Skip to main content

William Dwight Whitney papers relating to the Atharvaveda

 Collection
Call Number: GEN MSS 1125

Scope and Contents

Autograph manuscripts relating to Whitney's research and translations of the Atharvaveda, including a copy in Sanskrit, with notes about source manuscripts; a transliteration, collated with manuscripts in Berlin, Paris, Oxford, London, Tübingen; a draft for his Index Verborum; and unidentified drafts and notes, most apparently relating to his English translation. Drafts and notes include material by Rudolf von Roth and annotations by Charles Rockwell Lanman.

Dates

  • circa 1850-circa 1894

Creator

Language of Materials

In Sanskrit, English, and German.

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The William Dwight Whitney Papers Relating to the Atharvaveda 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

Gift of the family of William Dwight Whitney, 1924.

Extent

2.09 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.whitneywd

Additional Description

Overview

Autograph manuscripts relating to Whitney's research and translations of the Atharvaveda, including a copy in Sanskrit, with notes about source manuscripts; a transliteration, collated with manuscripts in Berlin, Paris, Oxford, London, and Tübingen; a draft for his Index Verborum; and unidentified drafts and notes, most apparently relating to his English translation. Drafts and notes include material by Rudolf von Roth and annotations by Charles Rockwell Lanman.

William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894)

William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894), linguist and Yale University professor of Sanskrit and comparative philology, 1854-1894. Whitney’s publications on the Atharvaveda, a sacred text of Hinduism, include a German translation with Rudolf von Roth (Berlin: F. Dümmler, 1855-1856); an Index Verborum (New Haven: American Oriental Society, 1881); and a posthumously-published English translation, completed by Charles Rockwell Lanman, Harvard Oriental Series, volumes 7-8 (Cambridge: Harvard University, 1905).

Processing Information

Former call numbers: Indic 50 1, Indic 50 2, Indic 51, Indic 54, Z107.87, and Ms Vault Shelves Whitney. In 2014, the collection received a baseline level of processing, including rehousing, minimal organization, and reclassing under one call number. Folder titles were not verified against contents.

Subjects

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the William Dwight Whitney papers relating to the Atharvaveda
Status
Under Revision
Author
by Karen Spicher
Date
2014 April
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository

http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/
Contact:
P. O. Box 208330
New Haven CT 06520-8330 US
(203) 432-2977

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.

Suggest a Correction