Nicholas August Koenig papers, 1865, circa 1906-1913, bulk 1906-1913

Creator:: Koenig, Nicholas August, 1882-1956
Extent:: 4.5 linear feet (6 manuscript boxes and 2 index card boxes (ReCAP, boxes 1-8); 1 flat box (onsite, box 9 - CLOSED))
Language:: English, Arabic, Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928)
Scope and content:: Manuscripts and notes of Nicholas August Koenig, dealing with his researches in the fields of Near East archaeology and Arabic, Aramaic, and other ancient languages.
Biographical / historical:: Nicholas August Koenig was born in New York in 1882. He was the son of Meta Koenig and the Lutheran Minister Leo Koenig (1844-1919) who presided over St. Paul's on W 22nd St for over 40 years. Nicholas received his A.B. from Columbia in 1903, his MA in 1904 and completed his PhD in 1908. From 1907 to 1908 he studied in Berlin at Friedrich Wilhelm University. From 1906-1908 he translated Al-Kindi's 9th century The History of the Governors of Egypt, which he consulted at the British Museum. In 1909 he left for Jerusalem as a Thayer Fellow in the American School of Oriental Research, and then returned to New York and Columbia in 1910 as a lecturer in Oriental Languages. In 1913 Koenig suffered from a nervous breakdown which forced him to leave academia and the field.

Catalog record:

View in CLIO

Local call number:

MS#0722

Processing information:

Cataloged Christina Hilton Fenn 07/--/1989.

Material lightly rehoused and reboxed in 2026.

Acquisition information:

Source of acquisition--Suhr, Heinrich P. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--1960. Accession number--M-60.

Accruals:

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Separated material:

A Ge'ez scroll, probably 19th century, was removed for separte cataloging. kws 2026-02-05

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Preferred citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Nicholas August Koenig papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Boxes 1-8 are located off-site. Box 9 is located onsite.

Unprocessed. Boxes 1-8 can be made available without further intervention.

Terms of access:

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Location of this collection:: Rare Book & Manuscript Library

RBML Home Page
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Contact:: rbml@library.columbia.edu

Collection