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Start Over Occupation Forgers (criminals)

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Frank W. Tober collection on literary forgery, 1801-1994 (inclusive) 1920-1990 (bulk)

Extent:
4.6 linear foot (8 boxes)
Abstract:
The Frank W. Tober collection on literary forgery comprises letters, books, pamphlets, journals and journal articles, newspaper clippings, auction and exhibition catalogs, and other ephemera related to literary forgery. While Tober collected specimens of a variety of manuscript and printed forgeries, he was most interested in the literary forgeries of Thomas J. Wise and H. Buxton Forman.

Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]

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Bruce Garland collection of Thomas Wise material, 1897-2007, undated (inclusive) 1934-1975 (bulk)

Extent:
1.6 linear foot (3 boxes) and 4 oversize removal
Abstract:
The Bruce Garland collection of Thomas Wise material comprises approximately 1.6 linear feet of material pertaining to English bibliographer, book collector, and forger Thomas J. Wise (1859-1937). Much of the collection's material was compiled by English bibliographer and book collector John Carter (1905-1975), who co-authored with Graham Pollard (1903-1976) An Enquiry into the Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets (1934), which effectively outed Wise as a forger. The collection contains correspondence, including original correspondence of Wise's, manuscripts, page proofs, galley proofs, auction catalogs, clippings, scrapbooks, periodicals and articles, and ephemera.

Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia County court blotter, 1829 march 21-31 (inclusive)

Extent:
1 volume
Abstract:
This volume, entitled “Court Blotter No. 2,” contains the handwritten record of Philadelphia County Court proceedings and testimony from March 21-31, 1829. It includes case titles, lists of defendants and witnesses, descriptions of crimes, testimony, summations, and verdicts.

Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]

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Alexander Howland Smith papers regarding his forgery of Robert Burns's The jolly beggars, circa 1888-1892 (inclusive)

Extent:
4 item
Abstract:
Alexander Howland Smith, also known as "Antique Smith," was a Scottish law clerk known for the literary forgeries he produced circa 1888 to 1892. Many of Smith's dealings involved Edinburgh bookseller, James Stillie, who may have been complicit in passing the forgeries. The collection comprises Smith's sixteen-page forgery of Robert Burns's cantata The Jolly Beggars, along with documentation attempting to verify its authenticity.

Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]