Search

A collection of letters, manuscripts, and documents of prominent actors, actresses, and theatrical managers. Many of these are single, unrelated items. The largest body of correspondence is from the American actress, Charlotte Cushman (14 letters). Another figure of major interest is William Charles Macready, partly because of Miss Cushman's relationship to him (she toured with him for several years) and also as there are several of his letters. Sir Henry Irving, Edwin Forrest and James Mowatt are each represented by a few letters. A group of 8 unsigned letters may have been written by the famous singer, actress, and manager, Eliza Vestris. One box contains manuscripts of Samuel Coit, Charlotte Cushman, Clyde Fitch, Wallace Gould, Henry von Heiseler, E.H. Sothern, and Lester Wallack. Six boxes contain Augustin Daly's check stubs and bank books for Daly's Theatre, New York, for 1872-1899. (For additional Augustin Daly business records, see description sheets for Daly's Theatre Collection, X810.128/D15& the Dramatic Library Collection shelf list).

The Chinese Diary Collection contains 850 volumes of hardbound and softbound diaries, dating from 1930s to 1980s. Some volumes are filled with writing from cover to cover; some, partially filled; and some, with brief inscriptions. It includes 81 volumes by different individuals of Republican Period (1912-1949) and 95 small volumes penned by an engineer, with scientific data and personal contents. The contents recorded in the dairies are significant, for instance, a set of 20 work diaries by a mid-rank public security cadre member during and after the Cultural Revolution offers detailed history of public security operations for two decades. A set of 10 work diaries by an officer working in a ministry of the State Council in the 1980s documented the political and daily lives before and after the Tiananmen Massacre in association with the students' pro-democracy movement.

Correspondence, manuscripts, notes, course materials, and printed matter relevant to the teaching and research of Elliott V. K. Dobbie, Professor of English. Correspondence files contain materials on various publications including American Speech, Modern American Usage, Word as well as letters with students and colleagues. The manuscripts include Columbia University English Department files, course materials on the history of the English language, examinations, lectures given by others and notes thereon; texts of sagas, materials on Short History of English Grammar and West Frisian language. The notes are primarily on Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records. Printed matter includes numerous offprints inscribed to Dobbie and materials used in his research.

The Latin inscriptions, which predominate in the collection, are sepulchral. Items worthy of p;ublication have been published in CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM LATINARUM, volumes VI and XV, and in the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ARCHAELOGY, 1899 and 1906. There are 11 inscibed pipes (lead) and 15 stamped bricks among the Latin inscriptions. There are only 3 Greek inscriptions (again, sepulchral) in the collection. Squeezes of published Greek inscriptions, ca. 500, are also available for study in conjunction with the published inscriptions

Letters, documents, and printed materials documenting Macy's publishing career, including that relating to the Nonesuch Press, dating from 1941 to 1960. Included also are photographs, awards, and financial papers. The correspondents include many of Macy's close friends including Peter Beilenson, William Rose Benét, Clifton Fadiman, Christopher Fry, Lillian Gish, Alec Guinness, Fritz Kredel, Frederic and Florence March, Francis Meynell, Bruce Rogers, Louis Untermeyer, Carl Van Doren, and Lynd Ward. Also, miscellaneous engravings, lithographs, and drawings. The collection also includes 3 series of books: Macy-Masius Readers Club, Readers Club and Heritage Press. Macy Memorial Limited Addition Club books were cataloged individually as MACYMEM