March 31, 2011, Filed Under: AuthorsWhat’s in your desk? In 2008, John Fowles’s widow shipped to the Ransom Center 90 boxes of the writer’s manuscripts, books, and personal effects to be added to the author’s extensive papers, the bulk of which were acquired in 1991. Among the items received was Fowles’s writing desk, complete with its contents. On March 31, 2011—Fowles’s 85th birthday—the desk will be placed on display in the Ransom Center’s Reading and Viewing Room, where it will remain for at least the next two years. It joins the desks of Edgar Allan Poe and Compton MacKenzie, which have been on display since the room opened to researchers in 2003. Fowles’s desk will be displayed with drawers open to reveal a selection of its fascinating contents. As an undergraduate intern at the Ransom Center, I was given the opportunity to sort through the desk and its contents in preparation for their display. The two-drawer desk is spartan and well-loved, its surface marred by cigarette burns, its left drawer marked with addresses and phone numbers in Fowles’s hand. The contents range from dried seeds and paleontology slides to a pair of brass knuckles. After spending an afternoon sifting through the desk’s contents, I was hooked. Who was this man who kept a pair of brass knuckles next to his slides of Ammonite-Spinokosmoceras? Unfamiliar with Fowles’s work, I looked to The Magus for an introduction and saw echoes of Fowles’s desk and its contents throughout the novel. A handful of Greek coins in the left drawer recalled the novel’s setting on a Greek island, while one especially suspenseful scene in the first half of the novel reminded me of a mysterious, single black and gold die. As I became acquainted with Fowles’s other novels, I saw reflections of his writing in further items from his desk; among other things, the typewriter ribbon canisters stamped “Lyme Regis” recalled The French Lieutenant’s Woman. The contents of John Fowles’s desk, then, are at once material and literary. The Center’s John Fowles papers are rich with research opportunities, but the desk provides us with something more: a glimpse into the physical objects from the writer’s life that, at times, seem to coincide with moments from his many novels. Some of the contents of the desk are mysterious and intriguing, and others, like the staples and empty eyeglass cases, are simply the vestiges of any ordinary man’s life. The entire contents of the desk are listed below. I’m still unsure as to whether or not any of Fowles’s novels can explain the brass knuckles, but I’ll keep reading in hopes of finding some clue. The complete contents of John Fowles’s desk: Two scraps of paper with appointment times, addresses, calculations, names, notes Two invitations to “A Tribute to John Fowles, Patron of Town Mill” in Lyme Regis, Saturday 13 December 2003, 6–8 p.m. Annotated photocopied pages from Fowles’s diary Two copies of The Mail on Sunday, November 19, 2000, which includes an article written by Fowles about the planned development of the harbor in Lyme Regis Newspaper clippings announcing the publication of Fowles’s book Lyme Worthies Copy of an undated newspaper clipping regarding the publication of The Magus Newspaper clipping, first of a two-part biographical article on Fowles Two packs of printed self-adhesive address labels for Belmont House in Lyme Regis Set of blue labels with white string ties Envelope of photographs inscribed “Photos of Belmont, Lyme Regis, England, 1995” Five eyeglass cases Four pairs of eyeglasses Prescription card from optometrist Guy Hayden Fourteen typewriter ribbon canisters of various brands (six empty, three unopened, three containing dried seeds, and two containing used cartridges) Small plastic bag with scrap of paper inscribed “JASPER” Plant tag inscribed “EUPATORIUM LIGUSTRINUM” Two paleontology slides from the Yorkshire Museum Plastic bag of small reddish-white pebbles, stapled closed Two blending pencils Three colored pencils Tin of pastels Four pens (two fountain, one ballpoint, one felt-tip) Five fountain-pen cartridges Two small pencil sharpeners Two boxes of staples Loose staples Two rubber bands Three binder clips Two six-inch plastic rulers Blank notepad, white Inkpad, black Bottle of Liquid Paper Box with Super Glue inside Four sheets of round, multicolored stickers Two packs of blank self-adhesive labels, white Box of self-adhesive company seals, maroon Paper fan Seven coins (one Swedish, six Greek) Small book of holiday gift tags Pocket knife, Richards Sheffield brand Medical scissors Calculator operating manual, Ibico model 122S Magnifying glass pouch, Magnabrite brand Three wooden boxes of varying sizes and sources, containing rubber bands and gramophone needles Descriptive leaflet for a “Handmade Scrimshaw” item Case for Swatch brand Irony watch Leather dice shaker Two carved wooden letter openers Two pipes Brass knuckles Sheet of paper (one side is bright yellow, the other is shiny gold) Misprinted black die with gold dots Two stones Unidentified leaf Key Three pieces of unidentified hardware, plastic and metal Broken decorative piece, painted gold Green twist tie A single, white Tic-Tac candy Please click on thumbnails for larger images. Tippa model typewriter made by Adler. This is one of three Fowles typewriters at the Ransom Center. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Carved wooden box containing two packs of “His Master’s Voice” thorn needles and loose steel needles, for use in a record player. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Two pipes made by Allen & Wright Ltd., where Fowles’s father was employed. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Wooden letter openers. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Close-up of wooden letter opener with inscription. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Sterling silver fountain pen. Nib is inscribed with the letter “J.” Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Plastic typewriter ribbon canister with dried seeds and petals and a scrap of paper, inscribed “Nicotinia 1983.” Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Six silver Greek coins. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Die with leather shaker. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Tin of Lakeland Colorstick pastel pencils. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Brass knuckles. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni. Image: Tippa model typewriter made by Adler. This is one of three Fowles typewriters at the Ransom Center. Photo by Anthony Maddaloni.
