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George H. Boker 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

Boker

George Henry Boker was a playwright, poet, patriot and diplomat. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1842. He was the founder and the first editor of the Nassau Monthly. He published two volumes of poetry, wrote a number of plays, and served as United States Minister to Turkey and Russia. His most successful play was the verse tragedy Francesca da Rimini.

The collection consists chiefly of manuscripts of poems and plays by Boker (Princeton Class of 1842). Most of the eleven plays in the collection appear in several versions; generally, there is an autograph manuscript and typescript copy for each, but for many of the plays there are also revised versions and actors' copies. Francesca da Rimini, for example, is represented by five versions dated from 1853 to 1882. Other plays included in the collection are All the World a Mask, Anne Boleyn, Glaucus, and The Widow's Marriage. There are folders containing Boker's poems and sonnets, both published and unpublished. Many of these are complete; several appear to be fragments, notes, or drafts. Also present is some original correspondence, typescript copies of 102 letters to Richard Henry Stoddard (1849-1869), and a poem "To J. Lorimer Graham, Jr., November 16, 1866."

Copies of 102 letters to Richard Henry Stoddard were a gift of Daniel M. Henders. AM 13875.

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.

Folder inventory added by Nicholas Williams '15 in 2013.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2009
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

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

The World A Mask: Autograph Manuscript Copy, 1851. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Under A Mask: Typewritten Manuscript Copy, 1886. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

All the World A Mask: Autograph Manuscript Copy, 1851. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Betrothal: Autograph Manuscript Copy, 1850. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Anne Boleyn, A Tragedy: Autograph Manuscript Copy, circa 1850. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

A Commercial Crisis: Typewritten Manuscript Copy, 1886. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Anne Boleyn: Autograph Manuscripts of Individual Parts (Incomplete), circa 1850. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Anne Boleyn: Autograph Manuscript, 1850. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Calaynos: Typewritten Manuscript, 1886. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Calaynos: Autograph Manuscript, 1848. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Calaynos: Autograph Manuscript, 1886. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Book of the Dead: Autograph Manuscript, 1882. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The First Cornet: Autograph Manuscript, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Francesca da Rimini: Autograph Manuscript As Arranged for the Stage, 1882. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Francesca da Rimini: Autograph Manuscript of Act I-Act II, 1853. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Glaucus: Typewritten Manuscript, 1886. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Glaucus: Carbon Copy Typewritten Manuscript, 1886. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Glaucus: Typewritten Manuscript, 1886. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Francesca da Rimini: Autograph Manuscript, Acting Copy, 1882. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Francesca da Rimini: Autograph Manuscript with Corrections, 1853. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Francesca da Rimini: Autograph Manuscript, 1853. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Leonor de Guzman: Autograph Manuscript, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Leonor de Guzman: Autograph Manuscript, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Legend of the Hounds: Autograph Manuscript, 1866. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Widow's Marriage: Autograph Manuscript, 1852. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Widow's Marriage: Autograph Manuscript, 1852. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Widow's Marriage: Autograph Manuscript, First Draft, 1852. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Nydia: Typewritten Manuscript, 1885. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Nydia: Typewritten Manuscript, Carbon Copy, 1885. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Nydia: Typewritten Manuscript, Carbon Copy, 1885. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Spirit of Poesy: Autograph Manuscript, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Poems of the War: Autograph Manuscript, 1864. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The Lessons of Life and Other Poems: Autograph Manuscript, 1848. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Shorter Poems, 1847-1865. 3 folders.
Physical Description

3 folders

Sonnets, 1848-1887. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence: Moses Taylor Pyne, 1884 February 15. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence: C. A. Bristed and Mr. Cist, 1864 January 26-1888 June 11. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence: Houghton S. Caron, 1887 August 30. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence: Richard Henry Stoddard, 1849-1869. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence: Lady Jane Francisca Wilde, 1866 November 18. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Königsmark, The Legend of the Hounds, and Other Poems: Autograph Manuscript, 1869. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

The Bankrupt: Autograph Manuscript, 1853. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

Scrapbook, 1856-1890. 1 volume.
Physical Description

1 volume

Print, Suggest