Manuscripts Division
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Housed in Firestone Library, the Manuscripts Division of the Department of Special Collections includes material documenting 5000 years of recorded history and all parts of the world, with strengths in Western Europe, the Near East, the United States, and Latin America.
Our Collections
Henry S. Julier and F. W. Cram Correspondence, 1891-1910
Consists of correspondence of Henry S. Julier with F. W. Cram regarding the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad and the involvement of the American Express Company in its establishment in Maine.
Collection ID: C1096
Flannery O'Connor Letters to Ashley Brown, 1958-1964
Consists of thirty-eight letters written by the Southern author Flannery O'Connor to her friend Ashley Brown.
Collection ID: C1150
Carlos M. Luis correspondence with members of Grupo Orígenes, 1962-1969
Consists of correspondence between author Carlos M. Luis and some members of Grupo Orígenes, an association of intellectuals in Cuban culture founded in 1944.
Collection ID: C1474
Theodore Spicer-Simson Correspondence and Etchings, 1913-1933 (mostly 1921-1922)
Consists mainly of letters received by sculptor and medallist Theodore Spicer-Simson during the preparation of his Men of Letters of the British Isles:Portrait Medallions from the Life (1924).
Collection ID: C0244
Sir Edwin Arnold Letters, 1861
Consists of fifteen letters (1861) by the English author Sir Edwin Arnold to London publisher Smith, Elder, and Co. regarding his work The Book of Good Counsels.
Collection ID: C1328
Booth Tarkington Letters to the Burrages, 1938-1946
Consists of 42 letters by novelist Booth Tarkington to Mildred and Madeleine Burrage, friends that he and his wife made in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Collection ID: C0891
Princeton University Library Collection of Fratelli Alinari Photographs, circa 1950
Fratelli Alinari was an Italian firm founded in Florence in 1852 by the three Alinari brothers, Romualdo, Leopoldo, and Giuseppe. Fratelli Alinari became one of the largest and most prolific European photography firms of the 19th and 20th centuries. By 1880 the firm employed over 100 people. Alinari specialized in views of Italy and the reproduction of works of art. [http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/guides_bibliographies/photography_greece/photographers.html] Consists of an open collection of photographs by Fratelli Alinari depicting several sites in Greece.
Collection ID: C1391
14 Africans vs. One American by Frederic Fox, 1962
Consists of the corrected typescript and corrected galley proof of the book 14 Africans vs. One American (1963) by American journalist Frederic Fox (Princeton Class of 1939).
Collection ID: C0159
Moses Hadas Photographs of Greece, 1944-1946
Consists of photographs (ca. 1944-1946) of Greece and Greek partisans taken by classical scholar Moses Hadas.
Collection ID: C0766
Friedrich Dobe photographs collection, 1925-1930
Consists of an open collection of photographs by Dobe.
Collection ID: C1395
The Watchman by Davis Grubb, 1961
Consists of drafts of The Watchman, a novel by Davis Grubb.
Collection ID: C0164
Thomas Craig Correspondence, 1882-1899
Consists of selected correspondence of the nineteenth-century American mathematician Thomas Craig on various mathematical subjects.
Collection ID: C1040
Haskell Institute scrapbook, 1935-1936
Consists of a scrapbook entitled "Annual Report of the Girls' Advisors of Haskell Institute, 1935-1936."
Collection ID: WC092
New Granada Slavery Collection, 1757-1812
Consists of 58 manuscript leaves, comprising 27 Spanish documents, relating to the buying and selling of slaves in the Kingdom of New Granada (now Colombia).
Collection ID: C1052
New Series of Islamic Manuscripts, 1300-1920
Consists of approximately 5000 texts in 2194 volumes.
Collection ID: C0765
Charles and Cora Bonney Correspondence, 1883-1885
Contains letters and postcards between Charles Bonney and his wife Cora while Charles was travelling in the American West.
Collection ID: C1430
Mrs. Humphry Ward Marcella Manuscripts, circa 1894
Consists of holograph drafts of several chapters, and other manuscript material, for Marcella, a novel by British novelist Mary Augusta Ward (1851-1920) who wrote under her married name as Mrs. Humphry Ward.
Collection ID: C0184
Caroline Gordon Letters to Morris Gordon, 1963-1977
Consists of 45 letters by American novelist Caroline Gordon to her brother, Morris Meriwether Gordon, and his wife, Polly.
Collection ID: C0578
Sinclair Lewis: An American Life by Mark Schorer, 1961
Consists of a photoduplicated copy of Schorer's original typescript, with holograph corrections, for his 1961 biography of the American novelist, Sinclair Lewis.
Collection ID: C0336
Atlantic Monthly Press Author Files of Stanley Kunitz, 1965-1983
Consists of Atlantic Monthly Press author files (1965-1983) of American poet Stanley Kunitz.
Collection ID: C0903
Princeton University Library Collection of Konstantinos Dimitriou Photographs, 1889
Konstantinos Dimitriou (dates unknown) worked in Athens from ca. 1875 to 1900. He photographed towns, archaeological sites, and monuments, producing large-format pictures for the tourist trade. [http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/guides_bibliographies/photography_greece/photographers.html] Consists of an open collection for Dimitriou photographs of classical sites in Athens, including the Syntagma square, theTemple of Olympian Zeus, the Erechtheum, the Propylaea, the arch of Hadrian, the Acropolis, the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, the Byzantine church of Saints Theodore, and two grave-markers. There is also an image of Piraeus signed by Dimitriou.
Collection ID: C1365
Daniel Hoit anti-slavery correspondence, 1838-1845
Consists of several anti-slavery letters and circulars, dating from 1838 to 1845, to New Hampshire state legislator and abolitionist, Daniel Hoit (1778-1859).
Collection ID: C1524
Edwin Forrest Letters to James Oakes, 1849-1872 (mostly 1860-1871)
Consists of 178 letters by American actor Edwin Forrest to his friend James Oakes.
Collection ID: C0721
American Institute of Electrical Engineers Collection, 1957-1961
Consists of papers (1957-1961), and accompanying letters, of scholars from both academe and industry dealing with advances in computer technology and sent to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers for presentation at the AIEE's general meetings.
Collection ID: C0297
Advance from Broadway by Norris Houghton, 1941
Consists of manuscripts for Norris Houghton's book Advance from Broadway.
Collection ID: C0167
John Watts Letters to Thomas Champion, 1813-1819 (mostly 1814)
Consists of forty-eight letters by former chaplain John Watts to his friend Thomas Champion, a merchant at Mssrs. Rhodes &Champion in Sheffield.
Collection ID: C0874
Winton Dean Collection, 1957-1984
Consists primarily of twenty-seven years of correspondence between music scholars J. Merrill Knapp and Winton Dean regarding George Frideric Handel's operas and their professional work and writings about them.
Collection ID: C1044
Ferdinand Denis letters and manuscripts, 1847-1882
Consists of letters, manuscripts and notes dating from 1847 to 1882, from French historian, writer, and librarian at the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, Ferdinand Denis. Also included is one letter written to him. Many of the items concern Brazil, but there are also two chapters apparently intended for a book.
Collection ID: C1625
William Tuckey Meredith Letters to Mary Watson, 1863-1864
Consists of Civil War letters by Union paymaster William Tuckey Meredith to his fiancee, Mary Watson of Perth Amboy, N. J.
Collection ID: C0593
C. P. Heaslop Letters to His Wife, 1870-1880
Consists of 150 letters (1870-1880) by Major C. P. Heaslop to his wife describing his service in the Royal Marine Artillery while stationed primarily in the Mediterranean.
Collection ID: C0715
Taos (N.M.) Letters of Bonnie Scotland, 1889-1890
Consists of eighteen letters by Bonnie Scotland, a nineteenth-century Englishwoman living in Taos, New Mexico, to her sister, Mary N. Williams, in England.
Collection ID: WC009
Sin, One Way, Economy Class, 1976
Consists of a typescript, with a few corrections, for Sin, One Way, Economy Class (1976) by author Lucy Caldwell, concerning her work in Vietnam in support of the American armed forces during the Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975.
Collection ID: C0570
Compton Townsend Correspondence, 1816-1832
Consists of early nineteenth-century correspondence between Townsend Compton in London, England, and his relatives and friends in Philadelphia.
Collection ID: C1037
George Wingrove Cooke "Memoirs of Lord Bolingbroke" Manuscript, 1834-1835
A bound volume of the complete manuscript of "Memoirs of Lord Bolingbroke" by British lawyer and historian George Wingrove Cooke (1814-1865).
Collection ID: C1494
Ben Wittick Photographs of Hopi Villages, circa 1880-1903
Consists of a large bound volume of nine black-and-white photographs by American West photographer Ben Wittick, probably taken between 1880 and 1903.
Collection ID: WC053
Documents Relating to the Charles Willson Peale Portrait of George Washington, 1794-1906
Consists of reproductions of a portrait of Washington painted by Charles Willson Peale and documents relating to the possession of the original painting.
Collection ID: C0242
Angelos Prokopiou Photographs Collection, 1901-1999
Consists of an open collection of photographs by Angelos Prokopiou.
Collection ID: C1344
Nicola Fergola Papers, 1769-1824
Consists of approximately 90 items relating to the Neopolitan mathematics professor Nicola Fergola.
Collection ID: C0091
Greenwich Island, Pennsylvania, Collection, 1782-1796
Consists of 72 18th-century documents for accounts, tax collection, or the sale of land in the Township of Greenwich, in Berks County, Pa.
Collection ID: C1070
Charles Felton Pidgin Correspondence on Aaron Burr, 1871-1910
Consists primarily of letters to American author/inventor Charles Felton Pidgin relating to his study of Aaron Burr (1756-1836).
Collection ID: C0194
James Madison, the Virginia Revolutionist by Irving Brant, 1940
Consists of the original typed draft with holograph corrections of Irving Brant's biography James Madison, the Virginia Revolutionist
Collection ID: C0296
Alan Bell Sermons, 1815-1834
Consists of the manuscripts of twenty-one sermons preached by nineteenth-century English clergyman Alan Bell.
Collection ID: C0389
Pliny Papers of J. H. Westcott, 1895-1902
Consists of manuscript material used in the preparation of Selected Letters of Pliny (1898), edited by Princeton classics professor J. H. Westcott.
Collection ID: C0451
Philippos Margaritēs photographs collection, 1854
Philippos Margaritēs studied painting in Rome and taught drawing in Athens. Around 1846 he met Philibert Perraud in Athens, where Perraud taught him photography. Margaritēs thereafter established the first photography studio in Greece, based out of his house, where he photographed Athens' high society. He was active as a photographer from the early 1850s until around 1863. Margaritēs specialized in portraits and topographical views. He was believed to have taught his drawing students about the principles of photography, but he did not instruct them in the practical darkroom techniques. In addition to daguerreotypes, Margaritēs produced salt prints and albumen prints and also made cartes-de-visite [http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=1739]. Consists of an open collection of photographs by Greece's first professional photographer, Philippos Margaritēs.
Collection ID: C1299
Princeton University Library Collection of Rubellin et Fils Photographs, circa 1880
Consists of an open collection of photographs of Ottoman scenes by Rubellin et fils, a French photography studio based in Izmir, Turkey..
Collection ID: C1146
Selected papers of Louis E. Laflin, 1914-1966 (mostly 1916-1926)
Consists of letters by Laflin (Princeton Class of 1924) to Helen D. Hill, covering his years at the Lawrenceville School and Princeton University, and typescripts of four of his plays based on religious themes.
Collection ID: TC036
Mary Anne Hughes Letters to J. T. J. Hewlett, 1842-1844
Consists of letters by Mary Anne Hughes to nineteenth-century English novelist J. T. J. Hewlett.
Collection ID: C1300
D.I. Rallēs correspondence, 1943-1944
Consists of outgoing correspondence of Rallēs.
Collection ID: C1444
Max Beerbohm Caricatures, 1900
Consists of six original drawings by English parodist Sir Max Beerbohm: caricatures of Sir Arthur W. Pinero, Harry Furniss, William Watson, Stephen Phillips, Hall Caine, and the Prince of Wales (Edward VII).
Collection ID: C0324
Constantine Cavafy Photograph Collection, 1865-1933
Consists of photographs of the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy and members of his family that were collected by Ben Sonnenberg.
Collection ID: C1043
James B. Gray Scrapbooks, 1851-1852
Consists of 10 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings compiled by historian James Gray in the early 1850s from various newspapers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Collection ID: C0895
Margarita Aguirre Correspondence, 1958-1981
Consists of correspondence between Chilean author Margarita Aguirre and novelist and fellow countryman José Donoso.
Collection ID: C0267
A. Kasphikis Photographs Collection, circa 1890
Consists of an open collection of photographs by Greek photographer A. Kasphikis. Included are portraits of men and women of Corfu, Greece, in traditional dress.
Collection ID: C1244
Samuel Warren Letters to Charles Kent, 1848-1871
Consists of 37 autograph letters by English novelist Samuel Warren to his friend Charles Kent, an editor of the London Sun and the Weekly Register.
Collection ID: C0748
Elias Dayton Collection, 1800
Consists of some business records of Elias Dayton, a nineteenth-century Elizabeth, New Jersey, general store owner and contractor.
Collection ID: C0474
Samuel B. Fisher Civil War Letters to Carrie R. Fisher, 1862-1865
Consists of nine letters sent by Union Army soldier Samuel B. Fisher to his sister, Carrie R. Fisher, in Camden, New Jersey, during the United States Civil War.
Collection ID: C1176
Channing Pollock plays, 1903-1944
Consists chiefly of typescripts of plays written by Pollock over a forty-year period but includes sheet music of songs containing his lyrics, playbills, and printed matter.
Collection ID: TC057
Princeton Collection of Syriac Manuscripts, 1239-1900 (mostly 1600-1709)
Consists of an open collection of manuscripts written in the Syriac alphabet.
Collection ID: C0941
Nelson A. Miles Memorabilia, 1897
Consists of a scrapbook of memorabilia collected by U.S. Army officer Nelson A. Miles while in England representing the United States at Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897.
Collection ID: WC016
F. Van Wyck Mason's "Stars on the Sea" Typescript, 1940
Consists of the printer's typescript for American novelist F. Van Wyck Mason's novel Stars on the Sea.
Collection ID: C0040
Greek Historical Documents, 1821-1873 (mostly 1821-1849)
This collection consists of over 82 Greek historical documents regarding the Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution of 1821, ranging from 1821 to 1873.
Collection ID: C0933
"The Man Who Could Grow Hair" Collection, 1949
Consists of the typed manuscript of The Man Who Could Grow Hair, a book by William Attwood (Princeton Class of 1941) based on his experience as a foreign correspondent in Europe.
Collection ID: C0146
John R. Krueger Collection of Gennadiĭ Aĭgi and Chuvash Poetry, 1972-1992
Consists of Krueger's correspondence with Peter France and Gennadiĭ Aĭgi regarding a Chuvash poetry anthology (published by UNESCO in 1991) and Kreuger's Chuvash language manual, as well as poems (in Russian and English) used in the anthology.
Collection ID: C1167
The World of the Great Forest: Novel by Paul Du Chaillu, 1900
Consists of the autograph manuscript of The World of the Great Forest by the French-American traveler and anthropologist Paul Du Chaillu.
Collection ID: C0153
George Economou Papers, 2010-2016
Consists of hard copies of Economou's poems, typescripts, and a notebook.
Collection ID: C1377
Princeton University Library Collection of Stereographs of Greece, 1903-1905
Consists of stereoscopic images of Athens by the Neue Photographische Gesellschaft A.G. [New Photographic Society] and White Co, H.C.
Collection ID: C1371
Erwin Panofsky Letters to Mrs. Alfred Barr, 1932-1967
Consists mostly of letters by German-American art historian Erwin Panofsky to friend and art historian Margaret Scolari Barr.
Collection ID: C0050
Frank L. Wood Correspondence, 1861-1939
Consists of a letter album of Frank L. Wood, an American lawyer.
Collection ID: C0241
Walter Kauzmann Papers, 1940-1993
Consists of correspondence and miscellaneous materials related to Walter Kauzmann's work on the Manhattan Project and his career as a professor of chemistry at Princeton University.
Collection ID: C0978
Harold McGraw Papers, 1978-1992
Consists of selcted papers, primarily photocopies, of publisher Harold W. McGraw, Jr.
Collection ID: C1002
Latin America photographs collection, 1930s
An open collection of Latin America photographs.
Collection ID: C1355
Princeton Greek Manuscripts Collection, 1601-1900
Consists of an open collection of bound Greek manuscripts dating from the 17th to the 19th century.
Collection ID: C0879
M. Roberts Yaquis photographs collection, 1909
Consists of 12 silver gelatin photographs (8 measuring 8x10 inches; 4 measuring 5x7 inches) of the Yaquis extermination by M. Roberts of Hermosilla, some with manuscript notations on the verso.
Collection ID: C1401
Frederick Hudson Collection, 1967-1986
Consists chiefly of selected correspondence between musicologists Frederick Hudson and J. Merrill Knapp regarding George Frideric Handel and other composers.
Collection ID: C1083
Princeton University Library Collection of Maria Chrousakē Photographs, 1938-1950s?
Consists of an open collection for Maria Chrousakē photographs of several places in Greece and Cyprus mostly Byzantine churches and monasteries and archaeological sites.
Collection ID: C1354
J. H. Stocqueler Letters to John Philippart, 1846-1871
Consists of 34 letters of British author J. H. Stocqueler to military writer John Philippart.
Collection ID: C1028
Esther Forbes "Paradise" Collection, circa 1936
Consists of a late draft of Paradise (1937), a novel by American author Esther Forbes.
Collection ID: C0130
Panos Geralēs Photographs Collection, 1901-1999
Consists of an open collection of photographs by Geralēs.
Collection ID: C1341
Princeton University Library Collection of Alois Beer Photographs, circa 1890
Consists of an open collection for general photographs of sites and subjects in Greece.
Collection ID: C1370
"Paul Revere's Horse" Collection, 1949
Consists of the corrected typescript of a collection of essays by A. C. M. Azoy (Princeton Class of 1914) on 18th- and 19th-century United States military history, entitled Paul Revere's Horse (1949).
Collection ID: C0139
Smith Ordway Collection, 1880-1927
Consists of diaries written by Smith Ordway while he was an undergraduate at Princeton (1880-1884), a seminarian (1885-1888) at Auburn Theological Seminary (N.Y.), a traveler to Europe and the Middle East (1907), and a Presbyterian minister to congregations mainly in New York State (1888-1923). The collection also contains an album of photographs of members of the Class of 1884, scenes of Princeton, and Ordway family members.
Collection ID: C0536
Jean Clarence Lambert Collection of Octavio Paz, 1951-1992
Consists of 122 letters (1952-1992) by Mexican poet Octavio Paz to French critic and translator Jean Clarence Lambert; approx. a dozen photographs; and "Carnet Bleu" (French, "vers" 1951), Lambert's blue notebook containing his French translations of Paz's "Libertad Bajo Palabra," bearing some holograph annotations by Paz.
Collection ID: C1314
Kathleen Tankersley Young Correspondence, 1928-1932
Consists chiefly of correspondence of American author and editor Kathleen Tankersley Young with the New York book designer and printer Lew Ney and his wife, Ruth Widen.
Collection ID: C1273
General John J. Pershing Expedition Photographic Postcard Collection, 1916-1917
Photographic scenes of military camp life, soldiers, equipment, and battle scenes, including the identification and disposal of Mexican causalities during General John J. Pershing's Punitive Expedition into Mexico in 1916.
Collection ID: C1359
A. F. Machemer Collection of Augustus W. Bradford and Samuel Bradford, 1843-1932
Contains some miscellaneous papers of A. W. Bradford, governor of Maryland during the Civil War, but the collection consists primarily of speeches, correspondence, documents, and printed matter of Bradford's son, Samuel Webster Bradford (Princeton Class of 1875).
Collection ID: C0394
Young Ewing Allison Papers, 1897-1932
Consists of selected papers of Young Ewing Allison, a Kentucky newspaperman and editor.
Collection ID: C1003
Robert McKnight Collection, 1841-1876
Consists chiefly of correspondence to and miscellaneous essays and notes written by Robert McKnight, a member of the Princeton Class of 1839 and, later, a Pennsylvania congressman.
Collection ID: C1124
Claude Fayette Bragdon Collection, 1899-1946
Consists of correspondence of the American architect and author Claude Fayette Bragdon, as well as related printed material.
Collection ID: C1019
K. Montgomery Ogden Papers, 1899-1938
Consists of photographs, scrapbooks, memorabilia, and newspaper clippings of Kneass Montgomery Ogden (Princeton Class of 1902). The bulk of the collection relates to his years as bursar of Canton Christian College in China.
Collection ID: C0533
Karađorđević Royal Family Photographs, circa 1900-1930
Consists of twenty one photographs relating to the Karađorđević royal family of Serbia and Yugoslavia.
Collection ID: C1597
Joseph Lea Correspondence, 1799-1802
Consists of correspondence (approximately 125 letters) between Joseph Lea (Princeton Class of 1802) and his father, Thomas Lea.
Collection ID: C0875
Alfred C. Boswell Collection, 1912-1952
Consists of autograph musical compositions, diaries, notebooks, and related material of Boswell, an American composer.
Collection ID: C1015
Showles Circus Costume Collection, 1866-1870
William Showles (1856-1924) was an American circus equestrian. The Showles Circus Costume Collection consists of parts of costumes--caps, shoes, jackets, tights, and an equestrian hat--worn by members of the Showles family, equestrians who traveled with small circuses from the mid-1800s until after the beginning of this century.
Collection ID: TC067
England - Argentina Trade Collection, 1859-1885
Consists of selected correspondence and documents relating to Liverpool (England) merchants and their shippers and counterparts in Buenos Aires (Argentina) during the second half of the nineteenth century. Correspondence (1882-1885) between Alexander Gifford (Liverpool) and his brother Edward (Buenos Aires) forms the bulk of the material.
Collection ID: C1287
Sir William Rothenstein Letters, 1898-1943
Consists of 34 letters and postcards by the English painter Sir William Rothenstein to four correspondents: Henry Davray, Elizabeth Jungmann, F. H. Sunderland, and E. G. Wolfe.
Collection ID: C0923
Savannah River Baptist Association Minutes, 1802-1830
Consists of manuscript and printed copies of minutes of annual meetings of the Savannah Baptist Association from its origin in 1802 to 1830.
Collection ID: C0503
Lincoln Gilmore Smith Collection, 1950-1966
Consists of miscellaneous material of Lincoln Gilmore Smith, a physicist and professor of physics at Princeton University, relating to his construction and use of mass spectrometers.
Collection ID: C1205
Néstor Perlongher Letters to Martha "Beba" Eguía and Ricardo Piglia, 1989-1992
Consists of 24 letters from Argentine poet, activist, and anthropologist Néstor Perlongher (1945-1992) to artist and translator Martha "Beba" Eguía and her husband, the novelist Ricardo Piglia, including a draft of "Evita Vive."
Collection ID: C1421
Nineteenth-Century New Mexico Military Collection, 1847-1883
Consists of nineteenth-century correspondence and documents relating to the procurement of supplies at Forts Craig, Cummings, Union, and Sumner in New Mexico.
Collection ID: WC024
Cuban Writers Protest and Dissent, 2007
Consists of formal speeches and over three hundred e-mails collected by Prof. José Buscaglia-Salgado regarding the demands of scholars, intellectuals, and artists for changes in the official doctrine of the Cuban Revolution laid down in a speech by Fidel Castro.
Collection ID: C1196