Manuscripts
Correspondence: 1911
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Ambrose Bierce Correspondence File
Manuscripts
The Ambrose Bierce Correspondence File consists of letters written by Bierce between 1871 and 1913. Much of the letters are concerned with details of Bierce's multi- volume Collected Works, and a majority are written to the editor of that project, Walter Neale. The letters contain discourse about the contents of the volumes, transportation of proofs, and deadlines. A good number of the remaining letters are written to Bierce contemporary Silas Orrin Howes (1867- 1918), who edited another collection of Bierce's work, The Shadow on the Dial and Other Essays (1909). These letters are largely concerned with that book and the process of assembling and publishing the Collected Works, although personal details are also present. The File also contains twenty-three letters to the California author Charles Warren Stoddard (1843-1909). These letters are less business-oriented and more personal, detailing matters such as invitations to dinner and various relationships with literary figures of the era. Many of the letters feature examples of Bierce's trademark dry wit. Writing to Howes on his birthday, Bierce comments "This is my birthday – I am 366 years old" (HM 7304). Apologizing to Neale for a long-winded reaction to criticism, Bierce writes "You happen to be standing in the channel of my verbal flood" (HM 10254). And, writing to Neale on December 26, 1909, Bierce says "I trust you had a Christmas. Fill in your own adjective" (HM 10275). Bierce was also prone to insightful quips, such as "The least one can do is what one commonly does" (HM 10237), "The conviction that all men are rogues is quite as disastrous to one's interest as the conviction that no one is" (HM 10282), and "Good substitutes for truth are not so plentiful as some persons imagine" (HM 10207). Almost all the letters are autographed and signed, and some include the envelope. The File also contains an annotated printer's copy of Volume VIII of Bierce's Collected Works, which consists of "Negligible Tales" and "Kings of Beasts" (HM 10458).
mssHM 7294-7308
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Correspondence: 1871-1906 and Collected Work, Vol. VIII – Negligible Tales. Printer's copy
Manuscripts
mssHM 7294-7308
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Correspondence, Dobell, Bertram, 1911
Rare Books
The five series are: 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 Records1.1 Administrative records1.2 Collection records1.3 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 1880-19282.2. 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. Arrangement: The arrangement and titles of the files have been kept as much as possible in the original order of the records maintained by the Arensbergs and the library staff. Folders are arranged alphabetically by title within series. Documents within folders are arranged in chronological order by date with undated materials residing at the end of each folder. One exception is research files, which have been kept in their original order, which was not always chronological, but often by topic.
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