The Extraordinary World of MARBL: Signed James Dickey Canoe Paddle

The Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library is a place of discovery. All are welcome to visit and explore our unique holdings, whether as a researcher or an observer. The breadth and depth of our collections are vast, and it is nearly impossible to investigate every nook and cranny. We invite you this year, through our blog, to tour some of those places you didn’t know existed, and get acquainted with collections you might not have previously explored. Check back in with us weekly over the course of 2013 as we offer you a delightful look into some of the favorite, but perhaps lesser-known, corners of our collections. These pieces are visually interesting, come attached with fascinating stories, and are often 3D objects you might not have realized are part of what makes up The Extraordinary World of MARBL.

 

James Dickey, born in Atlanta, GA, was a copywriter, poet and teacher before moving on to writing full-length novels, including Deliverance in 1970. Deliverance has made its way to numerous best-of book lists, and was adapted, by Dickey, into a feature-length film in 1972. The story of Deliverance takes place in the mountains of northern Georgia and includes a fateful canoe trip down the fictional Cahulawassee River. Among the personal correspondence, novel drafts and family photographs in the James Dickey papers in MARBL is this signed canoe paddle, a memento from the film.

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