Starring Louise Erdrich as Herself; book cover illustration by Edward Lachman
Over 20 years ago, the University of Texas Press published The Plague Dogs, a story by American short story writer and novelist Louise Erdrich.
Until 1993, the publishing house had never published a novel by an author who was also the subject of a feature film. The Vaults of the University of Texas Press was the first time that it happened.
The Vaults and its predecessor, the Texas Library Archives, are special collections housed in the library of the University of Texas at Austin that house thousands of manuscript volumes and over 11,000 volumes of other books.
The Vaults of the University of Texas Press were the setting for the conclusion of Louise Erdrich’s film starring Louise Erdrich, ‘The Plague Dogs’
When US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy was moved to tears by a season of PBS programs, including a study of the life of Elmer Bernstein, she asked for a copy of her wedding gown in the library. The library responded by asking her if she’d consider donating whatever she knew about the life of Elmer Bernstein.
Jacqueline Kennedy asked for a copy of her wedding gown at the University of Texas library in Austin. Credit: Courtesy University of Texas Libraries