Scope and Contents
The Henry James Collection is comprised of correspondence, writings, personal papers, and printed material by and about the American author Henry James.
The majority of correspondence consists of outgoing letters sent from James to recipients, most notably his literary agent James B. Pinker, author William Edward Norris, and publishers. The collection also includes correspondence between James B. Pinker and James' nephew, Henry James, and sister-in-law, Alice Howe Gibbens James.
Autograph manuscripts and proofs provide insight into James' creative process. James' autograph manuscript, corrected, for "The Pension Beaurepas" can be found in the collection; the Beinecke Library acquired pages 1-13 in 1951 and pages 14-169 in 1982. Pages 1-13 of "The Pension Beaurepas" were bound with an autograph manuscript of The Europeans before they arrived at the Beinecke Library and they have not been separated. James' work on "New England: An Autumn Impression" can be traced from autograph manuscript drafts and corrected galley proofs to the final printed version. Printed material includes the published versions of James' writings, including "New England: An Autumn Impression," as well as scholarship about James.
Personal papers include a photograph of James with Mrs. Humphry Ward and a cancelled check received by James from Ticknor and Fields.
Dates
- 1867-1983
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Henry James Collection is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquired from various sources. For more information see notes for each acquisition.
Arrangement
Organized into four groupings: 1910-1959 Acquisitions, 1982 Acquisition, 1992 Acquisition, and Printed Material.
Extent
3.13 Linear Feet (9 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The Henry James Collection is comprised of correspondence, writings, personal papers, and printed material by and about the American author Henry James. The majority of correspondence consists of letters sent from James to recipients, most notably his literary agent James B. Pinker, author William Edward Norris, and publishers. The collection also includes correspondence between James B. Pinker and James' nephew, Henry James, and sister-in-law, Alice Howe Gibbens James. Autograph manuscripts for "The Pension Beaurepas," The Europeans, and "New England: An Autumn Impression," can be found in the collection. Personal papers include a photograph of James with Mrs. Humphry Ward and a cancelled check received by James from Ticknor and Fields.
Henry James (1843-1916)
Henry James (1843-1916), American writer.
Processing Information
Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, competing priorities, and whether or not further accruals are expected. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.
This collection received a basic level of processing in 2014, including rehousing and minimal organization. Various acquisitions associated with the collection have not been merged and organized as a whole. Each acquisition is described separately in the contents list below, identified by a unique call number and titled according to month and year of acquisition.
Information included in the Description of Papers note and Collection Contents section is drawn from information supplied with the collection and from an initial survey of the contents. Folder titles appearing in the contents list below are often based on those provided by the creator or previous custodian. Titles have not been verified against the contents of the folders in all cases. Otherwise, folder titles are supplied by staff during initial processing.
Former call numbers: Za James, Uncat ZA MS 24, Uncat ZA MS 262, and Za J233 +1.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- American literature -- 19th century
- American literature -- 20th century
- Authors -- United States -- 19th century
- Authors -- United States -- 20th century
- Authors, American -- 19th century -- Archives
- Authors, American -- 20th Century -- Archives
- James, Alice Howe Gibbens
- James, Henry, 1843-1916
- James, Henry, 1879-1947
- Norris, W. E. (William Edward), 1847-1925
- Photographic prints -- United States -- 20th Century
- Photographs -- United States -- 20th Century
- Pinker, James B.
- Ward, Mary Augusta Arnold, 1851-1920
- Title
- Guide to the Henry James Collection
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by Beinecke staff
- Date
- 2009-06-30
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.