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William Dean Howells Collection
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Wiliam Dean Howells was a critic, novelist, poet, and playwright. He began as the subeditor of the Atlantic Monthly of Boston under James T. Fields, and in 1871 he was appointed editor-in-chief, a post held until 1881.
The collection consists primarily of letters by Howells to an assortment of correspondents, including Lawrence Barrett, Wendell P. Garrison, Alexander McKenzie, J. R. Osgood, and Charles Dudley Warner. In addition, there are manuscripts of "Edward Bellamy," "English Feeling Toward Americans," "The Fiction of Eden Phillpotts," "The Fiction of Leonard Merrick," and "Recollections of an Atlantic Editorship"; a review of George William Curtis's books; and a few miscellaneous items.
The following standard abbreviations, or their variations, are used to identify materials in this collection: ALS = autograph letter signed, TLS = typed letter signed, AMsS = autograph manuscript signed, and TMsS = typed manuscript signed.
This collection was formed as a result of the departmental practice of combining into one collection manuscript material of various accessions relating to a particular author.
Most of the collection from Pforzheimer in May 1944 with letter that is a gift of Mrs. Frederic J. Dennis.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Ran Tao in 2003. Finding aid written by Ran Tao in 2003.
No appraisal information is available.
People
- Bellamy, Edward, 1850-1890
- Curtis, George William, 1824-1892
- Merrick, Leonard, 1864-1939
- Phillpotts, Eden, 1862-1960
Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Ran Tao
- Finding Aid Date
- 2003
- Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Consists of manuscripts for works such as "The Fiction of Eden Phillpotts" and "The Fiction of Leonard Merrick," as well as others.
Arranged alphabetically by title.
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Autograph signed manuscript, with annotations and deletions, concerning his time as editor of the "Atlantic Monthly" in Boston. Howells began as the subeditor under James T. Fields, and in 1871 he was appointed editor in chief, a post held until 1881. Manuscript undated, probably 20th century.
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Consists of correspondence with individuals such as Eleanor Beach, Benjamin Ticknor, and Charles Henry Webb, as well as others.
Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
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Consists of "Judgment Day," printed poem signed by Howells as well as a printed portrait.
Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.
Physical Description1 box
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