Norman Mailer: Works and Days

Norman Mailer: Works and Days is the inaugural digital publication of Project Mailer , a Digital Humanities initiative of the Norman Mailer Society designed to advance scholarly access to comprehensive bibliographic and biographical data on the writer Norman Mailer. 

This digital edition is based on the revised and expanded print bio-bibliography by J. Michael Lennon and Donna Pedro Lennon (Norman Mailer: Works and Days , 2018) and represents its translation into a structured, openly accessible online platform.  The project provides researchers with a definitive, searchable record of Mailer’s published output alongside a parallel chronology of major life events, integrating primary bibliographic entries, secondary references, and visual materials that convey the evolving context of Mailer’s career. 

Scope and Functionality

• Primary bibliography and life chronology: The core of the digital edition aligns Mailer’s publications with a biographical “Days” timeline, offering users a synchronized view of professional activity and personal milestones. 
• Bibliographic navigation: Sections include first editions, critical texts, secondary bibliographies, and an index of names, facilitating both targeted research and broader exploration. 
• Editorial framing: The digital edition features an introduction by the print editors and a separate introduction to the digital edition that explicates its design and scholarly intent. 
• Visual contextualization: Although primarily text-based, the project includes images and navigation aids that support longitudinal research across Mailer’s career. 

Digital Humanities Context

Project Mailer exemplifies the application of DH methods to a comprehensive authorial bibliography. By converting a detailed print reference into a structured, web-native scholarly environment, it facilitates searchability, cross-referencing, and long-term data preservation in ways not possible in print alone. The platform also serves as a model for how literary archives and bibliographies can be curated collaboratively in open, academic digital spaces. 

Construction Role

As editor of the Works and Days digital edition, I oversaw the process of adapting the print bibliography for online delivery, including structuring entries for digital indexing, integrating supplemental bibliographic and biographical metadata, and coordinating with the Norman Mailer Society to ensure fidelity to scholarly standards. This work connected traditional bibliographic scholarship with digital publication practices, expanding the resource’s utility for researchers, teachers, and graduate students.

Technical and Scholarly Significance

Norman Mailer: Works and Days on Project Mailer functions as both a reference work and a digital research environment. It supports granular investigation into Mailer’s multiple genres and shifting thematic concerns, while also demonstrating how digital tools can enhance discovery and interpretation in literary studies.