Search

Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, art work, audio cassette, printed materials by and about Thomas Merton. The correspondence covers the years from his study at Columbia to his death in Bangkok. Among the cataloged correspondence are: Daniel Berrigan, Mark Van Doren, Luis Somoza, Jacque Maritain, Aldous Huxley, James Laughlin, Robert Lax, Grover Cleveland Smith, John Howard Griffin, William Henry Shannon and Victoria Ocampo. The extensive manuscript collection was assembled primarily by Sister Thérèse Lentfoehr, Mark Van Doren, and Robert Shepherd. Among the more significant manuscripts are: corrected typescript of THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN; fragments of his NOVITIATE JOURNAL; notebooks and journals used in THE SIGN OF JONAS; numerous draft of poems; most of his lecture and conference notes which he used while serving as master of scholastics and, later, master of novices. There is an extensive collection of mimeographed articles, many inscribed to Sister Thérèse Lentfoehr; four watercolors by his father, Owen Merton, and many humorous and devotional drawings by Merton; many photographs of Merton, as well as photographs taken by Merton. There is an audio cassette of the radio play by Bruce Stewart entitled ME AND MY SHADOW, produced by the BBC in 1989. The printed material consists of numerous clippings and some offprints, pamphlets, and books

The collection includes 21 posters relating to book arts, and a number of historical rare book dealer and auction catalogs and booklets related to rare book librarianship. It also includes several groups of printed materials, documents, art and memorabilia related to literature, performing arts, and the New York World's Fairs of 1939-40 and 1964-65.

Included are correspondence, minutes of Board of Directors and committees, proceedings of annual business meetings, surveys, statistical reports, financial records, photographs, and printed materials. The correspondence files dating from 1927, contain letters from university press directors regarding meetings arrangements, cooperative programs, and other matters of mutual concern. There are no correspondence files for the years 1936 to 1943.

A series of 12 letters from Graily Hewitt, 20 letters from Stanley Morison, and 3 letters from John Carter to Sir James Wardrop; also 10 letters from Sir James Wardrop to Graily Hewitt. This correspondence deals with calligraphic and manuscript matters. The single manuscript is Wardrop's draft obituary of Hewitt.

The card files for a collection of books on handwriting. The book collection has been classified and cataloged for the General Library, and various departmental libraries (primarily Psychology). The card files are arranged in two alphabetical sequences: Authors, A-Z; Subjects, A-Z

The collection includes seven manuscripts by W. A. Dwiggins as well as correspondence between Dwiggins and Melbert B. Cary, Jr. of The Press of the Woolly Whale, regarding publication of Dwiggins' A TECHNIQUE FOR DEALING WITH ARTISTS. The manuscripts are "Prelude to Eden" (a play), 1939; A TECHNIQUE FOR DEALING WITH ARTISTS, 1941; "Typophiles Salutem Vobis Dico" 1937; Script No. 1, Made to write the score of a marionette ballet by Foster Trainer, ca. 1951?; Script No. 1"Elijah" n.d.; Script No. 2"Shapes of the 1/4 note heads" n.d.; and Script No. 3"A and B" n.d.