Collections : [Rare Book & Manuscript Library]

Correspondence, manuscripts of poems, and manuscripts of lectures by Benjamin. The correspondence consists of original letters of Benjamin, typescript and photostatic copies of Benjamin letters in other libraries, and letters to Benjamin from some of his literary contemporaries including Paul Hamilton Hayne, Willis Gaylord Clark, John Lothrop Motley, and Fitz-Greene Halleck. Many of the letters relate to Park Benjamin's lecture tours. There are other family letters and many documents relating to the Benjamin family,and two letterbooks of John Lothrop Motley. Also, a large amount of genealogical material of the Benjamin family, and its related families from the 16th century to the present day. There are also financial records, monographs, clippings, and photographs.

Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, and newspapers. These include over four hundred letters to Alexander, as well as miscellaneous letters and telegrams; some of his manuscripts and notes; business records of his law firm; military documents of the western divisions of the Confederate Army; copybooks and letter books; and complete and partial newspapers and clippings from the various Southern newspapers (in particular THE SAVANNAH REPUBLICAN, the DAILY DISPATCH of Richmond, and the ADVERTISER AND REGISTER of Mobile) which carried Alexander's dispatches.

This collection is primarily concerned with Prof. James Renwick and his professional correspondence and papers, both as Professor of Natural Philosophy (Physics) at Columbia College and as a leading engineer. Many certificates of membership in honorary societies are included. There are letters from Washington Irving (1783-1859) to Prof. Renwick and to his mother, Jane Jeffrey Renwick, pertaining to contemporary events and Irving's own activities. The letters to Mrs. Renwick are about the travels and experiences of Irving and Renwick abroad. The collection also covers the affairs of the Prof. Renwick's grandfather, including documents concerning his land grants in New York State, and those of James Armstrong Renwick, including his valedictory address at Columbia College in 1876 and his class reunion in 1916. There are many legal documents, letters, and manuscripts of various members of the Renwick and Brevoort families; among these are Prof. Renwick's notes on his family genealogy and a memoir of Jane Jeffrey Renwick. Correspondents include Clement Clarke Moore, John A. Dix, Martin Van Buren, Secretary of State John Forsyth, and Secretary of the Navy James K. Paulding. There is one letter from Sir Edward Sabine (1788-1883), President of the Royal Society, giving his views on the American Civil War.

Correspondence, manuscripts, drawings, photographs, and printed material of Lax. Included are letters of Mark and Dorothy Van Doren and Thomas Merton. The bulk of the collection is comprised of Lax's poetry and journal manuscripts, many written in Patmos and Kalymnos, Greece, and originally sent to Emil Antonucci of the Journeyman Press in New York for publication. Also, printed photographs and unprinted negatives of pictures taken by Lax, primarily in Greece.

Correspondence files of Roberts Brothers, pertaining to all departments, editorial, production, advertising, and sales. Also, some miscellaneous letters and documents, unrelated to Roberts Brothers, which deal with various legal matters, including those of Frederick D. Ely and of William A. Dunn, from 1838 until 1932, and letters to the Secretary of Harvard University from 1900 to 1907.

Three groups of drawings, two in notebooks and the third torn from a notebook. 1). A 38 page spiral bound notebook containing 29 drawings, 9 pages of notes, and a concrete poem by Nancy Holt. Most of the drawings were done in preparation for his show at L'Attico Gallery in Rome, October 15 to November 7, 1969. The last two drawings refer to his travels in the Yucatan. 2). Three loose drawings torn from a larger spiral bound notebook. They are studies for L'Attico Gallery Exhibition. 3). A 12 page typewriter paper tablet containing 10 drawings (four are loose) and two pages of notes. The drawings were done from late 1969 through 1970 in Vancouver, the Anaconda Mines in British Columbia, and elsewhere.

Correspondence, manuscripts, notes, documents, photographs, audio tapes, and printed materials of Rochelle Owens. Included are: correspondence with other writers, publishers, and friends; scripts and production files of her plays; and, manuscripts and drafts of her books and other poems, along with other related materials. Boxes 1-3: Cataloged correspondence; Boxes 4-12: Owens' writings by title (Manuscripts, notes, photographs& printed materials); Box 13-14: General file (Audio tape cassettes, Biographical materials, Misc., Photographs& Misc. printed materials); Oversize folder: Record album & Photographs.

Working files of the architectural historians Rudolf and Margot Wittkower, dealing with Baroque and Renaissance painting, sculpture, and architecture. Included are manuscripts, notes, drawings, annotated proofs of articles and books, and some correspondence related to his writings and lectures. The majority of the files document his teaching, research, and writing at the University of London, 1934-1955, and at Columbia University. There are also some manuscript notes from his early years in Italy and Germany. Series I has been divided into six parts: Artists, Subjects, Book Manuscripts, Proofs, Notes, and Printed Materials. Some of the major files are Bernini, Bramante, Carracci, Michelangelo, and Raphael (Artists); Baroque Painting, Patronage, Rome, St. Peter's, Slade Lectures on the history of art (Subjects); ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN ITALY, BORN UNDER SATURN, and MATTHEWS LECTURES: GOTHIC VS. CLASSIC (Book Manuscripts). In addition there are proofs of essays and reviews with manuscript corrections and emmendations, copies of several of his own published works with his manuscript corrections, and typescript insertions for new editions. The Notes consist of eight card file boxes with notes chiefly relating to the Baroque period and Bernini. Materials created by or related to Rudolf Wittkower's wife, the architect and interior designer Margot Holzmann Wittkower, can be found primarily in Series II, IV, V, and VI. Material created or maintained solely by Margot Wittkower is located in Series VI; however, material she shared with Rudolf Wittkower is located in Series II, IV, and V.

Correspondence, manuscripts, playscripts, screenplays, diaries, documents, contracts, financial records, photographs, phonograph records, motion pictures, playbills, posters, sheet music, cartoons, art work, memorabilia, scrapbooks, and printed materials. . The collection consists chiefly of correspondence and production files relating to the creation, production, and performance of their works for stage, screen, radio, and television, such as Leave It To Me and Kiss Me Kate (with music by Cole Porter), Boy Meets Girl, and My Three Angels. Correspondence (with twentieth century authors, playwrights, musicians, political figures, and actors) includes: George Abbott, Jean Arthur, Bennett Cerf, Katharine Cornell, Jo Davidson, George and Ira Gershwin, Alec Guinness, W. Averell Harriman, Lilli Lehmann, Mary Martin, Laurence Olivier, Mary Pickford, Cole Porter, Regina Resnick, Eleanor Roosevelt, Robert E. Sherwood, Lincoln Steffens, Kurt Weill, Rebecca West, and Thornton Wilder. There is also correspondence concerning Bella Spewack's work with the New York Girls' Scholarship, UNRA, and the Sports Center of Israel. In addition to the production files, there are manuscripts and typescript drafts for novels, short stories, and articles by the Spewacks.