Manuscripts

Francis Bacon Library Manuscripts Collection

Description

This collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence, documents, deeds, indentures, leases, volumes, and ephemera, mostly related to Francis Bacon, Nathaniel Bacon, Nicholas Bacon, the Bacon family, their work, the Bacon lands in Essex, as well as other miscellaneous items. Important authors and addressees in the collection include Francis Bacon, Nathaniel Bacon, Nicholas Bacon, George Villiers (Duke of Buckingham), Thomas Egerton (Baron Ellesmere), Robert Devereux (Earl of Essex), Richard Watson Gilder, and Helen Keller. Some material in Latin, French, German, Italian, and Dutch.

The papers consist of the following series:

1. Manuscripts, Correspondence & Documents (Boxes 1-2, 4) are arranged by FBL call number. This series includes manuscripts, correspondence, documents, and volumes, mostly related to Francis Bacon, Nathaniel Bacon, Nicholas Bacon, the Bacon family, their work, the Bacon lands in Essex, as well as other miscellaneous items. Important author and addressees include, Francis Bacon, Nathaniel Bacon, Nicholas Bacon, George Villiers (Duke of Buckingham), Robert Devereux (Earl of Essex), Thomas Egerton (Baron Ellesmere), Richard Watson Gilder, and Helen Keller.

2. Deeds & Documents (Box 3) are arranged alphabetically by county, then chronologically. This series includes deeds, indentures, leases, feoffments and quitclaims.

3. Oversize Material (Box 5) is arranged by FBL call number; this box includes FBL 2, 8 & 27.

4. Ephemera (Box 6) is arranged by subject, and includes printed material, provenance information, photographs, negatives, and material transferred from the Francis Bacon Library Archive, Rare Books Department.

Francis Bacon Library manuscripts collection, (bulk 1510-1650)

Manuscripts

mssFBL

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Francis Bacon Library archive

Rare Books

This collection contains the archive of the Francis Bacon Library, a private rare book research library on the campus of the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, California. The archive is organized into five series: Library Records; Personal Papers given to the Library; Francis Bacon Foundation Records; the Walter and Louise Arensberg Papers; and the Art and Artifacts Collection. The Library records include administration and collection records, gifts and acquisitions, exhibit records, and a large portion of correspondence. The correspondence, almost entirely written by library director Elizabeth Wrigley, is with students, other organizations, scholars, and, notably, interested Baconians (supporters of the theory that Francis Bacon was the true author of the plays attributed to Shakespeare). There are also records of gifts to the library, including books, ephemera and papers of Baconians and other scholars studying the Shakespeare authorship question. These papers comprise the Personal Papers series, and are organized by owner name: Isabelle Kittson Brown, Eugene Dernay, George Drury, Johan Franco, R. W. (Reginald Walter) Gibson, Olive Woodward Hoss, Karl [Richards] Wallace, and A. Allen Woodruff. The Francis Bacon Foundation papers contain articles of incorporation, financial and legal documents, and some correspondence of the board members. There are also clippings and photostats on Shakespeare, Bacon and Elizabethan history that were collected for research purposes. This represents only a portion of the Foundation records; the remainder are in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The personal and family papers of Walter and Louise Arensberg include Walter Arensberg's cryptographic research files, charts and notes; personal papers; drafts of his poems and books; correspondence with Baconians; photographs; and letters of Arensberg and [Louise] Stevens family members. The letters between Walter and his brother Charles F. C. Arensberg are particularly personal and informative. This portion of the Arensbergs' personal papers does not include their correspondence with artists or their art-collecting activities. Those papers (the Arensberg Archives) were given by the Francis Bacon Foundation to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which also holds the Arensberg Art Collection of Modern and pre-Columbian art. The last series of the archive is a group of art objects and historical artifacts that belonged to the Foundation and library. Some were collected by the Arensbergs, and some were acquired by the library after their deaths. They are listed with their original descriptions kept by the Foundation. The collection is organized into these series and subseries: Series 1. Library Records 1.1 Administrative records 1.2 Collection records 1.3 Correspondence 1.3.1. General 1.3.2. Colleges, Universities and Schools 1.3.3. Foundations, Societies, etc. 1.3.4. Libraries and Related Institutions 1.3.5. Correspondence with Baconians 1.4 Exhibits 1.5 Financial records Series 2. Personal Papers 2.1. Isabelle Kittson Brown Papers, circa 1880-1928 2.2. Eugene Dernay Papers, 1861-1960 2.3 George Drury Papers, 1960-1964 2.4. Johan Franco publication plates, undated 2.5. R. W. (Reginald Walter) Gibson Papers, circa 1940-1959 2.6. Olive Woodward Hoss Papers, circa 1920-1969 2.7. Karl [Richards] Wallace Papers, circa 1960-1973 2.8. A. Allen Woodruff Papers, circa 1893-1949 Series 3. Francis Bacon Foundation Records Series 4. Walter and Louise Arensberg Papers 4.1. Correspondence 4.1.1. General 4.1.2. Correspondence with Baconians 4.1.3. Arensberg Family correspondence 4.1.4. Stevens Family correspondence 4.2. Personal 4.3. Writings 4.4. Financial 4.5. Legal 4.6. Research 4.7. Photographs Series 5. Art and Artifacts Collection

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Photographic Negatives of various Bacon Library Manuscripts, 15 pieces, ([before 2011]). Note: transferred to the Huntington Library from the Bacon Library, Claremont

Manuscripts

mssFBL 1-75

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Photographs and Slides of various Bacon Library Manuscripts, 19 pieces, ([before 2011]). Note: transferred to the Huntington Library from the Bacon Library, Claremont

Manuscripts

mssFBL 1-75

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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.

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Richard Francis Burton Library Manuscripts Collection

Manuscripts

This collection consists mainly of manuscripts, correspondence, drawings, printed material, and catalogues related to Burton's work and interest with swords, fencing, and his interest in Middle Eastern poetry and history; the collection contains research material and early drafts of Burton's The Book of the Sword, Vols. I-III, and To the Gold Coast. The correspondence includes letters from, among others, Verney Lovett Cameron, Richard S. Charnock, Chatto and Windus, Dominic E. Colnaghi, Alexander Fergusson, Violet Greville, John Latham, Augustus H. L. Pitt-Rivers, Bernard Quaritch, William Tinsley, H. Schütz Wilson, Henry Yule and Hermann Zotenberg. The papers consist of the following series: 1. Manuscripts - Volumes (Boxes 1-5) are arranged alphabetically by author and title. The volumes include one manuscript by Burton, and manuscripts by other authors, which reflect Burton's interest in Iceland and Middle Eastern history and poetry, including the Arabian Nights. This series also includes printed material, clippings, catalogues, pamphlets, illustrations used and annotated by Burton; there is also one folder of Ephemera. 2. Manuscripts - Folders (Boxes 6-10) are arranged alphabetically by author and title. This series mainly consists of Burton's work on the sword and fencing, including The Book of the Sword, Infantry Sword Exercise, "Selected System of Fencing" and "The Sentiment of the Sword…;" it also includes a page from The Highlands of Brazil and an early draft of To the Gold Coast…: A Personal Narrative. There are a few manuscripts by other authors, mainly dealing with swords and fencing. 3. Manuscripts - Drawings (Box 11) are arranged by subject. This series is mainly drawings and illustrations for The Book of the Sword, Vols. I-III, and one illustration for North Borneo. 4. Correspondence and catalogues (Boxes 12-14) are arranged alphabetically by author. The majority of the letters are written to Richard Burton and deal with his ongoing work and interest in swords and fencing; there are a few letters to Isabel Burton. This series includes letters by, among others, Verney Lovett Cameron, Richard S. Charnock, Chatto and Windus, Dominic E. Colnaghi, Alexander Fergusson, Violet Greville, John Latham, Augustus H. L. Pitt-Rivers, Bernard Quaritch, William Tinsley, H. Shütz Wilson, Henry Yule and Hermann Zotenberg. Also includes one box of catalogues related to Burton's library.

Francis Bacon Library Manuscripts Collection

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Francis Bacon Library manuscripts collection, (bulk 1510-1650)

Francis Bacon Library archive

Photographic Negatives of various Bacon Library Manuscripts, 15 pieces, ([before 2011]). Note: transferred to the Huntington Library from the Bacon Library, Claremont

Photographs and Slides of various Bacon Library Manuscripts, 19 pieces, ([before 2011]). Note: transferred to the Huntington Library from the Bacon Library, Claremont

3. FRANCIS BACON FOUNDATION RECORDS

Richard Francis Burton Library Manuscripts Collection