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Collection Overview

Creator:
Matthews, T. S. (Thomas Stanley) (1901-1991)
Title:
T. S. Matthews Papers
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dj52w4773
Dates:
1910-1991 (mostly 1940-1991)
Size:
57 boxes, 8 items, and 22.9 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-56; OS
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of writings, notebooks, correspondence, files from Time magazine, subject files, legal and financial correspondence, photographs, and printed material of T. S. Matthews, an author and editor of Time magazine.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection contains writings, notebooks, correspondence, files from Time magazine, subject files, legal and financial correspondence, photographs, printed material of T. S. Matthews, dating from 1910 to 1991; there also are some writings of others about him. Included is a series of datebooks for every year from 1950 to his 1991 death, recording his appointments and notes, as well as journals and dream diaries. The files from Time date from the 1940s to the 1950s, and consist of internal correspondence and memoranda, as well as his notes on the possible Time-in-Britain project. Included in the subject files are Matthews' research notes on T. S. Eliot, his literary hero and the subject of his book Great Tom: Notes Towards the Definition of T. S. Eliot. Notable correspondents include John Aldridge, Whittaker Chambers, T. S. Eliot, Valerie Eliot, Robert Graves, Eleanor Green, Laura (Riding) Jackson, Schuyler Jackson, Len Lye, Laurie Lee, William Piel, Jr., V. S. Pritchett, Lyman Spitzer, and Adlai Stevenson.

Collection Creator Biography:

Matthews

T. S. (Thomas Stanley) Matthews (1901-1991), Princeton Class of 1922, was an author and editor of Time magazine. The son of a New Jersey bishop and Proctor & Gamble heiress, Matthews earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton in 1922 and New College at Oxford in 1924. He joined the staff of the New Republic in 1925 and Time's staff in 1929 as book editor. He moved up to assistant managing editor, managing editor, and finally editor in 1949. Especially in his capacity as managing editor, Matthews raised the journalistic and writing standards of the magazine, and was known for his harsh criticism.

Following disagreements with senior management over the 1952 presidential election, Matthews left Time and moved to England to study the possibility of starting a British version of the magazine. Following this project's cancellation, he remained in Britain to write. Among his numerous books and poetry are an autobiography and a book on T. S. Eliot, his literary hero. He was married three times -- to Juliana Stevens Cuyler, Martha Gellhorn, and Pamela Peniakoff.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Papers: gift of Rev. Timothy Anderson (Matthews's literary executor), in 2008 .

Additional papers: gift of John P. C. Matthews, Class of 1951, in 2008 .

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Ayse Gursoy in 2009. Finding aid written by Ayse Gursoy and updated by Lisa Yankowitz in 2010.

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:

T. S. Matthews Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dj52w4773
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-56; OS

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Bibliography

Current Biography (H. W. Wilson Company, 1950) and American National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004) were consulted during preparation of the biographical note.

Subject Terms:
Editors -- New York (State) -- New York. -- Correspondence -- 20th century
Manuscripts. -- 20th century
Genre Terms:
Correspondence -- 20th century
Daybooks. -- 20th century
Names:
Time, inc.
Eliot, T.S. (Thomas Stearns) (1888-1965)
Jackson, Laura Riding (1901-1991)