Norman Cousins Collection of Henry Seidel Canby
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, drafts and printed versions of writings (box 7), manuscript notes, printed ephemera, clippings, photographs (box 2), and contractual agreements by or relating to the professional activities of Henry Seidel Canby. The collection features approximately 983 pieces of correspondence dating from 1940 through 1949 (boxes 1-6). Incoming letters and typescript carbon copies of Canby's outgoing letters concern professional matters chiefly, addressing publications by Canby during this ten-year period, including critical biographies of American authors Henry David Thoreau (1939) (box 1) and Walt Whitman (1943) (boxes 2-3), his Family history (1945) (box 6), American memoir (box 4), and the collaboration with Robert E. Spiller, Willard Thorp, Thomas H. Johnson and others on the Literary history of the United States (1948) (box 5). Correspondents include publishers, literary scholars and critics, libraries, historical societies, bookstores, family, and others. In addition to the correspondence with the collaborators already noted, there is correspondence with Gay Wilson Allen, Carl Bode, Allen French, Clifton Joseph Furness, Howard Mumford Jones, Allan Nevins, Herbert V. Prochnow, Cleveland Rodgers, Townsend Scudder, Joseph T. Shipley, Stanley T. Williams, and Frances Winwar. Publishers include Farrar & Rinehart, Houghton Mifflin Company, and Macmillan Company.
Dates
- 1935 - 1949
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Norman Cousins Collection of Henry Seidel Canby 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 Candis Cousins, 2018.
Arrangement
Organized into two series: I. Material removed from Binders, 1940-1949. II. Writings of Henry Seidel Canby, 1940-1949.
Extent
7.44 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Henry Seidel Canby (1878-1961)
Henry Seidel Canby (1878-1961), American critic, editor, and Yale University professor. Canby graduated from Yale in 1899 and then taught at the university until becoming a professor in 1922. Editor of The Literary review of the New York evening post, Canby was one of the founders and editors of the Saturday review.
Norman Cousins (1915-1990)
Norman Cousins (1915-1990), American essayist and long-time editor (1942-1972) of the Saturday review.
Processing Information
The contents of each of the four individual binders in Series I. has been preserved in the order it was found. The contents includes both loose items and items mounted on sheets. For preservation purposes, acid-free archival paper has been interleaved around the aging carbon letters from Canby to others and other materials, such as clippings, as appropriate.
- Allen, Gay Wilson, 1903-1995
- American literature -- 19th century
- American literature -- 20th century
- Authors and publishers -- United States
- Authors, American -- 20th century -- Archives
- Bode, Carl, 1911-1993
- Canby, Henry Seidel, 1878-1961
- Editors -- United States -- 20th Century -- Archives
- Farrar & Rinehart
- French, Allen, 1870-1946
- Furness, Clifton Joseph, 1898-1946
- Genealogy
- Houghton Mifflin Company
- Johnson, Thomas Herbert
- Jones, Howard Mumford, 1892-1980
- Macmillan Company
- Nevins, Allan, 1890-1971
- Prochnow, Herbert V. (Herbert Victor), 1897-1998
- Rodgers, Cleveland, 1885-
- Scudder, Townsend, 1900-
- Shipley, Joseph T. (Joseph Twadell), 1893-1988
- Spiller, Robert Ernest, 1896-1988
- Thorp, Willard, 1899-1990
- Williams, Stanley Thomas, 1888-1956
- Winwar, Frances, 1900-1985
- Title
- Norman Cousins Collection of Henry Seidel Canby
- Author
- Michael L. Forstrom
- Date
- 2021
- 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.