Rick Riordan Percy Jackson Series Collection
Scope and Contents
Riordan’s Percy Jackson Series documents the success and outreach of the series from 2003-2013. The collection is arranged in twelve series: novels (2003-2011); Ultimate Guide; discussion guides; publicity & marketing; promotional; awards; events; reader response; Camp Half-Blood; movie production; artifacts; and news clips.
The bulk of the collection represents the making of the series with manuscripts, notes, book production, publicity, and promotional material for Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, Titan’s Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, and Last Olympian.
The series also includes a screenplay for Lightning Thief, reader response from students, and a Poseidon figurine. Several photographs including the stills of the book trailer for the Sea of Monsters. Artifacts span from action figures, swords, T-shirts, and “Mythomagic” card sets. Numerous amounts of news clippings pertaining to Riordan and the series. Videos and pictures of actual Camp Half-Blood camps.
Dates
- 2003-2013
Creator
- Riordan, Rick (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials from the Wittliff Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user assumes responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish, and abiding by U.S. copyright laws. https://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/research/visit/policies/publication.html
Biographical Note
Shortly after Rick Riordan’s son Haley was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, Riordan came up with the idea of Percy Jackson. Haley had a keen interest in mythology but lacked the interest to read so Riordan surrounded his protagonist in the mythological world and made the protagonist share in Haley’s disabilities. Riordan originally created the stories to just to be bedtime stories for his son until Haley suggested that he should get them published.
Riordan did not want the series to gain publicity based solely on the fact that he was already an accomplished author from the mystery series, Tres Navarre, so he went under a different name, Ransom Reese. When Hyperion Publishing Company took on his first novel Lightning Thief, originally titled Son of the Sea God, they had his name changed back to Rick Riordan on the novel. No matter which name was on the cover, the novel was an immediate success with all age ranges especially the middle schoolers.
After Lightning Thief was published in 2005, the novel was immediately bought to become a film. It was quickly determined that the Percy Jackson series would become a five book series; Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, Titan’s Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, and the Last Olympian.
Extent
12 Linear Feet
24 boxes
Language of Materials
English
Metadata Rights Declarations
- The descriptive data created for this finding aid is licensed under the CC0 Creative Commons license and is free for use without restriction.
Abstract
Riordan’s Percy Jackson Series document the creation of the multi-award winning series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Works represented include The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.Materials include manuscripts, notes, production and publicity materials, promotional materials, and awards.
Physical Location
Materials may be stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use: https://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/research/makearesearchappointment.html.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts of Rick Riordan, beginning in 2010.
- Title
- A Guide to the Rick Riordan Percy Jackson Series Collection
- Author
- Tabitha Dunn and Katie Salzmann
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Revision Statements
- 2023: Revised for ArchivesSpace by Susannah Broyles.
Repository Details
Part of the The Wittliff Collections Repository
