Manuscripts Division

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