Patricia Highsmith

Would a series of LOA volumes collecting Patricia Highsmith's works be a possibility in the near future? I'd like that very much. I can see it working out like this, with five volumes for her novels (and one book of non-fiction) plus probably two volumes for the complete short stories (I don't think all of them can be collected in a single volume):

Volume 1: The Ripliad (1955-1991)
* The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955)
* Ripley Under Ground (1970)
* Ripley's Game (1974)
* The Boy Who Followed Ripley (1980)
* Ripley Under Water (1991)

Volume 2: 1950s Novels
* Strangers on a Train (1950)
* The Price of Salt (1952)
* The Blunderer (1954)
* Deep Water (1957)
* A Game for the Living (1958)

Volume 3: Novels (1960-1965)
* This Sweet Sickness (1960)
* The Cry of the Owl (1962)
* The Two Faces of January (1964)
* The Glass Cell (1964)
* A Suspension of Mercy (1965)

Volume 4: Writings (1966-1972)
* Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction (1966)
* Those Who Walk Away (1967)
* The Tremor of Forgery (1969)
* A Dog's Ransom (1972)

Volume 5: Novels (1977-1995)
* Edith's Diary (1977)
* People Who Knock on the Door (1983)
* Found in the Street (1987)
* Small g (1995)

>1 Pablum:
Would the LOA include The Talented Mr. Ripley in a Patricia Highsmith volume, given the novel is already a part of Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950's? Down There was not included in the David Goodis volume and it's part of that same collection.

Between W.W.Norton's The Selected Stories of Patricia Highsmith and Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith there are some 90 short stories running to 1200 pages.

I wonder if there's any possibility of this, otherwise I would probably pick up that Uncollected book. Sounds good. Do those two collect all of the short stories?

I've been looking into Shakespeare resources on the web and found a page listing the Top 10 Novels Inspired by Shakespeare. Included are Herman Melville's Moby Dick (#1) and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley (#5).

About The Talented Mr. Ripley, the page says, "Like Macbeth, Ripley wants what someone else has got. And just as Macbeth murders Duncan, Ripley bumps off golden boy Dickie Greenleaf, seeking to take his place. Then the body count rises as Ripley attempts to secure his position. This isn't a direct retelling, but the parallels are clear: Macbeth is accused of taking on "borrowed robes" and Ripley literally steals Dickie's clothes and identity. For me, the main difference between the Scottish king and the young American is that Ripley is a proper psychopath – he doesn't feel remorse."

Sorry for the bump, but was just reminded of this idea recently. Any hope?

If the LOA decided to collect more Highsmith, I think I'd probably get my checkbook out.

I certainly don't claim to speak for Mr. Smith, or LOA, but...I imagine that copyright issues might be a hindrance. Especially since EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY still has a trilogy -- THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, RIPLEY UNDERGOUND, RIPLEY'S GAME -- in print. It's a fine book, but, granted, it ain't LOA.

A Highsmith edition is currently under active consideration and we hope to negotiate agreements with estates and publishers. I don't expect anything sooner than Fall 2020, however.

-- David

YAY!!!!

Thank you, David!

I second that huzzah!
:)

Is the Highsmith edition still in consideration? Not that I'm complaining, what with more Le Guin, Jackson, the Octavia Butler and the Barthelme volumes there's a lot on the way I'm excited for! But Highsmith would surely make a great addition to LOA :)

>11 vharty:

We had been developing a plan for a multi-volume edition of non-Ripley novels (something like what we did for Ross Macdonald) but we are stuck at the rights negotiation stage. I'm not sure how long it might take to finalized a plan, but I can report that the subject came up at a recent meeting and it's still very much under consideration.

--David

Great news about Highsmith. I'm still thinking of re-reading Ripley, and an LOA edition certainly would have pushed that forward, but I'm also very interested in her other work. Those adapted by Hitchcock would make particularly interesting reading for me, so I hope the rights are negotiated and we see the volume eventually.

As always, appreciate the update!

Excellent news! Thank you. Highly anticipated. Are Ripley novels completely out of the question, or just to come last, as with Earthsea?

I'm assuming all the Highsmith mavens know about publication of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY in the LOA American Noir of the '50s collection, as well as THE BLUNDERER in the WOMEN CRIME WRITERS COLLECTION (1950s). But, while you're waiting for more Highsmith LOA -- I don't David would object, since he probably got the Saga Press (Earthsea) Le Guin, like many others -- Everyman's has a three novel omnibus: THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, RIPLEY UNDERGROUND and RIPLEY's GAME. Not quite a complete collection of Ripley novels, but... And Norton published two beautiful hardcover editions some time ago, THE SELECTED SHORT STORIES of Patricia Highsmith and THE UNCOLLECTED STORIES.

I do have the short story collections, but I'd still love for a complete works edition from LOA!

PabloPablum -- so say we all. :) Especially since there are a lot of great stand alone novels -- STRANGERS ON A TRAIN; THE PRICE OF SALT; THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY -- as well as the other two Ripley books (and about a dozen or so more novels. Which would mean a BIG collection if they do it complete)!

>12 DCloyceSmith:
I wonder if there's been any movement on this?

>18 Pablum:

Nothing yet to report on this. In fact, it seems to have come to a standstill because the Highsmith books continue to prove lucrative for the current publishers.

--David

Added: I should explain a little: there is the forthcoming TV series, Ripley, as well as a movie adaptation of Deep Water, among other projects, in the works--all of which are keeping and will keep her books alive in their current editions.

DCLOYCE SMITH, PABLUM, et. al: For those interested, while we wait for the definitive LOA editions, looks like Walker (or another publisher; not sure, because my Book Depo order info differs from that in the NYTimes review) just published a terrific collection of Highsmith's diaries and notes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/books/review-patricia-highsmith-diaries-noteb...

That looks like a tremendous book, thanks!

Pablum -- my pleasure. And, yeah, it DOES look like a corker. Probably one of the better, more informative, books when it comes to a peek inside the mind and workings of a creator.