Gardner

Journal published as
3 millionth volume

John Gardner's student journal reveals craft of writing

A n unpublished notebook from the college days of the late novelist and writing teacher John Gardner will be published by the University libraries on Tuesday, April 13. Because of its literary value and as an important student work, it will be cataloged as the 3 millionth volume in the collection, a major milestone for a research library system.

In the journal, titled Lies! Lies! Lies!, Gardner "teaches himself the craft of writing that will make him one of the great writer-teachers of his time," wrote Thomas Gavin, novelist and professor emeritus of English at the College, in the book's introduction. For Gardner, his early notions about the craft of writing would be transformed into exercises for future students and would feed his own development as a writer and critic.

Born in Batavia, Gardner wrote Lies! Lies! Lies! when he was a sophomore at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. The title refers to his feelings then that opinions are provisional and lies are a part of life.

Gardner was a master of many literary forms and a prolific writer who taught at universities around the country. After his death in a motorcycle accident in 1982, Gardner's personal and professional papers were acquired by the University. From the John Gardner Archive the University's libraries selected this journal as its first commercial title ever published and as its 3 millionth acquisition.

To mark the release of the journal, Ronald Dow, dean of River Campus Libraries, will host a reception on April 13, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections in Rush Rhees Library for the campus community and guests. An exhibit of books, selected manuscripts, and related materials from the John Gardner Archive will be on display in the department through the end of April. A special exhibit on the history of the University's libraries and collections also will be on display.

Two other books will follow Gardner's journal into the libraries' collection. The commemorative 3,000,001 volume will be the newly published book Carl W. Peters: American Scene Painter from Rochester to Rockport, by the University of Rochester Press. Written by Richard Love, the book chronicles the work and career of Peters (1897-1980), a native of Rochester known as a pioneer American regionalist. The 3,000,002 volume will be Interferogram Analysis for Optical Testing by Daniel Malacara, Manuel Servin, and Zacarias Malacara. The book is part of a series on optical engineering edited by Brian Thompson, the University's provost emeritus. Its selection recognizes the work of the Institute of Optics at Rochester, the nation's first educational program in optics. Daniel Malacara received his doctorate from the institute in 1965.