Selected Papers of William B. Smith

Smith, William B. (William Benjamin) (1895)

William B. Smith was a childhood friend of Ernest Hemingway, the noted American author. The two carried on a long correspondence in their youth, in which Hemingway took on the role of the mature, experienced friend. Smith later broke off the friendship because of a family quarrel.

Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961

Ernest Hemingway was an American novelist, storywriter, and journalist from Oak Park, Illinois. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

The collection consists primarily of correspondence between Smith and Ernest Hemingway. Of the twenty-two Hemingway letters included in the collection, most span the years 1918 to 1927. The letters are friendly and personal; many discuss Hemingway's experience in Europe, particularly his fascination with bull fighting, and references are made to his works Men Without Women and the then-untitled Death in the Afternoon. A folder of photographs contains twenty-nine pictures of the author at various stages of life, including some taken at Horton's Bay, Michigan. In addition, there are eighteen John Dos Passos letters and cards, one Edmund Wilson letter, and one Donald Ogden Stewart letter.

The following sources were consulted during preparation of biographical note: Hemingway: A Life Without Consequences, by James R. Mellow.

Gift of Mrs. William B. Smith.

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This collection was processed in 2002. Finding aid written in 2002.

Biography written by Jessica Marati, '08.

During 2022, restrictions on Ernest Hemingway materials were lifted as part of a restrictions review project.

No appraisal information is available.

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Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Selected Papers of William B. Smith, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Publisher

Manuscripts Division

Date

2002

Creator

Smith, William B. (William Benjamin) (1895)

Subject

Novelists, American -- 20th century

People

Dos Passos, John, 1896-1970

Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961

Place

Horton's Bay (Mich.) -- Description -- Views.

Language

English

Form

Letters

Photoprints