Norman Mailer: Works and Days
Norman Mailer: Works and Days is a comprehensive bio-bibliography of Norman Mailer’s writing life, documenting his published work, public activity, and critical reception across more than seven decades. Originally published in 2000 by J. Michael Lennon and Donna Pedro Lennon, the revised and expanded edition was edited by Gerald R. Lucas and published by the Norman Mailer Society in 2018.
The volume records approximately 1,500 bibliographic and biographical entries, organized chronologically and cross-referenced to show the development, revision, and republication of Mailer’s work over time. Entries cover novels, essays, journalism, interviews, speeches, letters, and other public texts, alongside a parallel life chronology (“Days”) that situates the writing within Mailer’s personal and professional history. The revised edition adds hundreds of new entries, reflecting archival discoveries and scholarship produced since the first edition.
Structure and Content
The book is divided into two interlocking components:
- Works: a chronological bibliography of Mailer’s published output, annotated with contextual commentary drawn from prefaces, interviews, and other primary sources. Variants, revisions, and republications are identified and linked across decades.
- Days: a life chronology that aligns personal events, public appearances, and historical context with the writing record.
The volume also includes extensive appendices, secondary bibliographies, indices, and critical references, making it usable both as a reference work and as a research tool for literary history.
Visual and Design Features
This edition is produced as a full-color volume and contains dozens of photographs and illustrations, many drawn from the Mailer archive. Images are distributed across the chronology to provide visual context for key periods in Mailer’s career. The book’s design reflects a deliberate effort to use the strengths of print—color reproduction, layout, and visual coherence—while preserving the analytical rigor of a scholarly reference work.
Digital Humanities Origins
The revised print edition is explicitly based on the Works & Days Digital Humanities project, developed as part of Project Mailer , the Norman Mailer Society’s digital publishing initiative. The DH project translated the original bibliography into a native-digital environment featuring searchable entries, categorical organization, internal linking, and access to selected full-text materials. The printed volume represents a re-translation of that digital work back into print, incorporating insights gained from digital structuring, cross-referencing, and long-term scholarly use.
Editorial Role
As editor, I was responsible for shaping the revised edition in collaboration with the original authors. My work included overseeing the expansion of entries, integrating material developed through the digital project, coordinating visual content, and managing the transition from a born-digital scholarly resource back into a stable print form. The volume reflects an editorial approach that treats bibliography as an interpretive act rather than a neutral list, emphasizing continuity, revision, and context across Mailer’s career.
Publication Details
- The Norman Mailer Society, Atlanta, 2018
- ISBN: 978-1-7326519-1-3
- Purchase on Amazon