MS - 058: Nancy Springer Papers, Class of 1970

Processed by: Meggan Emler Smith '04
June 2004

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Provenance: Gift of Nancy Springer.

Biography:
Nancy Connor Springer was born in 1948 in Montclair, NJ. In 1961 Nancy and her family moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where her parents ran a motel. Nancy attended Gettysburg College majoring in English Literature, and graduated in 1970. Married in 1969 to Joel Springer (Class of 1969), Nancy began writing non-fiction in order to support her and her husband while he attended seminary. Although Springer's writing began as a means to get by, it soon became her career. Nancy's first novel, The Book of Suns, was published in 1977. Twenty-seven years later, her works number in the thirties. Nancy has received several awards and honors for her writing, including being recognized by Gettysburg College as a "Distinguished Alumni" in 1987. Sharing her gift of writing with others, Nancy Springer taught creative writing at York College of Pennsylvania.

Scope and Content Notes:
The Papers of Nancy Springer, Class of 1970, consist largely of manuscripts of her earlier novels, dating from 1977 to 1987. Although the vast majority of the manuscripts are typed with handwritten corrections, the collection does contain the first draft of The Golden Swan written entirely in Nancy Springer's hand. Also included are printer's galleys, readers proofs, and three of Springer's books published in Japanese.

The collection has been reorganized so that the researcher can see the process of writing and rewriting a manuscript for publishing. The Golden Swan is an excellent example of this writing process, while The Book of Suns and The Silver Sun demonstrate how a writer matures in her art form. These manuscripts are arranged in chronological order within their subject headings. Correspondence is organized in chronological order. The researcher should refer to the correspondence folder for a letter from Nancy Springer to the Gettysburg College Library, explaining the writing and publishing history behind her Trilogy of Isle. Also of interest is a letter regarding the early draft of The Black Beast and one note from Nancy Springer concerning her writing process for Chains of Gold.

The Nancy Springer Papers provide insight to the writing process. The researcher will not find information on Nancy Springer's time at Gettysburg College, or her personal information. The collection focuses on the manuscripts and their progress.