Collections : [Yale University -Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library]

The Thomas H. Foster and Catharine Osgood Foster Papers contain correspondence, writings, photographs, ephemera, audiovisual material, and printed material that document the professional and personal lives of the Fosters. Material includes writings that relate to Thomas Foster's career as a literary critic and scout for Farrar, Straus, and to Catharine Foster's books on gardening; documentation of the couple's leadership in the area of environmental stewardship; and records of their bird watching activity. Correspondence is both professional and personal in nature, and includes letters between Thomas and Catharine Foster, and some family correspondence. Printed material in the collection relates chiefly to early- and mid-twentieth century agriculture in New York and New England. Among the photographs in the collection are numerous slides depicting birds in their natural habitats, and journals of bird watching notes.

The Thomas Leiper Kane Papers consist of reports, drafts of speeches, and letters by Colonel Thomas Leiper Kane, as well as letters written to him. The latter are chiefly by the leaders of the Mormon Church and describe conditions in Utah and the relations between federal officials, the army, and the Mormons.

The collection documents the personal and professional life of American speculative fiction author and poet Thomas M. Disch. Evidence of Disch's creative process, relationships with contemporary authors, and wide-ranging writing style is found in the writings, which include autograph manuscript and typescript drafts and corrected proofs of Disch's novels, short stories, libretti, and poetry. Among the correspondents represented in the collection are Brian Aldiss, Philip K. Dick, and Michael Moorcock. The collection consists of diverse media and, in addition to audiovisual material, photographs, electronic files, and an art object, includes documentation of the development of Amnesia, a video game authored by Disch. The collection's chief research interests are its documentation of speculative fiction, science fiction, twentieth-century American poetry, and dystopian literature.