Main content
Maria Edgeworth Papers
Notifications
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
Maria Edgeworth was an Anglo-Irish author of adults' and children's literature. Born in Oxfordshire, Maria spent most of her childhood in England. After her mother, Anna Maria Edgeworth (née Elers)'s death, she went to live with her father, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, at his estate in County Longford, Ireland. The time she spent in Ireland was impactful, and this was reflected in her writing celebrating Irish culture and its rejection of English steretypes of Ireland. She is considered one of the first realists in children's literature, and her writing played a significant role in the evolution of the novel in Europe at the time. She also wrote about her views on various topics including economis, politics, estate management, and education, and was well regarded in English literary society. She died in 1849 at Edgeworthstown in Ireland.
This collection is comprised of literary sketchbooks and notebooks used by Maria Edgeworth, many of which she titled. There is also correspondence between Edgeworth and several others regarding her work, including literary publishers Richard Bentley and R. Hunter, as well as other miscellanous materials such as rent slips, a copy of her poem "Jacob," a copy of a will, an advertisement for an octavo edition, and a small leather carrying case.
As no original order was discernible, materials were arranged by type/genre.
Purchased from The Cotswold Auction Company in 2020 (AM 2021-30).
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 Chloe Pfendler in 2021. Finding aid written by Chloe Pfendler and Faith Charlton in 2021.
Several items were treated for inactive mold in 2021.
No materials were removed from the collection during 2021 processing beyond routine appraisal practices.
Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Chloe Pfendler
- Finding Aid Date
- 2021
- Access Restrictions
-
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
Includes notebooks/sketchbooks for various literary projects. Edgeworth titled most of the notebooks, which are as follows: "Sketches for The Paren'ts Assistant and Popular Tales"; "Madam de Fleury and English Misanthrope; Modern Sketches"; "Sketches for Popular Tales and Orphans"; "Lenora"; "Nora"; "Ennui"; "Rosanna"; "Harry Owen or The Snow Woman"; "Miscellaneous Irish"; "Sketch of the Freeman Family"; "Out of Debt, Out of Danger, and Murad the Unlucky"; "Absentee"; "Manouvring and Vivian"; "Hints for Harry and Lucy"; "Pleasure's Price"; "Parent's Assistant; Basket Woman; Waste Not, Want Not"; "Take for Granted"; "Notes and Emile de Coulanges or Great and Little Sacrifices"; "Orlandini"; "Angelina or My Bosom[?] Friend"; "The Captain or Eton Montem"; "The Conract and the Will; The Blessing and the Curse; The Genesis or the Adventurer; By and By"; "Whim for Whim or Something New, Something Old; Little Merchants"; "Forrester or the Adventurer"; "Unfashionable Tales"; "Sketches for Moral Tales; Abroad and at Home; Belinda"; "All for Effect or The Irish [Heights?]"; "Literary Projects Written 1849"
Physical Description7 folders
Contains correspondence between Maria Edgeworth and several others including publishers Richard Bentley, R. Hunter, and Baldwin and Craddock. There is also a letter to the wife of former Baldwin & Craddock publisher Mr. Joseph Johnston.
Physical Description7 folders
Includes original correspondence and copies of letters between Maria Edgeworth and literary publisher Richard Bentley often pertaining to the printing of Edgeworth's work.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Contains letters and copies of letters from Maria Edgeworth to various correspondents.
Physical Description1 folder
Letters and fragments written to Maria Edgeworth from various correspondents.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Rent slips likely addressed to Maria Edgeworth's stepmother.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
publisher previous to R. Hunter in Baldwin & Craddock,
Physical Description1 folder
1 box