Philadelphia Area Archives

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Oliver Goldsmith papers, 1758-1798 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.11 linear feet
Abstract:: This collection is comprised of letters and other documents to and from Oliver Goldsmith. The first series has letters and documents from members in his literary circle as well as documents related to Oliver Goldsmith’s works. The second series is composed of contracts between Oliver Goldsmith and John Newbery.

Held at: Free Library of Philadelphia: Rare Book Department [Contact Us]

Morley-Cain papers, 1935-1957 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1 linear ft. (4 boxes)
Abstract:: This collection includes correspondence and manuscripts. The correspondence consists of two series: one business, the other personal. The former series is composed chiefly of letters from Christopher Morley. Many are letters of thanks for correspondence as well as about manuscripts sent to him for publishing in his "Bowling Green" column or other publications. The business correspondence was on acidic, crumbling paper and has been photocopied onto acid-free paper. The latter series includes letters primarily written by Christopher Morley to his secretary, Helen Hare, later Cain, which refer heavily to his literary work, to personal friends, such as Buckminster Fuller, and personal philosophy. Among other items, there is a telegram and copies of letters from Ginger Rogers. Christopher Morley's manuscripts include poems, essays, novelettes, chapters from his books, and aphorisms.

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

General Manuscripts Collection, 1870-2003 (inclusive) 1900-1960 (bulk)

Extent:: 17.83 linear feet ((23 containers))
Abstract:: The General Manuscripts Collection is largely composed of materials related to United States politics and government, including personal and business correspondence, manuscripts, memorabilia, pamphlets, and reports. The collection includes the papers of many individuals, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and other United States presidents, government officials, authors and journalists, bankers and businessmen, and Princeton University alumni.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]

James Lambdin Henderson papers, 1911-1967 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: James Lambdin Henderson, a native of Philadelphia, was a member of the Philadelphia literary circles and a friend of Lewis and Sophia Mumford, Hilda Doolittle, and members of the Powys family of Welsh writers. This collection includes correspondence with these and several other of Henderson's friends, as well as some miscellaneous material relating to the correspondents, such as photographs and newspaper clippings.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Lee Eisenberg records of the 50th Anniversary issue of Esquire, 1976-1984 (inclusive) 1982-1983 (bulk)

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: Lee Eisenberg (born 1946), an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania, is an American writer and editor known for his time working for Esquire. Eisenberg was the senior editor and vice president of Esquire throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played a major role in the production of the 1984 50th Anniversary Edition of the magazine. This collection includes correspondence with almost half of the fifty famous people asked to write essays for the 50th anniversary issue as well as assorted notes, clippings, and article manuscripts, most of which relate to their contributions.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Colonel George Harvey correspondence, 1906-1912 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: George Brinton McClellan Harvey was an American reporter and editor. The material of this collection comprises responses from a large group of luminaries who were invited to a seventieth birthday celebration for Henry Mills Alden in 1906 and/or to a seventieth-fifth birthday celebration for William Dean Howells in 1912.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Albert Croll Baugh papers, 1914-1973 (inclusive)

Extent:: 15 boxes
Abstract:: Consists of 15 boxes of Albert Croll Baugh's professional papers, including correspondence, research materials, a catalog of the book collection he donated to the University of Pennsylvania libraries, and reproductions of various medieval manuscripts. The correspondence is professional and overwhelmingly relates to Baugh's research. The research materials consist primarily of notes, unpublished article reviews, reprints of articles, and newspaper clippings, and make up the greater bulk of the collection. These materials cover Middle English, French and Anglo-Latin literature and literary history in the twelfth through sixteenth centuries. Specific topics covered in the research materials include Arthurian legends, Chaucer, Middle English language (including spelling, grammar and punctuation) and literature (especially romances, plays and lyric works), Piers Plowman, and the concept of the table dormant, as well as the teaching of English and the editing of medieval texts. The...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Running Press records, 1972-2008 (inclusive) 1978-1995 (bulk)

Extent:: 58 boxes
Abstract:: The Running Press Records are the institutional records of the Philadelphia based publisher which follow the growth and development of the company from its establishment in the early 1970s to 2008, six years after the company's acquisition by the Perseus Book Group.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Chaim Potok papers, 1954-2002 (inclusive)

Extent:: 233 boxes
Abstract:: The papers document the literary career, professional endeavors, rabbinical work, and personal life of 20th-century writer Chaim Potok. The collection comprises personal and professional correspondence, writings, lectures, sermons, research, drawings, promotional material, contracts, memorabilia, and letters from admirers. Potok's writing process can be traced from conception to publication: from notebooks for ideas, outlines, hand-written drafts, and annotated typescripts and galleys. Some works took on many forms and required several collaborations: one example, The Chosen, his first novel, published in 1967, was adapted into a film, a musical, and a play. There are over 1500 correspondents, including colleagues, family members, and friends. Potok's working and social relationships are demonstrated in letters with his editor, Robert Gottlieb, and with scholars such as Jonas C. Greenfield, Moshe Greenberg, and Nahum M. Sarna. Other correspondents include writers Elie Wiesel,...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Wyn Ritchie Evans papers, 1900-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:: 14 boxes
Abstract:: The Wyn Ritchie Evans papers include correspondence, writings, photographs, and personal papers that shed light on her connection to the arts scene and to Herman Sachs, her endeavors as a professional writer, and her life with Ray Evans.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Sophia Wittenberg Mumford papers, 1875-1997 (inclusive)

Extent:: 23.22 linear feet (48 boxes, 1 oversized folder)
Abstract:: The Sophia Wittenberg Mumford papers contain, correspondence, writings, diaries, photographs, memorabilia, audio-visual material, financial and legal material documenting the private and public life of Sophia and her husband, author Lewis Mumford. A large majority of this collection is remnants of Lewis Mumford's papers that remained in their house upon his death in 1990 and were finally transferred to the University of Pennsylvania after her death in 1997.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Esther B. Aresty papers, 1937-1989 (inclusive) 1963-1989 (bulk)

Extent:: 7 linear feet (14 boxes)
Abstract:: Esther B. Aresty (1908-2000) was a cookbook collector and culinary historian who wrote on food, cooking and etiquette. This collection documents Aresty's personal and professional activities, primarily through correspondence, publication drafts, and research materials regarding her books, entitled The Grand Venture (1963), The Delectable Past (1964), The Best Behavior (1970), and The Exquisite Table (1980).

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Evelyn Manuel Huber collection of Mumford and Huber family material, 1884-1993 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.42 linear feet (1 box + 1 book)
Abstract:: This collection contains letters from Lewis and Sophia Mumford to Evelyn Manuel Huber, Lewis Mumford's cousin once removed. The letters date from 1959 to 1993 and document the private and professional activities of Lewis and Sophia Mumford. A family photo album of the Baron, Huber and Mumford families is also included.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Henry Hector Bolitho papers, 1914-1956 (inclusive) 1940-1956 (bulk)

Extent:: 0.4 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: This collection mostly contains research materials and correspondence between Bolitho, Aga Khan III, M.A. Jinnah and others, including Mountbatten and W.S. Maugham, on the subject of the newly formed country of Pakistan.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Gilbert Seldes Papers, 1920-1957 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.5 linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract:: The papers of journalist, writer and cultural critic, Gilbert Seldes are primarily comprised of newspaper clippings that Seldes used as research for his writings. Drafts and printed copies of several articles are included, as well as a draft of his 1956 book, The Public Arts.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Henry Charles Lea papers, circa 1830-1935 (inclusive)

Extent:: 203 boxes
Abstract:: Henry Charles Lea, a historian of medieval Europe, wrote extensively on the institutional and legal history of the Catholic Church. The Papers comprise: General Correspondence; Henry Charles Lea Library Correspondence; Henry Charles Lea Library History, Inventories, and Catalogues; Historical Writings: Books; Historical Writings: Articles and Miscellaneous; Reviews; Political Writings; Newspaper Clippings; Writings: Poetry and Translations; Scientific Work; Juvenilia; Memorabilia and Family Papers; and Oversize.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Frederic Mayer Bird papers, 1859-1908 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.4 linear feet (2 boxes)
Abstract:: Frederic Mayer Bird (son of the author Robert Montgomery Bird) was a Lutheran minister, later Episcopalian priest, and professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He wrote and published extensively on sacred topics, most notably on hymns and hymnology, and also wrote novels and other secular texts. He contributed to many periodicals and served as editor for Lippincott's Magazine, a Philadelphia-based literary magazine. These papers represent a range of Bird's drafts in manuscript and proof form, supplemented by a modest amount of correspondence. Best represented are his sermons and his contributions to Lippincott's Magazine.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Felix E. Schelling papers, 1856-1945 (inclusive)

Extent:: 7.25 linear feet (13 boxes)
Abstract:: Felix E. Schelling (1858-1945) was a professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, an expert on Shakespeare, and an author of scholarly works on Shakespeare and Elizabethan literature. This collection documents Schelling's life as a student, a professor, a scholar, and an author. It also documents the University of Pennsylvania through the eyes of an individual who was a student and a faculty member over a period of more than fifty years.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Burton Rascoe papers, 1890-1957 (inclusive) 1920-1957 (bulk)

Extent:: 20 linear feet (27 boxes)
Abstract:: Burton Rascoe (1892-1957) was an American literary critic, journalist, editor, and author working in the first half of the 20th century. His confrontational style stirred up much debate and helped generate interest in up-and-coming writers that Rascoe believed showed promise; most notably, Rascoe was an early champion of writers such as James Branch Cabell, Theodore Dreiser, and H. L. Mencken. The collection consists of his correspondence, including some with famous literary figures; writings by Rascoe in draft and published form; papers relating to a lawsuit with Max Annenberg; diaries and notebooks; photographs; and clippings.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Harry Mathews papers, 1942-2015 (inclusive)

Extent:: 19 linear feet (48 boxes) and 6.7 gigabytes
Abstract:: Harry Mathews (1930-2017) is an experimental poet and prose writer. Mathews is well known for authoring several highly acclaimed novels; co-founding and co-editing the literary magazine, Locus Solus; and for his membership in the French avant-garde literary society, Olipo. The collection documents Mathews' professional life, and to a lesser extent, his personal life and includes drafts, typescripts, and corrected typescripts of Mathews' prose and poetry; publicity and promotion resulting from his literary work; research files probably used for writing his books; teaching and workshop records; writings by others; extensive correspondence which is restricted from use unless permission is granted by Mathews; and a small amount of audio visual material as well as several computer files.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]