Molly Ivins

 For decades, former Texas Observer editor and nationally syndicated columnist Molly Ivins (1944-2007) spoke her mind in articles about politics, Texas, and anything else that struck her sharp-witted fancy. She died from breast cancer on January 31, 2007, at age 62. Her obituary in the Texas Observer summed it up: “With Molly’s death we have lost someone we hold dear. What she has left behind we will hold dearer still.” This has become particularly true for Texas State’s Wittliff Collections, which received the generous donation of her personal library from her brother Andrew Ivins.

 

In May 2007, Wittliff Collections staff gathered Molly’s books from her Austin home and packed them in over 80 boxes. When the boxes were opened for inventorying, it was discovered a good number of the books bore inscriptions revealing the impact Molly had on others and their admiration for her. Many of the authors she knew—as well as those she didn’t—acknowledged her fearlessness, passion, and bons mots, as well as her influence on their writing or their lives.

 

As the catalog librarian, I have completed the inventory of the Molly Ivins Library, and a detailed bibliography will eventually be published. The final count of books and ephemera stands at over 3,560. Each book was assessed to establish a complete listing of titles and any unique features (i.e., inscriptions, notations, commentary) contained within. As titles were inventoried then separated and grouped into subject areas, the expansive range of Molly’s interests became apparent. The topics range from poodles to politics, with plenty of biographies, historical fiction, and humor in between. One surprise was the enormous number of mysteries she accumulated—nearly a thousand.

 

In April of 2008, the Wittliff Collections opened a three-month exhibition that showcased this wide divergence of books Molly acquired through personal purchases and as gifts from admirers, publishers, and fellow writers. Selections of books from her library were presented against the backdrop of a large photo of one of her rooms as it appeared during the packing phase. Biographical information, assorted photographs, copies of her published books, a draft of a book review, and books illustrating her editing technique illuminated her career. Other highlights included Molly’s personal notations and commentary as well as inscriptions by other authors who admired and were inspired by her ability to speak candidly and hold government accountable, while still retaining her sense of humor.

 

Not a passive reader, Molly marked or notated what interested her: she bracketed specific phrases; checked or underlined certain passages; and used triple exclamation points with comments when something struck a chord. For instance, in a passage describing Napoleon’s anxiety about the death of his father, Carlos, she commented, “Wrong!” in addition to questioning another passage, saying, “so y [sic] is this relevant? And who is this idiot?” The time Molly spent living in France seems to have influenced her opinions on its history and its leaders.

 

The range of inscriptions in her books is as varied as her collection. Each one conveys the unique qualities that endeared her to so many. Of particular note is an inscription by writer Bud Shrake in a copy of his novel The Borderland:  “Dear Molly: I have always considered you a formidable and indestructible presence. The Red Queen has picked on the wrong sailor in this saloon. May you be blessed with a quick victory.” The Red Queen Shrake refers to is cancer—in 1999, Ivins was going through her first, successful fight with the disease that finally ended her life in January of 2007.

Once cataloged, each book will be permanently designated as part of the Molly Ivins Personal Library Collection with a memorial bookplate as well as a tracing tag in the library’s online database. Books falling within the genres of the Wittliff’s Southwestern Writers Collection and those with special inscriptions or markings will be housed in the SWWC archives and available for reading-room use. Texas State students and others who request these books may find themselves reading along with Molly, following her notes, underlines, exclamation points, circled words, and expressive margin commentary. The remainder of the collection will be incorporated into the main library stacks for the public to enjoy.

 

The Molly (Mary Tyler) Ivins Papers are held at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.