An infamous clause in Willa Cather's will, forbidding publication of her letters and other papers, has long caused consternation among Cather scholars. For Cather, a complex and private person who seldom made revelatory public pronouncements, personal letters provide-or would provide-an especially valuable key to understanding. But because of the terms of her will, that key is not readily available. Cather's letters will not come into public domain until the year 2017. Until then, even quotation, let alone publication in full, is prohibited.

Janis P. Stout has gathered over eighteen hundred of Cather's letters--all the letters currently known to be available--and provides a brief summary of each, as well as a biographical directory identifying correspondents and a multisection index of the widely scattered letters organized by location, by correspondent, and by names and titles mentioned. This book will be an essential resource for Cather scholars.

Janis P. Stout is a professor of English at Texas A & M University. She is the author of numerous books, including Through the Window, Out the Door: Women's Narratives of Departure, from Austin and Cather to Tyler, Morrison, and Didion and Willa Cather: The Writer and Her World.

"Stout (Texas A & M Univ.) makes a unique contribution to Cather scholarship with this volume. . . . Exemplary in scholarship and design, this volume is an invaluable resource for the study of Willa Cather."—Choice

"Stout (English, Texas A&M Univ.), a widely published scholar whose work includes both books and articles on Willa Cather, makes an important contribution to Cather studies with this new title. Cather's heirs have honored a provision in her will that prohibits publication of the letters themselves, which will not fall into the public domain until 2017. . . . This unique book is certainly a very important addition to all literary research collections and to other libraries where Cather studies and scholars are active."—Library Journal

"Stout addresses a major need in Cather studies, and she does so with impeccable scholarship and critical acumen."—Susan J. Rosowski, author of Birthing a Nation: Gender, Creativity, and the West in American Literature

"Stout's paraphrases effectively convey a sense of Cather's routines and attitudes. Anyone interested in Cather and the West will find this book invaluable and fascinating."—Journal of the West