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When James Branch Cabell died on May 5, 1958, in his native city, Richmond, Virginia, he left a personal library containing nearly thirty-five hundred volumes. This accumulation, the product of fifty-eight years of collecting, contains hundreds of autographed and inscribed first editions, heretofore unknown Cabell manuscript material, and letters and memorabilia from friends in the literary world, among whom were numerous major writers of the last eighty years.
Unlike many writers, Cabell was conscious of books as objects, and he cared for them carefully. He kept his working library, books used as sources and references as well as books read for pleasure, separate from his own works and from complimentary copies sent him by friends. And he spent hours rechecking his holdings, reinscribing and reannotating countless items. Fortunately, his widow, Mrs. Margaret Freeman Cabell, has kept his library as he left it; hence the imprint of his organizing hand is still visible. I will describe the collection by using Cabell's categories: the working library; his collection of his own works; and finally presentation copies sent him, including the numerous letters inserted in them.
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