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William Empson letters
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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. 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
British barrister, literary reviewer, and editor William Empson was born in 1791.
After graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, Empson was called to the bar in 1819. Empson practiced law until 1824, when he became a law professor at the East India Company College in Hertfordshire, England. In 1823 Empson began to write for the influential
Edinburgh Review, prolifically covering such topics as history, biography, literature, law, and politics. In 1847 Empson was named editor and moved the base of operations of the Edinburgh Review to London. Empson worked as both editor of the review and professor of law at the East India College until his sudden death from influenza on December 10, 1852.Shattock, Joanne. "Empson, William (1791-1852)."Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Available online at http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8800 (accessed January 27, 2009).
This small collection comprises five letters written by William Empson, editor of the
Edinburgh Review, largely regarding Leigh Hunt's review of James Dennistoun's Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino (1851), including at least one letter apparently written to Leigh Hunt.Though dates on the letters do not include the year in which they were written, the interval between publication of Dennistoun's book and Empson's death would date these letters in 1851 or 1852. The letter of April 29 is presumably written to English poet and essayist Leigh Hunt, because it refers to a review in progress of Dennistoun's book, and some of the later letters (apparently addressed to a mutual acquaintance) refer to Hunt's progress on the review. All five autograph letters are written by Empson on black-bordered stationery from "E.I.C." (East India College).
The five letters are accompanied by a brown envelope labeled "Mr. Dobell / 8 Bruton Street W." The envelope also bears penciled notes indicating that this small collection was for sale at one time by the London firm of P. J. & A. E. Dobell, booksellers and publishers.
Box 51, F0771: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes.
Purchase, 2006.
Processed and encoded by Lora J. Davis, January 2009. Further encoded by George Apodaca, October 2015.
People
Subject
Occupation
- Publisher
- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2009 January 23
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Collection Inventory
Autograph letter signed, written from East India College in 1851 or 1852, apparently to Leigh Hunt, regarding his work on a review of James Dennistoun's book.
Physical Description1 item (4 p. on 1 leaf) ; folded to 18 x 11.2 cm.
Autograph letter signed, written from East India College in 1851 or 1852.
Physical Description1 item (4 p. on 1 leaf) ; folded to 13.6 x 9 cm.
Autograph letter signed, written from East India College in 1851 or 1852.
Physical Description1 item (4 p. on 1 leaf) ; folded to 13.6 x 9 cm.
Autograph letter signed, written from East India College in 1851 or 1852.
Physical Description1 item (4 p. on 1 leaf) ; folded to 13.6 x 9 cm.
Autograph letter signed, written from East India College in 1851 or 1852.
Physical Description1 item (4 p. 1 leaf) ; folded to 13.6 x 9 cm.
Brown envelope labeled "Mr. Dobell / 8 Bruton Street W." The envelope also bears penciled notes indicating that this small collection was for sale at one time by the London firm of P. J. & A. E. Dobell, booksellers and publishers.