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Theodore Holmes Papers

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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

Holmes

Poet Theodore Holmes (Princeton Class of 1951) was an undergraduate biology major who later switched to literature and poetry as his avocation and occupation. He published his first book of poetry, The Harvest and the Scythe, in 1957, subsequently becoming the Kenyon Review fellow in poetry for 1958. He spent several summers at Yaddo, an artists' colony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., during the early 1960s. Holmes lectured at Harvard, 1960-1963, received a Fulbright Fellowship to Oxford, 1963-1964, where he met and married Barbara Whitehead, then returned to the States in 1964, teaching in Maine and New York before finally settling in Falcarragh, County Donegal, Ireland, where he died in 1971.

The collection consists of the papers of Holmes. Included are autograph and typed manuscripts of poems published in Holmes' books of poetry, The Harvest and the Scythe (1957), Ship on the Beach (1964), An Upland Pasture (1966), and Poems from Donegal (published posthumously, 1973). Also present are manuscripts for three unpublished novels, The Prostitute, The Other World, and The Lost Treasure; a volume of poetry, Once Over Lightly; and many manuscripts for published and unpublished poetry, short stories, critical essays, reviews, and translations of the works of Rilke, Homer, Montale, and Ungaretti. There is a selected group of correspondence of Holmes with various publishers, letters to the Irish Times, Carlos Baker, John Addison (also of the Class of 1951), Vanderbilt University, and Holmes' wife and family. There is also family correspondence after Holmes' death concerning the publication of his works.

The papers were the gift of Barbara Whitehead Holmes in March 1996.

Letters to Mr. and Mrs. Taub, with related correspondence and some typescript poems of Holmes, were the gift of Sonia Taub in November 2008.

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

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2002
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

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Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

Consists of papers related to the novels The Lost Treasure, The Other World, and The Prostitute.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by title.

Physical Description

4 boxes

The Lost Treasure, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

The Other World, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

The Prostitute, dates not examined. 2 boxes.
Physical Description

2 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of the short stories of Theodore Holmes.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by title.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Short Stories, A-Z, dates not examined. 2 boxes.
Physical Description

2 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of papers related to the two plays Dialogue and The First Circle.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by title.

Physical Description

1 box

Dialogue, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

The First Circle, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists primarily of poetry and anthologies.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into three subseries: Poems, A-Z, Anthologies, and Miscellaneous Poetry.

Physical Description

11 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of the poems of Theodore Holmes, arranged in alphabetical order.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by title.

Physical Description

9 boxes

Poems, A-Z, dates not examined. 9 boxes.
Physical Description

9 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of anthologies such as Poems from Donegal and The Harvest and the Scythe, as well as others.

Arrangement

Arranged by title.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Poems from Donegal, 1973. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

The Harvest and the Scythe, 1957. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

First Poems, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Once Over Lightly, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Poems, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of miscellaneous poetry.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

Miscellaneous Poetry, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of articles and essays written by Theodore Holmes.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into two subseries: General, A-Z, and Miscellaneous Papers.

Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of articles and essays written by Theodore Holmes, arranged in alphabetical order.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by title.

Physical Description

1 box

General, A-Z, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of miscellaneous or unidentified articles and essays written by Theodore Holmes.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

Miscellaneous Papers, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists primarily of translations of verse and essays.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into three subseries: Verse, Essays, and Miscellaneous Translations.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of translations of verse.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

Verse, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of translations of essays.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

Essays, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of miscellaneous or unidentified translations.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

Miscellaneous Translations, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of class notes, student essays, and papers.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

Class Notes, Student Essays and Papers, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of correspondence with individuals such as Carlos Baker, John Addison, Barbara Whitehead Holmes, and David Whitehead, as well as others.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Physical Description

1 box

Miscellaneous, 1940s. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Addison, John, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Baker, Carlos, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Holmes (parents of T.H.), dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Holmes, Barbara Whitehead, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Irish Times, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Princeton University, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Taub, Lewis and Sonia, 1962-1964. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Vanderbilt University Press, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Whitehead, David, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Publisher's correspondence, 1950s. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Publisher's correspondence, 1960s. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Publisher's correspondence, 1970s. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Physical Description

1 box

Baker, Carlos, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Whitehead, Oliver & David, and Misc., dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Scope and Contents

Consists of diaries, obituaries, clippings, reviews of Holmes's works, and "Approach, A Literary Quarterly."

Arrangement

Arranged by genre of material.

Physical Description

1 box

Diaries, 1963-1964. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Reviews of Holmes' works, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Obituaries, lists of poems, misc. clippings, dates not examined. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

"Approach, A Literary Quarterly", 1966 Summer. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Print, Suggest