Call Number:

C1216

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 1 box
• 0.2 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Thomas Bailey Aldrich Collection, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1856-1898 (inclusive)

Creator:

Princeton University. Library. Special Collections and Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, 1836-1907.

Form:

Correspondence -- 19th century, Manuscripts, American -- 19th century., and Poems -- 19th century.

Abstract:

Consists of selected correspondence and manuscripts of Thomas Bailey Aldrich, an influential nineteenth-century American poet, short story writer, and editor.

Born on November 11, 1836, in Portsmouth, New Hampsire, Thomas Bailey Aldrich was a poet, novelist, traveler, and editor. His father's death in 1849 compelled Aldrich to abandon the idea of college, and at age 16 he entered his uncle's business office in New York, where he soon became a constant contributor to the newspapers and magazines. His use of the surprise ending influenced the development of the short story, and his popular classic The Story of a Bad Boy (1870), which is based on his childhood, was one of the first American novels to present a realistic portrayal of a young boy rather than a romanticized ideal. The book had a strong impact on other writers of the day, especially Mark Twain, who six years later wrote a similar story, Tom Sawyer. Aldrich's poems were published in such volumes as Cloth of Gold (1874) and Mercedes and Later Lyrics(1884). His best-known prose is Marjorie Daw and Other People (1873). Aldrich died at Boston on March 19, 1907.

The collection consists of selected correspondence and manuscripts of Thomas Bailey Aldrich. Correspondents include Henry T. Coates, R. D. Dripper, James Ripley Osgood, Clinton Scollard, Edmund C. Stedman, and George Ticknor. Included are four letters to Francis H. Underwood, mainly discussing her books, such as The Poet and the Man. In his correspondence Aldrich talks about his works and publications, thanks authors for sending their works for him to review, or comments on works of others. Several letters are written on The Atlantic Monthly letterhead. Manuscripts in the collection include an autograph poem, "Little Charley - A Lament," which is accompanied by an envelope addressed to E. S. Carr, dated April 7, 1856, and another manuscript poem, "To L. S. in Florence." Also included is portrait engraving of Aldrich by J. A. J. Wilcox, Boston.

Arranged by accession number.