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Arnold Guyot 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

Guyot, A. (Arnold), 1807-1884

Arnold Guyot was a Swiss-born American geologist, geographer, and educator. Born in Boudevilliers, near Neuchâtel, Switzerland, he obtained his doctoral degree at Berlin. Between 1839 and 1848 he taught physical geography and history at the Academy of Neuchâtel. In 1948 Guyot came to the United States, and in 1854 he was appointed Professor of Geology and Physical Geography at the College of New Jersey (Princeton). The following year he began what is now the Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences and started the institution's first systematic instruction in geology. In 1856 he founded what is now the Princeton Museum of Natural History. Guyot's main activities focused on hypsometric measurements of the eastern mountains from New England to North Carolina, on meteorology, and on the reform of geographic teaching in colleges and secondary schools. Guyot was involved in the formative years of weather forecasting in the United States, and his extensive meteorological observations led to the founding of the U.S. Weather Bureau. Guyot also developed topographical maps of the Appalachian and Catskill mountains. His published works include The Earth and Man (English translation, 1849), Tables, Meteorological and Physical (1859), and Creation, or The Biblical Cosmogony in the Light of Modern Science (1884). Guyot's many texts, geographic atlases, and wall charts continued to be published long after his death. The guyot, a flat-topped volcanic peak rising from the ocean floor, is named after him.

The collection consists of selected correspondence and documents by and about Arnold Guyot, and a typescript titled "Arnold Guyot et Princeton" by Leonard Chester Jones. The correspondence includes three letters by Guyot to E. H. Champion, one letter to "Monsieur Rodrigués," and one letter to William Webster. In addition, there are letters between Varnum Lansing Collins, Arnold Guyot Dana, Leonard Chester Jones, Arthur Piaget, and others regarding Guyot, dated between 1927 and 1928. The documents include diplomas and scholarly awards relevant to the academic career of Guyot. They include his PhD diploma from Berlin, his MA from Harvard, certificates of membership to La Société de Geographie, La Société Entomologique de France, La Société des Sciences Naturel, the Royal Academy of Turin, La Société Géologique de France, the American Geographical and Statistical Society, the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the Albany Institute, the American Oriental Society, and a certificate of merit awarded by the Vienna Exposition of 1873. Jones's typescript (113 pp.) about the life and accomplishments of Arnold Guyot while he was at Princeton University is written in French, with holographic corrections and annotations. It was published in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in 1929.

The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.

Certificates and diplomas were a gift of Ernest Sandoz on Dec. 4, 1903.

Certificate of merit was a gift of Mrs. Arnold Guyot on July 16, 1913.

Letter to E. H. Chapman dated Jan. 29, 1877 was a gift of Mrs. William B. Nisbet, Jr. on Jan. 19, 1966.

Letter to "Monsieur Rodrigués" was a gift of Mrs. Letitia T. Howe on Dec. 27, 1982.

Two letters to E. H. Champion dated 1857 and 1875 were purchased.

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 Dina Britain on April 28, 2006. Finding aid written by Dina Britain on May 2, 2006.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Author
Dina Britain
Finding Aid Date
2006
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

Scope and Contents

Consists of correspondence by and about Guyot, as well as a typescript and other manuscripts about him. Two membership certificates are also included because of their size.

Arrangement

Arranged by accession number.

Physical Description

1 box

AM 1278, 1851 May 27. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

LS to Arnold Guyot informing him of his election as a corporate member. Signed Edward E. Salisbury, Corresponding Secretary, New Haven.

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1279, 1851. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Guyot, Arnold: Albany Institute, certificate of membership, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1274, 1286, 1847. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Guyot, Arnold: Société Géologique de France, certificates of membership, 2 DsS, one signed by Guyot

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 11878, 1905-1928. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Jones, Leonard C.: correspondence and writings concerning Guyot

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 11878, 1929. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Jones, Leonard C.: "Arnold Guyot et Princeton," TMs

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 12194, 1865. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Webster, William: ALS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 21730, 21290, 18791, 1857-1877. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

2 ALsS by Guyot to Champion, 1 ALS by Guyot to Aynen

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 83-87, 1878. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

ALS by Guyot to "Monsieur Rodrigués"

Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of miscellaneous diplomas, membership documents, and scholarly awards bestowed upon Guyot.

Arrangement

Arranged by accession number.

Physical Description

1 box

AM 1267, 1835. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

PhD from Berlin, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1268, undated. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

MA from Harvard College, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1269, 1836. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Société de Geographie, certificate of membership, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1270, 1836. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Société Entomologique de France, certificate of membership

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1727, 1845. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Royal Academy of Turin, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1275, 1845. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Société Historique Swiss, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1276, 1829. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Société Helvetique des Sciences Naturelles, diploma, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1282, 1855. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

American Geographical and Statistical Society, certificate of membership, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 1284, 1863. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, certificate of membership, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 2329, 1873. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

DS

Physical Description

1 folder

AM 9936, 1878. 1 folder.
Scope and Contents

Exposition Universelle de 1878, Gold Medal certificate, DS

Physical Description

1 folder

Print, Suggest