Rare Books
The history of Mary Prince : a West Indian slave
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Rare Books
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Manuscripts
This lecture details a trip the British speaker took to the United States and Canada in 1877 (the speaker's name is unknown). His travel companion for some of the trip was Reverend Thomas Harwood Pattison who would become the Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Hartford, Conn. The trip started in New York City after a voyage from Liverpool. He and Pattison traveled throughout New England and Canada, making stops in Boston, Providence, Poughkeepsie, Albany, Saratoga, Montreal, Toronto, and Niagara Falls. In Johnsbury, Vermont they heard a talk by Henry Ward Beecher. The trip then took them to Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha and Salt Lake City; while in Kansas City, Pattison returns to England . The speaker describes in detail the Rocky Mountains and the canyons of Utah. While in Salt Lake City he attends a Mormon service and describes the Tabernacle and the Mormon people in attendance. He then crossed the Sierra Nevadas and stopped in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco and Yosemite. On his train trip to San Francisco, he met a group of American Indians, whom he describes in detail as well as some men of "questionable character." His last stop, before returning to New York City, is at the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. The speaker, throughout the lecture, makes comments on "Americans," the people he met along the way, the landscapes he saw, and the events he attended (church services, fairs).
mssHM 71164
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Manuscripts
Letter sent by George Clymer to his mother while he sailed on the Constellation for his first deployment as a US Navy apprentice surgeon. The Constellation set sail from New York on August 14, 1829, and arrived in the West Channel near Cowes, England, on September 11. Clymer begins by briefly recounting the "gloomy epistle of a landsman" that he had sent to his father regarding the difficult ocean crossing, and relating his excitement at finally spotting land off the Isle of Wight. Much of Clymer's detailed and eloquent letter is devoted to describing the scenery and towns he saw in England, along with historical anecdotes. After being allowed to go ashore he explored Cowes, which he noted was "different from the towns I had seen in America, and wears and air and aspect of a city." He was also struck by the "roast-beef and porter corporations, and the ruddy faces of the well-fed Englishmen," and widely praised the island's roads and means of transportation. He visited West Cowes Castle and the Royal Yacht Club and gives an extended description of attending afternoon tea at a hotel. After being denied permission to travel to London, Clymer returned to the Isle of Wight, seeing Carisbrooke Castle, Appuldurcombe Park and Mansion, Parkhurst Forest, the Albany Barracks, Newport, and Norris and East Cowes Castles. On a subsequent shore leave he briefly traveled to Portsmouth Harbor, Portsea, Portsmouth, and Southampton. On returning to his ship for the last time, he wrote that "I can now declare that I have passed [in England] fifty of the happiest hours of my life." He later cooled his opinion somewhat, lamenting the "extravagant beyond expectation" costs in England (which he recorded in some detail) compared to those in the United States, the "knaves" who charged higher prices to Americans, and the necessity of tipping servants. He concluded that he found the English "polite, but grossly ignorant of America." After being refused a gun salute by British naval officers, the Constellation circumnavigated the Isle of Wight and set sail south on September 21. Clymer compares the Spanish and African coasts, writes of being impressed by the town and fortress of Gibraltar, describes the Mediterranean Sea, and notes passing the islands of Formentera and Majorca. The Constellation approached Mahon Harbor in Minorca, where they were to meet the ship Delaware, on October 15, but a major storm blew the ship back out to sea. It finally reached the harbor on October 18, and Clymer concluded that "we had performed a voyage of 1500 miles in 28 days; the time we required in sailing twice that distance from New York to Cowes."
mssHM 79957
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Manuscripts
This collection contains the papers of British admiral and hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort and members of the Beaufort and Edgeworth families dating from 1710-1953 (bulk 1780-1890) and consisting of diaries, journals, account books and correspondence. Subject matter includes the Beaufort and Edgeworth families; British naval history of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular the period of the Napoleonic Wars; geography and hydrography, particularly of the Eastern Mediterranean; Irish affair of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly related to economic and commercial issues; and the Royal Society and scientific affairs in England in the early 19th century. The bulk of the collection is comprised of the papers of Sir Francis and includes journals of his naval service (1791-1812); journals, notes, and working papers for his survey of Karamania (or Caramania), along the southern coast of Turkey (1813-1817); his professional diaries as hydrographer to the British Navy (1840-1857); and 854 letters by Sir Francis. Notable topics included in the correspondence of Sir Francis includes a letter-journal of his first sea-voyage, to Indonesia (1789, July 24); a description of the Battle of San Joseph, in which he was critically wounded (1800, Oct. 28); letters to Richard Lovell Edgeworth detailing the construction of the Dublin-Galway telegraph (1803) and later discussing various projects for navigation mensuration (1808, May 5); commentary at length on the death of Lord Nelson (1805, Nov. 9); a voyage to Cape of Good Hope (1806, May 16-22); Malta (1808, Oct. 21); Quebec and French Canada (1809, Oct.-Nov.); and an explanation of a naval cause celebre in which he opposed the Admiralty by asserting that an escaped slave that had served 2 years on his ship was by definition enfranchised (1814, Feb. 3); a visit with Sir Walter Scott (1821, Apr. 23); the intellectual community in Paris (Laplace, Cuvier, etc.) (1825, Nov. 4); an eyewitness description of the Coronation of William IV (1831, Sep. 9); Sir Francis's knighthood ceremony (1848, May 7); and attempts to locate Sir John Franklin by balloon (1850, Jan. 9). Notable correspondence about science written to Beaufort includes: Brinkley, John. Letters describing astronomical research 1824-1829. Dalrymple, Alexander. Series of letters concerning activities of the Hydrographical office, etc. 1805-1808. Franklin, Sir John. Two letters from northern Canada describing his explorations. 1825, Apr. 21; 1826, Feb. 6 Hall, Basil. Series of letters to Sir Francis Beaufort describing efforts to salvage the Royal George using a diving bell. 1839, Sep.-Oct. Herschel, Sir John Frederick William. Letter discussing his career, his election as president of the Royal Society, and issues facing the Society. 1830, Nov. 26. Parry, Sir William. Letter from Davis Strait describing problems of mensuration in polar regions. 1824, July 1. Ussher, Henry. Letter discussing astronomical research. 1789, Nov. 6. In addition to the papers of Sir Francis, the collection also includes the papers of other members of the Beaufort family including thirty-seven letters and four diaries of Sir Francis's father, Daniel Augustus Beaufort; seventeen letters and a journal of family history by Sir Francis's first wife, Alicia Magdalena Wilson Beaufort (d. 1834); a volume of original botanical watercolor paintings by Frances Anne Beaufort Edgeworth (1769-1865); and correspondence with and about writer Maria Edgeworth, including a series of letters from her to Sir Francis discussing literary maters and the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, dating from 1814-1827. There are also two letters by Sir Francis describing in detail the critical response to Maria Edgeworth's Patronage (1814, Feb. 3), and a letter discussing details of the publication of Edgeworth's novel Ormond (1817, June 12). Additional family correspondents include: William Lewis Beaufort (21 letters); Frances Anne Beaufort Edgeworth (3 letters); and Richard Lovell Edgeworth (7 letters). The oldest item in the collection is a grant of nobility to Francis de Beaufort (Sir Francis's ancestor) from Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I Hapsburg, dated March 4, 1710. Some interesting or important items include: Allott, Anna Maria. Memoirs of Edward Gibbon's residence in Switzerland [fragment]. c. 1794. Beaufort, Emily Anne and Beaufort, Rosalind Elizabeth. Manuscript entitled Anecdotes of Captain Beaufort, R.N., compiled by his daughters. 1840-42. Blennerhasset, Jeanne. Series of letters giving fascinating insight into the early life of Daniel Augustus Beaufort. 1764-1775. Hillyar, Mary Taylor. Letter describing last days of Sir James Hillyar. 1843, Oct. 29. Accompanied by three letters of Sir James Hillyar. Lennon, Maria. Series of letters chronicling her dramatic rescue by Sir Francis Beaufort and her loyalty to his memory decades afterwards. 1809-1843. Melville, Sir Peter Melville (also spelled Melvill). Series of letters describing his travels from India to Egypt, Turkey, Vienna. 1832, Jan. 5-Aug. 23. Some additional significant persons represented in the collection include: Sir Thomas Dyke Acland (2 letters); Thomas Arnold (7 letters); Sir Joseph Banks (3 letters); Sir John Barrow (9 letters); William Bligh (1 letter); Robert Cadell (3 letters); Stratford Canning (7 letters); Charles Robert Cockerell (4 letters); Cuthbert Collingwood (2 letters); John Wilson Croker (12 letters); Sir Roger Curtis (2 letters); Sir Humphrey Davy (1 letter); James Gambier, Baron Gambier (1 letter); Davies Gilbert (5 letters); Sir Charles Hamilton (4 letters); Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1 letter); Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1 letter); John Jervis, Earl of St. Vincent (1 letter); Alicia Le Fanu (1 letter); Edward Hawke Locker (2 letters); Sir Thomas Erskine May (2 letters); Sir James Nicoll Morris (2 letters); Sir Roderick Impey Murchison (1 letter); Horatio Nelson (1 letter); Sir William Edward Parry (2 letters); Sir Edward Pellew (7 letters); Lady Jane Spencer-Wilson Perceval (2 letters); Sir Henry Prescott (2 letters); James Rennell (29 letters); George Cecil Renouard (4 letters); Elisabeth-Paul-Edouard, Chevalier de Rossel (3 letters); Sir James South (4 letters); Thomas Spring-Rice (1 letter); Leslie Stephen (1 letter); Sir Robert Stopford (4 letters); Victoria, Queen of Great Britain (2 letters); Robert Walpole (7 letters); Sir John Borlase Warren (2 letters); John Washington (4 letters); William Wellesley-Pole, 1st Baron Maryborough (2 letters); Joseph Blanco White (1 letter); Lestock Wilson (12 letters).
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Manuscripts
This collection contains the personal and professional papers of American author Conrad Aiken. The collection includes his correspondence (chiefly letters addressed to him), dealing with his business and literary affairs, manuscripts of his works, with some photographs and ephemera. The manuscripts include poems published in "Skylight One" (1949), "The Divine Pilgrim" (1949), "A Letter from Li Po" (1955), "Sheepfold Hill" (1955), "The Morning Song of Lord Zero" (1963); "The Clerk's Journal: Being the Diary of a Queer Man" (1911)" a notebook (1911-1925) containing literary notes, addresses, etc. essays, notes, the first draft of Aiken's autobiography, etc. Correspondents include: Jane Aiken Hodge, Joan Aiken, John Aiken, Mary Augusta Hoover Aiken, William Ford Aiken, Rufus Blanshard, Brandt & Brandt (firm), D. G. Bridson, Edward John Burra, Horatio Colony, Malcolm Cowley, Richard Eberhart, T. S. Eliot, Jean Garrigue, Erich Heller, Dame Laura Knight, Seymour Lawrence, Malcolm Lowry, Grayson Prevost McCouch, Jay Martin , Henry Alexander Murray, Howard Nemerov, Allen Tate, Kempton Potter Aiken Taylor, Louis Untermeyer, and others. The collection includes: Manuscripts by Conrad Aiken: A wealth of original autograph and typescript drafts is to be found in the collection. The majority consists of manuscripts of poems published in Skylight One (1949), The Divine Pilgrim (1949), A Letter from Li Po (1955), Sheepfold Hill (1955), and The Morning Song of Lord Zero (1963) The Clerk's Journal: Being the Diary of a Queer Man (16 pp.; Jan. 9, 1911), an original autograph manuscript of the poem written for an English course at Harvard University (AIK 2798). The manuscript includes marginal comments by the instructor, Le Baron Russell Briggs, and is accompanied by the proof sheets for the 1971 edition and an early (1970)draft of Aiken's preface, entitled "A Short Memoir of Harvard, Dean Briggs, T. S. Eliot, in 1911" (AIK 3644) The Conversation; or Pilgrim's Progress (226 pp.; ca. 1940), the first type script of the novel. AIK 3393 Mr. Arcularis (1946 to ca. 1952), eleven drafts of the short story/play. In 1946 Diana Hamilton's dramatization of Aiken's short story was produced at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London, under the title Fear No More. Deemed a failure by its producers, the play was revised. Hamilton, however, was suffering from brain cancer, so Aiken made the extensive changes leading to its production at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., May 8-27, 1951. Following further revisions, the play was published by Harvard University Press in 1957. The collection also contains four versions of Hamilton's Fear No More. AIK 3774-3784 Nine Poems (9 pp.; 1952), typewritten manuscript with a few autograph corrections of a piece published in the Aiken commemorative issue of Wake, acquired by the Huntington in 1984. AIK 4714 Notebook (one volume; 1911-1925), containing literary notes, addresses, etc. AIK 3588 The Soldier (29 pp.; ca. 1945), the first draft of the poem, written in pencil in a composition book. AIK 3399 Time in the Rock (112 pp.; ca. 1936), the first draft of the poem, typewritten with numerous autograph revisions. AIK 3698 The Tinsel Circuit (33 pp.; 1916), the original version of a group of 19 poems. Aiken published slightly revised versions of the seven poems as "Vaudeville Suite" in the fall, 1955, issue of the Carolina Quarterly. Nine of the poems were later revised extensively and published in The Morning Song of Lord Zero (1963). AIK 3699 Ushant: An Essay (319 pp.; 1951-1952), Aiken's autobiography, the most important item in the collection . This is the first draft, with extensive autograph revisions in ink and pencil. Also, fragmentary notes for the autobiography (eleven pieces; ca. 1946); and Ushant: An Intermediate Fragment (7 pp.; 1952), a typescript draft with autograph corrections of the text published in the Aiken commemorative issue of Wake (acquired by the Huntington in 1984). (Volume 2: AIK 3401); 4187; 4715. II. Manuscripts by others Clarice (Lorenz) Aiken. Lorelei Two (18 pp.), outline of an autobiography by Conrad Aiken's second wife, acquired in 1984. AIK 4765. William Ford Aiken. Eighty-nine manuscripts of poems and essays by Conrad Aiken's father, a Savannah physician, amateur poet, and inventor. Included in his manuscripts is "Isolation," a poem found after the murder- suicide of Dr. Aiken and Anna Aiken (Potter) Aiken. AIK 2917-3003. Malcolm Cowley. "The Blown Door," typescript of poem in letter to Conrad Aiken, Nov. 5, 1955. AIK 327. Graham Greene. Typewritten reviews of Aiken's King Coffin and Great Circle. AIK 3410. Clarence Malcolm Lowry. "Spiderweb," "Alcoholic," "Dark Path," and "Sonnet," four early poems sent to Conrad Aiken, 1929. AIK 2489. ------ "The doom of each, said Doctor Usquebaugh ...," typewritten poem enclosed in a letter to Aiken, Apr. 9, 1940. AIK 2488. "Tom, by airmale," notes for a poem? AIK 2490. ------ Ultramarine (1 volume; ca. 1929), part of an early draft of the novel, with autograph revisions by Aiken. Also, three pages of notes for chapter one, and a single page of an early draft. (Volume 1: AIK 3381). ------ "Work for Conrad" (2 pp.; 1937), four poems written for Aiken. AIK 3418. ------ "To Seymour Lawrence" (16 pp.; Nov. 28- Dec. 4, 1951), corrected typescript of letter about Aiken published in the commemorative issue of Wake, acquired by the Huntington in 1984. AIK 4751. Correspondence Significant correspondents include: Mary Augusta (Hoover) Aiken (b. 1907) is Conrad Aiken's third wife, married in 1937. The collection includes 70 letters and one telegram from Mary to Conrad between 1936 and 1955, the majority written in 1947 while Mary was in Rye, Sussex, England, seeing to the sale of Jeake's House and reporting to Conrad at Forty-one Doors in Brewster, Massachusetts (AIK 3291-3361) . Also included are 190 letters from Conrad to Mary, written from 1936 to 1973, with most again dating from 1947. The lively exchanges provide insight into the Aikens' relationship as well as the details of day-to-day life in Rye and Brewster (AIK 3099-3288). Of special literary interest are Conrad's letters of 1939, which contain drafts of sonnets published in And in the Human Heart. William Ford Aiken (d. 1901). Of the many letters written by Conrad Aiken's father to various family members, the most interesting are 34 sent to his parents while he studied medicine in Europe in 1886-1887 (AIK 2827-2860). Brandt & Brandt, Aiken's American agents. Publishing and related literary business details regarding Aiken's works are covered in 36 letters to Aiken between 1934 and 1976 (AIK 153-180, 1655, 2008-2009, 3405-3406, 3921-3922, 4613) and in one letter to the firm from Aiken in 1958 (AIK 4174). Edward John Burra (1905-1976) , English surrealist painter who lived in Rye and was a close, life-long friend of Aiken's. Their warm, humorous correspondence is replete with personal and social details and anecdotes, covering the period from the 1930s to the 1970s in 200 letters by Burra (AIK 2197-2392, 3940-3942) and 109 by Aiken (AIK 2397, 3097-3098, 4266-4372). The collection also contains 3 letters to Jay H. Martin (AIK 4615-4617) from Burra. Malcolm Cowley (b. 1898). Sixty long, frequently humorous letters written from 1935 to 1973 reflect the warm Cowley-Aiken friendship. Cowley writes thoughtfully and at length on Aiken's poetry and on Ushant, and he records his outspoken comments on many literary matters relating to other authors, such as Faulkner, Hemingway, Eliot, Pound, Randall Jarrell, Delmore Schwartz, Thomas Wolfe, Malcolm Lowry, and others (AIK 328-377, 3969-3978). John Davenport (1908-1966), English reviewer of modern literature. The correspondence includes 18 letters by Davenport, 1935 to 1965 (AIK 392-409). Conrad Aiken's 72 letters, covering the same time period,are especially valuable for details of his literary and other activities during the 1940's (AIK 3789-3859, 4205). Highlights are long references to Malcolm Lowry and Under the Volcano, as well as mention of John Burra, Ezra Pound, and Aiken's Mr. Arcularis. Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965). A fine series of 65 letters, 1914-1963, to Aiken reflecting their close friendship (AIK 485-549). Of particular significance are the revealing and introspective early letters. This correspondence contains verses by the young Eliot, as well as his comments about his own writing and his opinions of Aiken's works. Later letters deal with literary business concerning Aiken's contributions to Criterion. Eleven letters by Valerie (Fletcher) Eliot, 1960-1970, include references to Eliot and Ezra Pound (AIK 550-559, 3987). Maurice Firuski (1894-1978)was a friend and classmate of Aiken at Harvard; in 1919 he became the proprietor of Dunster House Bookshop in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later of Housatonic Bookshop in Salisbury, Connecticut. The 16 letters from Firuski (AIK 579-593, 3993) and an extraordinary series of 83 letters by Aiken between 1920 and 1973 reveal much concerning Aiken's personal and literary life (AIK 921-1002, 4407). Seymour Lawrence (b. 1926), editor and publisher of Wake, editor at the Atlantic Monthly Press, and founder and president of Seymour Lawrence, Inc. Eight letters (1948-1953) from Lawrence to Conrad and Mary Aiken chiefly concern the 1952 Aiken commemorative issue of Wake (AIK 696-703). A 1984 acquisition brought to the Huntington 33 letters from Aiken to Lawrence, 1952-1953 (AIK 4716-4748), as well as correspondence about the issue from Frederick Newton Arvin, Richard Palmer Blackmur, Archibald MacLeish, Marianne Moore, Walter Piston, and Edmund Wilson. Manuscripts submitted for the issue by Conrad Aiken and Malcolm Lowry are listed above in the Manuscripts section. Robert Newton Linscott (1886-1964), editor at Houghton Mifflin Company and Random House. Of the 40 lively, entertaining letters to Aiken, 1919-1961, those for the 1920s have particular value for the contemporary literary scene (AIK 704-742, 2805). Clarence Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957). The young Lowry became fascinated with Aiken's writing and visited him in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in August, 1929. In that year Aiken became Lowry's guardian, and the two remained close until Lowry's death. The collection contains important files of 53 letters (1929- 1954) from Lowry (AIK 2493-2538, 2540-2546) and 15 letters (1939-1954) written by Aiken (AIK 2549-2562, 4785). The correspondence attests to their long, close friendship and is excellent for personal and literary details of Lowry's life. Grayson Prevost McCouch, "Old Bird," Aiken's classmate from Middlesex School, Concord, and Harvard. Their long friendship is represented in 15 letters (ca. 1925-1977) from McCouch to Conrad and Mary Aiken (AIK 1108-1115, 4062-4067, 4629) and in 53 letters (1911-1973) by Aiken (AIK 4408-4458, 4835, 3875). David Merrill Markson (b. 1927), author and friend of Malcolm Lowry. There are 11 letters from Markson to Conrad and Mary Aiken (1954-1973; AIK 1136-1144, 4069-4070), and in 1984 the collection increased by 45 letters from Aiken to David and Elaine Markson (AIK 4786-4830). Much social and some literary news is recounted, and the early letters contain references to Lowry. Jay H. Martin (b. 1935). After seeking Aiken's advice about writing poetry, Martin became a close friend and later wrote a major critical study of Aiken. The correspondence includes 53 letters by Martin (AIK 1169-1219, 4072-4073) and 101 by Aiken dating from the early 1950s to 1970s and is interesting for Aiken's retrospective comments about his own poetry (AIK 4581-4582, 4482-4578, 4704-4705). John Orley Allen Tate (1899-1979). Personal and literary matters are discussed in 105 letters to Conrad and Mary Aiken written between 1949 and 1973 (AIK 1751-1843, 4132-4136, 4139-4141) and in a 1973 letter from Aiken to Tate (AIK 3876). The Sewanee Review is mentioned, as well as such literary figures as Eliot and Lowry. Kempton Potter Aiken Taylor (b. 1893), Conrad Aiken's brother, adopted in 1901 by Frederick Winslow Taylor. An intimate and revealing look at the brothers is provided in 62 letters (1912-1973) by Taylor (AIK 2878, 1841-1903, 2415-2417, 4144) and 106 letters (1931-1972) by Aiken (AIK 1904-2007, 2144-2145). Louis Untermeyer (1885-1977). These lively, often cordially disputatious letters between Untermeyer and Aiken feature frank and detailed analyses of their own and one another's work. Many other authors and literary matters are also dealt with, energetically and at length, in 52 letters (1919-1973) by Untermeyer (AIK 838-888, 4154) and in Aiken's 20 letters written between 1954 and 1969, acquired by the Huntington in 1982 (AIK 4679-4698). Additional correspondents of note: Leonie (Fuller) Adams, 12 letters and telegrams, 1948-1973. AIK 1-11, AIK 3385. James Agee, 1 letter, 1931. AIK 13. Martin Donisthorpe Armstrong, 5 letters, 1914-1929. AIK 47-51. Gordon Bassett, 5 letters, 1940-1951. AIK 74-78. John Berryman, 3 letters, 1953-1964. AIK 84-86. George Biddle, 7 letters, 1956-1969. AIK 89-94, 3912. Katherine Garrison (Chapin) Biddle, 12 letters, 1952-1973. AIK 2605-2613, AIK 3913-3915. Elizabeth Bishop, 3 letters, 1949-1950. AIK 96-98. Richard Palmer Blackmur, 5 letters, 1931-1961. AIK 100-103, AIK 4750. Rufus Anderson Blanshard, 18 letters, 1956-1973. AIK 104-120, AIK 3916. Maxwell Bodenheim, 7 letters, 1918-1919. AIK 127-133. Alain Bosquet, 9 letters, 1955-1962. AIK 137-145. Douglas Geoffrey Bridson, 16 letters, 1951-1973. AIK 192-204, AIK 3930-3932. Cleanth Brooks, 6 letters, 1953-1956. AIK 209-214. Van Wyck Brooks, 6 letters, 1921-1923. AIK 2625-2629, AIK 4614. Winifred Bryher, 4 letters, 1933-1951. AIK 218-221. Kenneth Duva Burke, 4 letters, 1964-1972. AIK 224-226, AIK 3937. Witter Bynner, 1 letter, 1955. AIK 236. Princess Marguerite Gaetani, 2 letters, 1948? AIK 1728-1729. Gordon Cairnie, 7 letters, 1951-1969. AIK 237-241, AIK 3946-3947. Huntington Cairns, 8 letters, ca. 1949-1973. AIK 242-248, AIK 3948. Horatio Colony, 16 letters, 1935-1973. AIK 292-304, AIK 3961-3963. Cyril Vernon Connolly, 2 letters, 1945-1947. AIK 308-309. Evelyn Dagnall (of A.M. Heath and co.), 12 letters, 1946-1952. AIK 1332-1343. Hilda Doolittle, 11 letters, 1933-1935. AIK 421-431. Edward Doro, 3 letters, 1971-1973. AIK 432-433, 3984. Richard Eberhart, 25 letters, 1943-1951. AIK 446-470. Luther Harris Evans, 5 letters, 1947-1953. AIK 561-565. John Gould Fletcher, 7 letters, 1931-1948. AIK 594-600. Ford Madox Ford, 1 letter, 1931. AIK 607. John Freeman, 6 letters, 1920-ca. 1930. AIK 611-616. Robert Lee Frost, 2 letters, 1922-1923. AIK 619-620. Jean Garrigue, 14 letters, ca. 1949-ca. 1973. AIK 2662-2675. Diana Hamilton, 4 letters, 1946. AIK 1737-1740. A.M. Heath and company, Ltd. (Aiken's English agents), 6 letters, 1947-1957. AIK 649-653, AIK 2680. Erich Heller, 16 letters, 1953-1973. AIK 1012-1025, AIK 4018-4019. Robert Silliman Hillyer, 4 letters, 1930-ca. 1949. AIK 659-662. Catharine Huntington, 7 letters, 1949-ca. 1974. AIK 2706-2709, AIK 4037-4039. Ernst and Eithne (Wilkins) Kaiser, 10 letters, 1954-1964. AIK 2715-2724. Neva Goodwin (Rockefeller) Kaiser, 22 letters, 1966-ca. 1974. AIK 1346-1364. Weldon Kees, 5 letters, 1949-1954. AIK 690-694. Harold and Dame Laura (Johnson) Knight, 25 letters, 1932-1963. AIK 1043, AIK 1045-1069. Alfred Kreymborg, 4 letters, 1919-1922. AIK 2726-2729. Alexis Saint-Leger Leger, 1 letter, 1958. AIK 2733. Amy Lowell, 5 letters, 1921-1922. AIK 744-748. Robert Traill Spence Lowell, 4 letters, 1947-1956. AIK 2735-2738. Archibald MacLeish, 4 letters, 1949-ca. 1955. AIK 750-752, AIK 4752. Katherine Mansfield, 1 letter, 1921. AIK 753. Harold Edward and Alida (Klemantaski) Monro, 10 letters, 1930-1935. AIK 754-763. Marianne Moroe, 6 letters, 1951-1952. AIK 4753-4758. Nicholas Moore, 4 letters, 1942-1947. AIK 1246-1249. Lawrence Quincy Mumford, 5 letters, 1955-1968. AIK 765-769. Lewis Mumford, 5 letters, 1952-1972. AIK 1253-1256, AIK 4080. Henry Alexander Murray, 32 letters, 1931-ca. 1974. AIK 2754, 1257-1284, AIK 4081-4083. Paul Nash, 13 letters, 1934-1945. AIK 2755-2767. Howard Nemerov, 17 letters, 1963-1973. AIK 1296-1311, AIK 4087. Charles Norman, 3 letters, 1945-1961. AIK 770-772. Norreys Jephson O'Conor, 2 letters, 1948-1952. AIK 1382-1383. Oxford University Press, 17 letters, 1949-1973. AIK 1387-1403, AIK 4090-4091. Charles A. Pearce, 7 letters, 1948-1951. AIK 1411-1417. Norman Holmes Pearson, 2 letters, 1952-1971. AIK 773-774. Clover Pertinez, 24 letters, 1948-1971. AIK 1422-1442, 2413-2414, AIK 1443-1448. Charles Horace Philbrick, 31 letters, 1958-1971. AIK 1455-1485. Walter Piston, 7 letters, 1931-ca. 1974. AIK 1491-1496, AIK 4759. Katherine Anne Porter, 1 letter, 1952. AIK 1512. Alfred Claghorn Potter, 27 letters, 1925-1940. AIK 1515-1541. Ezra Loomis Pound, 2 letters, 1914-ca. 1934. AIK 1554-1555. Ivor Armstrong Richards, 9 letters, 1966-1973. AIK 780-783, AIK 4100-4104. Edwin Arlington Robinson, 6 letters, 1922-1923. AIK 1581-1586. Robert Alden Sanborn, 1 letter, 1923. AIK 2782. Mark Scharer, 11 letters, 1946-1973. AIK 790-796, 4109-4112. Delmore Schwartz, 6 letters, 1942-1956. AIK 784-789. Karl Jay Shapiro, 14 letters, 1945-1953. AIK 802-814. Theodore Spencer, 5 letters, 1930-1948. AIK 816-820. Wallace Stevens, 2 letters, 1922-1952. AIK 825-826. John Lincoln and Maire Sweeney, 23 letters, 1955-1975. AIK 1674-1691, AIK 4126-4130. Thurairajah Tambimuttu, 11 letters, 1948-1972. AIK 828-836, AIK 1750, AIK 4131. James Thurber, 2 letters, 1951-1952. AIK 4761-4762. Mark Albert Van Doren, 1 letter, 1951. AIK 4763. Robert Penn Warren, 5 letters, 1960-1970. AIK 899-903. George B. Wilbur, 20 letters, 1922-ca. 1974. AIK 2111-2122, AIK 4162-4169. Oscar Williams, 6 letters, 1941-1964. AIK 905-910. William Carlos Williams, 4 letters, 1919-1952. AIK 911-914. Edmund Wilson, 4 letters, 1951-1954. AIK 916-918, AIK 4764. The collection also includes some audio recordings and films, photographs, ephemera, honorary awards, engagement books, financial records, publishing, theatrical and musical agreements, copies of reviews, and guardianship papers and receipts collected by Aiken's guardian.
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Manuscripts
Jack London's correspondents included tramps, thieves, housewives, would-be authors and accomplished writers, businessmen and admirers. In short, he received letters from a wide spectrum of humanity. Most of the time, he wrote back or scribbled a note to his secretary, Jack Byrne, who replied for him. There are nearly thirty thousand letters in the collection, including almost four thousand by Jack London, and a lesser number by Jack Byrne and Charmian London. During London's Snark voyage (1907-1909), the job of answering all the correspondence and conducting the business affairs was left to Ninetta Wiley Eames Payne Springer, Charmian's aunt. Her letters are also in the collection. Although the correspondence in the collection is varied and thus may be appealing to many different research foci, some of the correspondents are of especially noteworthy interest. These significant persons are listed below, along with a notation of the number of letters London wrote to them in reply. More detailed information about the number of letters, call numbers, etc. may be found in the manuscripts catalog. ABBOTT, James. Century Company editor who wrote to London about The Night Born. AETNA LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY. An interesting exchange of letters regarding London's power-of-attorney. 14 letters to and 9 letters from Jack London. AIKEN, Charles Sedgwick. 24 letters from Aiken, who was editor of Sunset Magazine and 26 replies from London. The correspondence is business oriented and includes a number of discussions about transportation on the Southern Pacific Railroad. (London was paid in transportation by Sunset.) ALDEN, Henry Mills. 20 letters from Alden, who was an editor for Harper and Brothers - mostly requests for stories. Also 3 letters from London. APPLEGARTH, Edward M. 2 letters about his family (London was at one time a suitor for Mabel Applegarth. The Collection contains 9 letters from London to Mabel.) ATLANTIC MONTHLY. 10 early letters to London regarding his submissions to the magazine. Mostly rejections for his poetry. Also 1 letter from London. AUSTIN, Mary Hunter. 4 letters requesting London's assistance with The Man Jesus and inquiry regarding London's Christ novel. Also 3 replies from London. (See the Mary Austin Collection Summary Report for further information about Huntington holdings of Mary Austin.) AYRES, Daniel Sydney. 33 letters regarding the motion picture business and screen rights to London's books. Also 16 letters from London. BABCOCK, A.L. A humorous exchange of 8 letters about a man "doubling" as Jack London in Montana. BAMFORD, Frederick Irons. The Librarian at Oakland Free Library, Bamford was an early teacher of Jack London. The collection contains 7 letters from Bamford and nearly 50 letters from Charmian and Jack. The exchange of correspondence deals with new books of interest to the Londons, the Ruskin Club (a socialist club in Oakland founded by Bamford -- London was a member), and London's literature and life. The Franklin Walker Collection at the Huntington Library also contains information about the Bamfords and Jack London. BARBER, Jackson. 2 letters to Charmian about a biography of George Sterling. BARKER, Donald. 16 letters and telegrams to various persons (including London) regarding the Balboa Amusement Company suit. BARTON, Everett. 2 letters about the Stewart River and the Klondike. BENTEL, George R. Over 100 letters to Irving and Eliza Shepard regarding a suit filed in the late 1920's against Columbia Pictures Corporation. Also an equal number of replies by the Shepards. BERKMAN, Alexander. 3 letters to London requesting him to write an introduction to Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist. BERRY, Frederick Forest. 18 letters regarding socialist literary activities. 2 replies from the Londons. BISHOP, Del. 5 letters to London from Bishop, who was an old Alaskan acquaintance from the Klondike days. BLAND, Henry Meade. San Jose poet Henry Meade Bland was a sometime member of London's "crowd" and full-time faculty member at the college in San Jose. He wrote to London 13 times between 1905 and 1916 regarding bay area literary activities. BOHLIN, K.J. 24 letters from Bohlin and 20 replies from London. Bohlin was London's Swedish publisher. BOND, Louis Whitford. 3 1906 letters from the owner of "Jack" the dog, who London immortalized as "Buck" in The Call of the Wild. BOON, Charles. Over 50 letters to London and 2 from him regarding his literary contacts in England. BOSWORTH, Hobart Van Zandt. Over 100 letters to Jack and Charmian London between 1913 and the 1940's. Bosworth was a filmmaker who made a number of London's motion pictures, including the first The Sea-Wolf. Also 31 letters from the Londons in reply. BRANDT, Carl E. The editor for Curtis Brown & Massie, Brandt wrote 20 letters to London regarding his books. BRETT, George Platt. As president of The MacMillan Company, Brett was directly responsible for most of London's published work. The 300 plus letters from Brett and the more than 175 letters from London form the core of London's literary business activities. BROWNE, John A. 18 letters to London (7 replies) regarding London's boat, Roamer. CARRUTH, Fred Hayden. Editor of Women's Home Companion, Carruth sent 33 letters to London between 1906 and 1913 (there are 11 replies) requesting short stories. CENTURY COMPANY. 16 letters from London's publishers in 1912 and 1913. (Also 16 replies.) CHAMPION, H.H. 28 letters regarding Australian literary matters. London also replied with 25 letters between 1909 and 1915. CHAUVET, Henry J. Chauvet was the former owner of a portion of the Jack London Ranch. His 4 letters regard Kohler ranch matters. CONNOR, J. Torrey. 23 letters from a member of the California Writer's Club, mostly requesting permission to publish London's work. Also 3 letters from Jack London. CONRAD, Joseph. Reply to London's letter of admiration after reading Victory. CORLISS, Frank. 1 letter to London about the conditions of the military prison at Alcatraz. COSGRAVE, John O'Hara. 17 letters from New York and Boston concerning literary matters. Also 6 letters from Jack London. DEBS, Eugene Victor. 2 letters regarding socialist party matters. DE CASSERES, Benjamin. 5 letters to London, and 2 from him about sexuality. DIBBLE, Oliver. 6 letters from San Francisco attorney Dibble about formation of the Jack London Grape Juice Company. Also 3 letters from London in reply. DUNN, Robert. 3 letters. Dunn was a correspondent with London in Korea. DUNN, Walter R. 51 letters regarding the Oakland Socialist Party. Also 7 letters from Jack London. DYER, F.E. 7 letters regarding stories for The Black Cat. EMERSON, Edwin. Emerson was a newspaper correspondent who also journeyed to Korea with Jack London. In 1905 he wrote London a letter regarding the case of John W. Finley, a Folsom Prison convict. FERGUSON & GOODNOW (firm). 15 letters to London regarding his suit against Slayton Lyceum Bureau. 8 letters from Jack London. FISKE, Minnie Maddern. 9 letters from the actress regarding The Scorn of Women. 1 letter from Jack London. FORD, Alexander Hume. 15 letters about Hawaii. London replied twice. FRENCH, Pauline. 6 letters from Pauline French, who was an old family friend. FROLICH, Finn Haakon. 12 letters from sculptor Frolich regarding domestic news, thank you's for hospitality, and information regarding his bust of London. FROST, Jens. 27 letters regarding translation rights in German and the Scandinavian languages. Also 21 replies by Jack London. GALVIN, George W. 13 letters from Dr. Galvin (M.D.) who was a prominent Boston socialist. London replied in 1915. GARBUTT, Frank A. 137 letters from Garbutt, mostly regarding Bosworth Inc. matters, copyrights (Garbutt was a lawyer), and the Horkheimer-Noel suit over motion picture rights to The Sea-Wolf. Also 51 letters from Jack London. GARLAND, Hamlin. Telegram supporting Roosevelt for President. GOLDMAN, Emma. 7 letters regarding anarchy and Alexander Berkman's new book. GORHAM, L.H. 6 letters asking for translation rights to London's works into Esperanto. GRAF, Peter. 2 early letters requesting information and assistance with the Intercollegiate Socialist Society. GROWALL, Willard Lawrence. Along with Eliza Shepard, Growall was co executor of the Jack London estate. The 100 plus letters (mostly to Eliza Shepard) concern settlement of the estate and other family matters. HAMILTON, Frank Strawn. Hamilton was one of London's philosophical teachers and mentors. The Collection contains only two short letters from him, however. HAMILTON, Fannie K. 13 letters regarding dramatic versions of London's works. Fannie K. Hamilton was a prominent actress in San Francisco. HARGRAVE, W.B. 4 letters recalling Dawson City days in 1897. Also 1 reply by Jack London. HARRIMAN, Karl Edwin. 24 letters regarding Red Book magazine literary business, and 11 letters to Harriman from Jack London. HARRISON, Ralph D. 11 letters about curios, literary matters, and general news. Harrison's nickname was "Indian." Also 1 letter from Jack London. HEINEMANN, William. 39 letters regarding translation rights and English distribution. The collection also contains 20 letters from Jack London to Heinemann. HOFFMAN, Elwyn Irving. 7 letters to Jack London regarding literary friends and acquaintances and literary activities in the San Francisco area. The Huntington's Elwyn Hoffman Collection contains a number of Jack London's replies. HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY. Almost 60 letters, mostly regarding the Son of the Wolf account (London's first book). Also 3 letters from Jack London. HUGHES MASSIE & COMPANY. Almost 400 letters (and 14 replies) to the Londons regarding English rights to Jack London's works. IRVINE, Alexander. 7 letters from Irvine (a minister, author, and Secretary of the Socialist Party of Connecticut), most regarding arrangements for London's "Revolution" speech at Yale University. JAMES, George Wharton. 7 letters regarding literary matters from Southern California writer George Wharton James. Also one letter from London in reply. JOHNS, Cloudesley Tremenhere. 33 letters from writer Johns who was one of the first writers to admire Jack London's work. The 130 letters London wrote to Johns are rich in details of London's early literary development. The Huntington also has John's autobiography, "Who the Hell is Cloudesley Johns." It contains several chapters about Jack London. JOHNSON, Martin Elmer. Approximately 76 letters from the "Cook of the Snark" who later achieved fame as an explorer. The letters in the Collection concern the voyage of the Snark. There are also 7 letters from London to Johnson. KASPER, Ralph H. 43 letters about socialism, cigarettes, tramps, and writing projects. 5 letters in reply from Jack London. KIRSCHNER, Richard H. 46 letters from the Cosmopolitan, mostly on literary or business matters. Also 31 letters from London to Kirschner. KNOWLES, Ed. 15 letters from Stockton-based Knowles about Delta fishing, the Roamer, and Charmian's dog "Possum." LATHAM, Harold Strong. 100 letters to and 10 from the Londons. Latham was a vice-president of the Macmillan Company. LEWIS, Sinclair. 14 letters to Jack London, mostly regarding the business arrangements they made. Lewis supplied London with a number of story plots and summaries. One of the plots was developed by London into The Abysmal Brute. Also 9 letters to Lewis from London. LIVINGSTON, Leon Ray. Also known as "A No. 1" Livingston was a tramp friend of Jack London's and a writer. Livingston wrote 12 letters to the Londons about tramping, general hobo news, his new books, and a report of a Jack London "double." Also 1 letter from Jack London. LOCKLY, Frederick E. 19 letters, mostly literary in nature. Lockly was one-time editor of Sunset and later joined The Pacific Monthly. The collection also contains 4 letters from London to Lockly. LONDON, Elizabeth May Maddern. 15 letters. Bess was London's first wife. With two exceptions, the letters were written after their 1905 divorce and are concerned with the couple's two children, Becky and Joan. LONDON, Flora Wellman. 1 letter to Mr. Colpus (Harry Holden) making arrangements to meet with Jack London. Flora London was Jack London's mother. LYDSTON, G. Frank. 22 letters, mostly sociological subjects such as crime, People of the Abyss, crime and heredity, and implantation of sex organs. 6 letters from London. MADDERN, Merle. Interesting letter about Cornelia Otis Skinner and the death of Minnie Maddern Fiske. MARBURY, Elizabeth. 28 letters to London regarding dramatic rights to his books. 9 letters from Jack London. MARTINEZ, Xavier. 2 letters to London inviting him to join his friends for social occasions. Martinez was an artist and good friend. MASSIE, Hughes. More than 200 letters from the president of Hughes Massie and Company, London's English agents. All the letters are business-oriented. MATTHEWS, Ernest C. Matthews was one of London's close neighbors and friends. The 40-odd letters from Matthews and the 7 from London deal with horses, ranch details, general news, Oakland real estate, and London's children. An intimate, warm correspondence. METSON, DREW & MACKENZIE (firm). Approximately 20 letters regarding the legal matters and claims against the Jack London estate. MILLARD, Bailey. Editor of Cosmopolitan, Millard wrote to London on 15 different occasions regarding stories for the magazine. MILLER, Joan London. Jack London's daughter Joan wrote to him (or Charmian or Eliza) on several occasions. The collection contains 49 letters from her to her father, stepmother, or aunt, most involving a request for clothing or money. There are also 14 letters from Miller to Alfred Shivers, a professor of English, in which Joan talks about her father and mother. MORRELL, Edward H. An interesting series of 10 letters discussing prison life, money matters, mining property, and The Star-Rover. Also 3 letters from London. NETHERSOLE, Olga. 7 letters suggesting a dramatic partnership with Jack London, theme for a play, and The Scorn of Women. Also 9 letters from Jack London. NICHOLS, Walter H. 40 letters to London (18 replies) all regarding a dramatic version of "South of the Slot." NOEL, Joseph J. Over 100 letters on a variety of subjects. Noel (who was author of Footloose in Arcadia, a reminiscence, in part, of Jack London) involved London in a number of schemes including the Millergraph Corporation. He and London quarreled over the motion picture rights to The Sea-Wolf. The important exchange includes 59 letters from London to Noel. O'HARA, John Myers. Poet O'Hara wrote a poem entitled "Atavism." London borrowed it for The Call of the Wild. The 8 letters (1 from London) discuss this and other literary matters. ORFANS, Spiro. 33 letters from Orfans, 7 from London on ethnological and racial heritage. An interesting if controversial exchange. PEASE, Lute. 20 letters from Pacific Monthly editor Lute Pease. The subject is generally Martin Eden. Also 8 letters from Jack London. PHILLIPS, John Sanburn. An early exchange (36 from Phillips) of letters regarding London's first work. Phillips was editor for McClure's. PHILLIPS, Roland. 65 letters. Also 56 letters from Jack London. The correspondence is literary in the beginning, more friendly toward the end. Phillips was an editor for the Cosmopolitan. PINKER, James Brand. 116 letters, mostly dry, business letters from London's first English agent. London's replies are part of Stanford University's Jack London Collection. REYNOLDS, Paul Revere. Over 100 letters. Reynolds was a literary agent. RICHTER, Conrad Michael. 2 letters from Richter before he became famous as a writer. The first asks for a job, the second proposes that he become London's secretary. SCHARFF, Justus. 3 letters concerning the yacht Snark. SHIPMAN, Ernest. 16 letters about "A Piece of Steak," Bosworth Inc., and the motion picture industry. Also 5 letters from London to Shipman. SHURTLEFF, Clarence E. 19 letters regarding the Hollywood scene, motion picture contracts, and the suit with Columbia Pictures. SINCLAIR, Upton Beall. 44 letters to London requesting literary advice, an introduction to The Jungle, contributions for The Cry for Justice, general socialist information, and literary matters. London's replies are at the Lilly Library in Indiana. SLAYTON LYCEUM BUREAU. 35 letters to London regarding bookings for his speaking tour. Also 5 letters from London. Jack London later sued Slayton Lyceum Bureau. STERLING, George. The 32 letters from London's friend "Greek" and 33 letters from "Wolf" (Jack London) form one of the most important, intimate exchanges of correspondence in the collection. The letters are filled with literary advice, gossip, news, and information. The Huntington Library's George Sterling Collection also contains material of interest to Jack London scholars. TRAIN, Arthur Cheney. An important series of more than 100 letters dealing with London's copyright fights, the Authors' League, the motion picture industry, and the suit against Columbia Pictures. TUCK, H.C. An Oakland socialist, Tuck's 15 letters to London are filled with information regarding the Bay Area labor movement and the socialist party. UMBSTAETTER, Herman Daniel. 5 letters to Jack London requesting stories for The Black Cat. Also 2 letters from London to Umbstaetter. UNTERMANN, Ernest. 44 letters, some regarding German translation rights, others filled with family news or literary gossip. London wrote 16 letters to Untermann. WALLING, Anna Strunsky. 6 letters to Jack and Charmian. Anna Walling was one of London's closest friends in 1903. The Huntington Library's Walling Collection contains more than 100 letters from Jack London, most of them written very early in his career. WELCH, Galbraith. Nearly 150 letters from Galbraith Welch, who was American Manager of Curtis, Brown and Massie. All the letters are of business matters. Also 27 letters from London. WHARTON, Joe. 3 amusing letters trying to sell Jack London deer heads. WILSHIRE, Gaylord. 21 letters. Subjects include socialism, literature, Anna Strunsky Walling, the Haywood affair, the Snark, and Upton Sinclair.
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