toole compiled by Faust. |
Folder 6 |
Rhoda K. Faust versus Thelma Toole: Depositions, 1985Depositions of Rhoda K. Faust and Chris Pecot, 21 May 1985. |
Folder 7-8
Folder 7Folder 8 |
Rhoda K. Faust versus Thelma Toole, 1985-1986Correspondence between Faust and her attorney Brian Begue and related court documents. |
Folder 9 |
Rhoda K. Faust versus Thelma Toole, 1986Documents related to Faust's appeal to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, Louisiana. Also included is correspondence regarding negotiations by Faust Publishing and Grove Press to publish The Neon Bible. |
Folder 10 |
Sample Publishing Agreements, 1988 |
Folder 11-17
Folder 11Folder 12Folder 13Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16Folder 17 |
Clippings, 1978-2000Clippings of articles related to John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces , The Neon Bible, Rhoda Faust, Faust Publishing, and Walker Percy. |
Folder 18 |
Rhoda K. Faust: NotesHandwritten notes of Rhoda K. Faust regarding the trial, publication of The Neon Bible, and other topics. |
Arrangement: chronological.
Correspondence and other materials related to Rhoda Faust's management of the Maple Street Bookshop and Faust Publishing, both of New Orleans, La. Correspondence concerns the possible publication of John Kennedy Toole's first novel, The Neon Bible ; selection of additional items for publication; financial matters; and the sale of John Kennedy Toole's personal library.
Folder 19 |
Proposals for a Book Publishing Company, 1979-1981 |
Folder 20 |
A Confederacy of Dunces, 1980Publicity, accounts of expenses, and invitation letters related to an autograph and release party held by Rhoda Faust and Thelma Toole to celebrate the publication of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. |
Folder 21 |
Faust Publishing: Correspondence, 1981-1985 |
Folder 22 |
John Kennedy Toole's Library, 1981A list of books belonging to John Kennedy Toole given to Rhoda Faust by Thelma Toole. The list includes Faust's asking price for each book and notes on condition, annotations, and signatures. There are also letters from individuals and organizations interested in purchasing the Toole library. |
Folder 23 |
Reid Mitchell: Letters to Rhoda K. Faust, 1982-1985Letters from author Reid Mitchell mostly concern the possible publication of his manuscript, Carnivaltime. |
Folder 24 |
Nancy Lemann: Letters to Rhoda K. Faust, circa 1983-1985Nancy Lemann served as an editorial advisor to Faust Publishing. Correspondence concerns the publishing company, the merits of Toole's novel The Neon Bible , and her experiences in New York City. Also included is an article by Lemann titled "Down the Nile". |
Folder 25 |
Craig Bebinger: "The Opportunist," 1996Includes correspondence and an article by Bebinger titled "The Opportunist" that describes an incident in Faust's Maple Street Bookshop. |
Typescript copies of John Kennedy Toole's Ignatius Reilly and The Neon Bible.
Folder 26-30
Folder 26Folder 27Folder 28Folder 29Folder 30 |
Ignatius Reilly, 1977A 480-page typescript of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces with the alternate title Ignatius Reilly. |
Folder 31-32
Folder 31Folder 32 |
The Neon BibleTwo typescripts of John Kennedy Toole's first novel, The Neon Bible . |
Photographs and negatives of John Kennedy Toole, Thelma Toole, and Rhoda K. Faust.
Image Folder P-5315/1 |
Photographs and negatives, circa 1950-1980 |
Video and audio related to John Kennedy Toole and A Confederacy of Dunces .
Audiocassette C-5315/1 |
Arthur Ducoing and Rhoda K. Faust, 1985 |
Audiocassette C-5315/2 |
"A Confederacy of Dunces: Happy Twentieth," 2000From the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. |
Audiocassette C-5315/3 |
"A Confederacy of Dunces," Melissa Gray, Morning Edition, National Public Radio, 16 August 2000 |
Videotape VT-5315/1 |
"Pulitzer Author" |
Items given to Rhoda Faust by Thelma Toole include a large Tulane University mug belonging to John Kennedy Toole dated 1958 and inscribed with the name "Ken," two small coffee mugs owned by Toole featuring images of birds, and a 1925 medal presented to Thelma Toole by the Southern Association Amateur Athletic Union in recognition of her performance in the 220 yard relay and 60 yard hurdles.
Box 5 |
Other Materials, 1925-1958 |