BOSTON – An archive originating from the estate of author Mario Puzo sold for $625,000 by RR Auction on Feb. 18. The 45-box archive spanned 50 years, 10 books, and nine screenplays and featured the author’s handwritten novel and script work on The Godfather.

A highlight of the collection is material from The Godfather (1972). Included are thousands of pages, notes and drafts, of a multitude of versions of both the novel manuscript and the film screenplay, which sheds light on never-before-released information regarding Puzo’s character, scene and dialogue development, and his legendary collaboration with director Francis Ford Coppola.

Included is an original 744-page typed working draft manuscript for The Godfather novel, then titled Mafia, featuring numerous handwritten amendatory notes by the novelist, as well as six large storyboards outlining the lengthy nine-section novel.

In all, there are nine partial copies of The Godfather script in various stages of completion, many of which have notations in Puzo’s own hand. Present is a beautiful handwritten piece of Vito dialogue where the author pens, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

“It’s is a rare glimpse into the mind of the author of two of the most iconic films of the 20th century,” said Robert Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. “The archive covers his entire literary career and provides extraordinary insight into his artistry.”