Joseph Spence papers

The Joseph Spence Papers consist of correspondence, writings, and notes and memoranda of Joseph Spence, as well as a three volume extra-illustrated copy of Spence's Anecdotes (1820).

The Spence Papers are divided into eight series. Many of them, particularly those in Series IV, V, and VII, are related to the Anecdotes. A complete discussion of the complex editorial history of Spence's work can be found in the introduction to Joseph Spence, Observations, Anecdotes and Characters of Books and Men, edited by James M. Osborn (Oxford, 1966).

Series I, Correspondence (Boxes 1-2), is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and contains letters to and by Joseph Spence and several other individuals. A number of original letters are bound in the three volumes of the Derby Anecdotes, and cross-references for these to the volumes can be found in the list for Series I.

Series II, Documents--Legal, Financial and Ecclesiastical , is housed in Box 2, folders 54-66 and consists of documents relating to Spence's life and career, including his certificate of ordination, his appointment to the Professorship of Modern History at Oxford, and the articles of agreements between Spence and publisher James Dodsley for the rights to Spence's work.

Series III, Spence Travel Letters for 1739-1741 , is located in Box III and consists of photostats of letters from Spence to his mother, the originals of which are part of B. M. Egerton 2234.

Boxes 4 and 5 hold Series IV, Notes and Memoranda , which has been organized alphabetically by subject or occasionally by author. It includes notes on history and on Spence's reading; unpublished memoranda of conversations with Stephen Duck; and copies of works by other authors. Box 5, folders 135-52 contains writings by Spence himself, including "The Dream of Atticus," "Religious Fooleries," and drafts of various works published in Moralities (1753).

Series V, Gardening Notes , contains notes on and plans for various gardens throughout England, including Byfleet, Knole, Oatlands, and Prestonfield. Series VI, Miscellaneous and Indexes , located in Box 7, folders 215-23, contains photocopies of other sources of the Anecdotes and other material relating to the Spence Papers, including a copy of the sale catalogue and an index of names.

Loose Papers for the Anecdotes, Series VII, is housed is Box 7, folders 224-77. Numbered 1-54, these papers are the earliest notes of conversations by Spence; they have been described in detail in James M. Osborn's edition of Observations, Anecdotes, and Characters, xlvi-lxxiii. Each numbered anecdote is housed in a separate folder.

Series VIII, Derby Anecdotes (Oversize) , is located in Boxes 8-10 and consists of the three volumes of the Derby Anecdotes and a photocopy of A Catalogue of the Entire Libraries of the Rev. Mr. Joseph Spence.