This finding aid encompasses single manuscripts and small groups of manuscripts acquired by the Beinecke Library from various sources and at various times, which the Library has chosen to describe here rather than as separate entries in Yale University Library's on-line Public Access Catalog (Orbis). These materials include literary and historical manuscripts, individual or small groups of letters, and single documents. Materials are grouped under headings for author or other personal or corporate name to which they most closely relate. Items of unidentified authorship are grouped under the heading "Unidentified" under the letter "U". Group numbers were assigned to headings in an initial alphabetical sequence and thereafter in order of processing; within each group, folders (F-[#]) and volumes (V-[#]) are numbered in order of processing.

To request materials listed here, please cite the Miscellany call number, written as GEN MSS MISC, the group number, and the folder or volume number appearing to the left of the item description. For example, to obtain item F-1 from the materials listed under Robert Desnos, complete an individual call slip as follows:

GEN MSS MISC

Grp 115, Item F-1

This list is ongoing, and it is subject to revision as new materials are acquired and, on occasion, as groups of manuscripts are removed and cataloged separately as artificial collections. When materials are removed and reclassified, a cross reference to the new call number is placed in the list. In addition to newly received items which have been described using current cataloging standards, this finding aid contains previously cataloged material. Descriptions for the latter items have been transcribed from card sets in the Manuscript Catalog; these entries are identified by "rec," followed by the year of the conversion, e.g., (rec/97).