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The main body of this collection contains letters from Carpenter to Robert W. Herrick (1868-1938), a student of his at Harvard from 1888 to 1890, and later a colleague on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty, 1890-1893. At this time Herrick went to teach at the University of Chicago and Carpenter came to Columbia. Much of this correspondence is concerned with helping his friend Herrick break into the professional writers' world. Items of personal interest are also discussed in these letters to a long-time friend. Three early letters, 1886-1888, are written to his mother from Paris and Berlin where he spent the two years of the Rogers Fellowship upon his graduation from Harvard in 1886. More descriptive than personal, they tell his impressions of these countries and news items of the day. In addition there is an 11-page manuscript by Carpenter entitled "My Impressions of France" written ca. 1888. There is also a scrapbook of clippings from newspapers and magazines of writings by Carpenter from 1892 to 1905. Included are book reviews, literary writings and some items relating to Columbia University.

Correspondence relating to Erskine's various educational, musical and literary interests; manuscripts of his writings; lecture notes for college courses; souvenirs of his army service in World War I and his Columbia University professorship, and student papers from his own school and college days. Also, biographical file, scrapbooks, and articles.

Personal and professional papers including correspondence, manuscripts, documents, diaries, journals, photographs, and printed materials relating to his teaching at various universities, his literary studies and writings, and his professional activities in such organizations as the Moder Language Association and P.E.N. His correspondents include contemporary authors such as Edmund Blunden, Christopher Hassall, Louis Kronenberger; scholars such as James P. Clifford, Leon Edel, and A.L. Rowse. There are also some letters collected by Halsband, including those by Mrs Piozzi, John Wilkes (1727-1797) and John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792). Among the manuscripts are notes, drafts, typescripts, and proofs of his LIFE OF LADY WORTLEY MONTAGU (Oxford, 1956) and COMPLETE LETTERS OF LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU (Oxford, 1965-1967). Also, manuscripts and typescripts of Halsband's diaries, journals, lectures, articles, book reviews, and essays. The printed materials include ephemera, books, and offprints by Halsband and books by other authors inscribed to him. There is a watercolor portrait of Halsband by Stephen Andrews, London, ca. 1966.