John Eugene Unterecker papers, 1961-1987

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Creator:: Unterecker, John, 1922-1989
Extent:: 53 linear feet 125 manuscript cartons, 3 file card boxes
Language:: English .
Scope and content:: The collection documents the scholarship and writing of John Eugene Unterecker, a poet, biographer of the poet Hart Crane, and professor of English. The majority of the collection is composed of correspondence and manuscripts. Materials date from 1961 to 1987.
Biographical / historical:: John Eugene Unterecker (1923-1989) was a poet, biographer, and professor of English at Columbia University from 1958-1974. His biography of the poet Hart Crane, Voyager, was nominated for a National Book Award in 1970. A collection of his poetry, Stone, was published in 1977. Unterecker also published poems in the New Yorker, Poetry magazine, and The Nation. Unterecker earned a Master of Arts Degree from Columbia University in 1948 and a Ph.D. in 1956. Prior to joining the faculty of Columbia University, he taught at the College of the City of New York. In 1974, he was appointed Citizens' Professor in English at the University of Hawaii. He died in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1989.

Acquisition information:

Source of acquisition--Unterecker Estate. Method of acquisition--Purchase; Date of acquisition--02/15/91. Accession number--M-91-02-15.

Gift of John E. Unterecker, 1966-1969; Purchase, 1977 and 1991.

Processing information:

Entered in AMC 08/23/91.

The collection was originally arranged in eleven series. Three of these series were composed of correspondence, two were composed of audiotapes, and four were composed of manuscripts. The system of box numbering started over again after Box 23, and three card file boxes were not numbered. Rare Book and Manuscript Library staff also individually catalogued two boxes of correspondence, as well as a handful of manuscripts and other items.

In 2019, the collection's arrangement was altered to reduce the number of series to five, and to intellectually group materials with similar formats and subject matter together. Box numbers were changed to a single series of consecutive numbers.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into 4 series.

Accruals:

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

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

There is no Box 21 in the collection.

Some unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. Commercial materials are not routinely digitized. Email rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

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.

Preferred citation:: Identification of specific item; Date (if known); John Eugene Unterecker papers; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Location of this collection:: Rare Book & Manuscript Library

RBML Home Page
6th Floor East Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:: Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.

Contact:: rbml@library.columbia.edu

Collection