Rare Books

2. PERSONAL PAPERS

Description: Collections of personal papers given to the Francis Bacon Library by the owners or their heirs. In most cases, they were part of a larger gift that included rare books. Much of the material concerns Bacon and the Shakespeare authorship question. The papers include auditapes, ephemera, publication plates, photographs, drafts and galley proofs, correspondence, research notes and clippings.
Type: Rare Books(Opens in new tab)
Call number: 602120
Creator: Francis Bacon Foundation(Opens in new tab)
Find out more: View in the Library catalog(Opens in new tab)

2.8. A. Allen Woodruff Papers, circa 1893-1949

Rare Books

A. Allen Woodruff (d. 1949), former officer in the British Royal Navy (WWI), was interested in the Bacon-Shakespeare authorship question and cryptography. The collection includes cardboard cipher wheels created by Woodruff, research notes, technical analyses, and correspondence with Baconians. Gift to the Francis Bacon Library along with his books, by his wife, Mrs. Francis Stokes, 1973.

602120

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2.2. Eugene Dernay Papers, 1861-1960 (bulk 1910-1945)

Rare Books

The papers of Eugene Dernay (d. 1961), a Hungarian-born translator, include correspondence, ephemera and his numerical cipher work on the Bacon-Shakespeare question and the cryptography of Cervantes' Don Quixote. Dernay was a Baconian and member of the Bacon Society of America. Gift to the Francis Bacon Library of Eugene Dernay, 1959.

602120

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2.1. Isabelle Kittson Brown Papers, circa 1880-1928

Rare Books

Isabelle Kittson Brown (1860-1928) was a scholar of Elizabethan history who authored several books on the subject under the pseudonym Basil Brown, most notably Law Sports at Gray's Inn (1594), published in 1921. Her papers include correspondence with Baconians, galley proofs, photographs, and extensive research notes relating to Shakespeare, Bacon and other Elizabethan figures. A large portion of her research centers on Shakespeare's sonnets and her arguments that Bacon wrote them. This collection also includes theater-related photographs and ephemera, including Oscar Wilde's autograph in an album. Gift to the Francis Bacon Library of Mrs. Brown's son, Ernest Clive Brown, 1971. See also Library Records: "Gifts to Library, Brown, Isabelle" and "Correspondence with Baconians, Brown, Ernest Clive."

602120

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3. FRANCIS BACON FOUNDATION RECORDS

Rare Books

Includes articles of incorporation, Board correspondence, administrative records, employee files (including employees of the Francis Bacon Library), safe deposit box lists and perpetuation files. There are also clippings on the Shakespeare authorship question, some dating to the 19th century. Other research reference materials are photographs, photostats and clippings related to Bacon, Shakespeare, English history and Lichfield Cathedral, England. This represents only a portion of the Foundation records. The remainder are in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

602120

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1. LIBRARY RECORDS, 1938-1996

Rare Books

Includes administrative records; applications for reading privileges; event records such as open houses, lectures, book sales and exhibits; collection records; and a large portion of correspondence almost entirely written by Elizabeth Wrigley, library director. The insurance files are of note for listings of many of the rare books and their appraised values. A significant part of this series are the letters received from many interested people about the Shakespeare authorship question from 1920s to 1995. The correspondence shows how, over the years, Wrigley developed personal relationships with many of the scholars who were interested in the library. The correspondence with collector R. W. Gibson, who published a bibliography of Bacon in 1950, contains interesting details about specific Bacon works. The correspondence also presents a good record of what the library held, and what they were still buying, seeking and collecting. There are some attachments of flyers, article reprints, clippings and some photographs with the correspondence. Copies of scholarly articles written by correspondents are filed with their correspondence, as originally organized. The Shakespeare Authorship Roundtable files contain many articles and reprints regarding the Shakespeare authorship question.

602120

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2.3. George Drury Papers, 1960-1964

Rare Books

George Drury (1917-2010) was a professor and charter faculty member of Monteith College, Michigan. This collection consists of correspondence, ephemera and six audiotape recordings of the Francis Bacon Celebration held at Monteith College, January 20-27, 1961. Lecturers are George Drury, Sally Cassidy, Norman Cleary, Max Coral, Robert McRae, Robert Merton, Woodburn Ross, Dean Jesse Shera, John Tossey, and Paule Verdet. Gift of George Drury.

602120

2. PERSONAL PAPERS

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2.8. A. Allen Woodruff Papers, circa 1893-1949

2.2. Eugene Dernay Papers, 1861-1960 (bulk 1910-1945)

2.1. Isabelle Kittson Brown Papers, circa 1880-1928

3. FRANCIS BACON FOUNDATION RECORDS

1. LIBRARY RECORDS, 1938-1996

2.3. George Drury Papers, 1960-1964