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"Mortimer Myself, An Autobiography"

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

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Reverend James Munson Olmstead was born in Stillwater, New York on February 17, 1794 and died in Philadelphia, PA on October 16, 1870. He graduated from Union College in 1819 and Princeton Theological Seminary in 1822 and became a missionary and pastor. Olmstead authored several Christian focused books including, Thoughts and Counsels for the Impenitent, Our First Mother, and Noah and his Times. All three works were printed in the United States and the last was also printed abroad.

"Mortimer Myself, An Autobiography," written in 1866, consists of the daily happenings in one man's life. The narrator's direct identity remains unclear throughout the text. The attributed author of the book is stated as James Munson Olmstead, but the only name mentioned in the text is "Mortimer." This work consists of four hundred eighty eight pages of handwritten manuscript that primarily contain descriptions of Mortimer's daily encounters with various people, notably women, and how he feels about them. These encounters are combined with an underlying Christian theme.

Some place names mentioned in the text include Elmsgrove Plantation, Riverside, Tunbridge, Harworth, [Longyunak] Bay, Ashford, and Sunny Place. It is unclear if these locations are fictional or if they are intended to be set in the United States or in Britain.

While there are a few words crossed out, the majority of corrections appears to have been made by glueing strips of paper with revised text onto the page. Similarly, there are occasionally additional pages added to the volume.

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Finding Aid Author
Kelin Baldridge
Finding Aid Date
2016 February 12
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This collection is open for research use.

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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

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"Mortimer Myself, An Autobiography", 1866.
Volume 1

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