- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
Expanded View
Collection Overview
- Creator:
- Harris, Frank (1856-1931)
- Title:
- Frank Harris Papers
- Repository:
- Manuscripts Division
- Permanent URL:
- http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/fx719m45p
- Dates:
- 1889-1930 (mostly 1915-1925)
- Size:
- 9 boxes and 3.4 linear feet
- Storage Note:
- ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1-9
- Language:
- English
Abstract
Consists primarily of typescript manuscripts, often with holograph corrections, representative of the literary production of American author Frank Harris: books, plays, stories, essays and articles, and biographical portraits. A good amount of the material is about the life and writings of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), the popular and controversial Irish author. Also included are a small amount of correspondence, documents, and printed material.
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Scope and Contents
The collection consists primarily of typescript copies of literary works by the American expatriate author Frank Harris, arranged by form and genre. Many have been heavily revised and corrected. Most of his published books are represented in some part, though shorter pieces, such as articles and contemporary portraits, predominate. A major part deals with his criticism and interpretation of various works by Oscar Wilde, his biography of Wilde, and his own biography, My Life and Loves. Correspondence of Harris from his last decade (primarily letters from booksellers, translators, and publishers), as well as some financial and printed material, is also included
Further accessions include correspondence with Arnold and Blance Rittenberg, and Gordon Young.
- Collection Creator Biography:
Harris
Primarily remembered today for his sexually frank reminiscences ( My Life and Loves, 3 vols., 1923-1927), Harris was an American expatriate writer who lived for many years in Nice, France. Born in Ireland (1856), raised and educated in the United States, Harris drifted to Europe for further education, eventually editing various magazines in England, becoming friends with Max Beerbohm, Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde, and gaining a literary reputation for books and short stories. He returned to the U.S. and edited Pearson's Magazine, but his pro-German sympathies during World War I forced him to retire in France, where he died in 1931. Harris's other major publications include Elder Conklin (stories, 1894), Montes the Matador (stories, 1900), Mr. and Mrs. Daventry (play, 1900), The Man Shakespeare (psychological study, 1909), Great Days (novel, 1914), Oscar Wilde: His Life and Confessions (biography, 2 vols, 1916), and Undream'd of Shores (stories, 1924).
Collection History
- Acquisition:
Purchased by the Department in August 2004 .
- Custodial History
This collection was first bought from a bookshop in Nice shortly after Frank Harris's death in 1931. The material relative to Oscar Wilde has been collected; but the rest has been left largely as found, with the titles of each folder (where there is a folder, or a title) as left by Harris.
- Accruals
No accruals are expected.
- Appraisal
One printed item was transferred to Rare Books Division for cataloging; the rest has been retained.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by John Delaney in September 2004. Finding aid written by John Delaney in October 2004.
Access & Use
- Conditions Governing Access
The collection is available for research.
- 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:
Frank Harris Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Permanent URL:
- http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/fx719m45p
- Location:
-
Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA
- Storage Note:
- ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1-9
Find More
- Bibliography
Frank Harris (New York, Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1970) by Robert B. Pearsall was consulted during preparation of the biographical note.
- Subject Terms:
- Authors, American -- 20th century -- Correspondence
Authors, American--20th century--Manuscripts. - Genre Terms:
- Correspondence
Typescripts. - Names:
- Harris, Frank (1856-1931)
Wilde, Oscar (1854-1900)
