Contents and Arrangement
Online

Subseries 1A: Correspondence, 1926-1986

12 boxes

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The majority of Willard Thorp's material consists of general correspondence and correspondence related to his writings (fan mail, publication, etc.). A small amount of family letters begins the section, followed by the correspondence reflecting his long-standing friendships and working relationships with Allen Tate, James Meriwether, William Meredith, Robert Lowell, T.S. Eliot, Bink Noll, Galway Kinnell, John Berryman, Louis Coxe, Archibald MacLiesh, Robert Penn Warren, Carl Sandburg, and Elizabeth Bishop. He also corresponded with a host of students and colleagues, including Jesse Bier, Andrew Hook, Sam Monk, Jim Kempf, and James Brogan, on both personal and business levels. There is correspondence regarding his books, including A Southern Reader (1955), the Oxford Anthology of English Poetry (1935), Moby Dick (1948), and Thorp's other Melville works, and two works of which Willard wrote the introductory paragraph: Great Short Works of American Realism (1968) and Henry David Thoreau's Walden. There is correspondence regarding his honorary degree at the June 6, 1978, Princeton University commencement, his term on the Phi Beta Kappa Nominating Committee (1949-1957), the Higher Learning in the United States Conference at Princeton's graduate college (June 14-18, 1956), the Sixteenth Annual Faculty-Alumni Forum Program (June 8, 1967) (Willard served as moderator), and the Modern Language Association of American (executive council, 1954-1957); correspondence with publishers, such as Signet Classics, American Book Company, and Alfred A. Knopf (with whom Willard corresponded personally); recommendations of students and colleagues; and notes of a senior seminar.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Collection History

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Jennifer Lindabury and Karla J. Vecchia in 1993. Finding aid written by Jennifer Lindabury and Karla J. Vecchia in 1993.

Finding aid updated by Faith Charlton in 2020 to elucidate Margaret Farrand Thorp's role as one of the collection's creators per inclusive description-related work.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

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.

Credit this material:

Subseries 1A: Correspondence; Willard Thorp and Margaret Farrand Thorp Papers, C0292, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (mss): Boxes 1-11; 33