The VERSEtility BOOKS Records consist of correspondence, financial papers, computer disks, and other administrative files relating to the bookselling business of VERSEtility BOOKS. Correspondence contains letters between Jacob and poets regarding their signed books and subsequent sales. A small portion of the correspondence relates to the appraisal and sale of poets' personal libraries to various universities. Financial papers and administrative files include sales records, bills, invoices, and correspondence regarding the financial operation of the business. Nine computer disks store VERSEtility BOOKS catalogs and advertisements for Poetry Magazine.
The Vincent McHugh Papers document the professional and personal life of poet, novelist, and editor Vincent McHugh. The papers consist of personal and professional correspondence, drafts of writings, professional papers, journals, notebooks, personal papers, photographs, sound recordings, drawings, and a scrapbook, spanning the years 1933 to 1983.
The collection contains letters to Jordan from Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, H.D. and Bryher, as well as manuscripts of poems by Pound and Williams and a small quantity of personal papers. Subjects of the Pound letters include personal and family news; his writing and the literary world in general; his political and economic opinions; and his confinement at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Letters from Williams discuss relationships between men and women; poetry; and arrangements for social occasions. Both H.D. and Bryher describe life in wartime Britain; H.D. also comments on her own work, her daughter Perdita, and her interests in the occult and in film. Writings include annotated and signed typescripts of early Pound poems, which he sent to Jordan for her to retype and submit to magazines; and several typescripts of early works by Williams. Other papers include dance cards, an advertising brochure for the Albergo Rapallo, and newspaper clippings.
The Walter Lowenfels Papers document the life and work of the writer, journalist, editor, activist, and member of the Communist Party USA, Walter Lowenfels. The papers consist of correspondence, writings, writings of others, photographs, personal papers, printed material, and other papers spanning the years 1897-1979, with the bulk of the material dating from 1930-1976. Correspondence, writings, and writings of others comprise the bulk of the papers. The correspondence records his personal and professional relationships and chronicles his 1953 and 1954 trials for sedition and conspiracy and his publication process. Writings document Lowenfels's work as a writer, editor and anthologist, including drafts of his prose, poetry, drama, essays, and articles. The writings also document his work for the Pennsylvania edition of the Daily Worker. The writings of others reveal Lowenfels's work editing anthologies and collections of works by other writers. Photographs include snapshots of Lowenfels, his family and friends, his home and other subjects. Printed material contains clippings, tearsheets, ephemera, and other printed material concerning Lowenfels and other subjects of his interest. A small amount of personal papers includes biographical information and files on his finances and estate.
The William Carlos Williams Papers document the life and work of poet, prose writer, dramatist, and physician William Carlos Williams. The papers consist of correspondence, writings, photographs, medical records, artwork, sound recordings, newspaper clippings and printed material, and personal papers. The papers primarily document Williams's life as a prolific writer, including drafts of prose, poetry, drama, lectures and readings; and correspondence and writings of others that reveal his mentorship of aspiring poets and his friendships with other literary figures. The papers also reveal his personal life as a husband, father and close friend to many individuals.
The William Force Stead Papers document the literary career and aspects of the personal life of poet, clergyman and scholar William Force Stead. The papers include personal and professional correspondence; writings; notebooks, personal papers and photographs; printed material; and documents relating to Stead's work as Honorary Secretary of the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association. The letters document aspects of Stead's literary and religious careers as well as his family relationships. Literary correspondents include Edmund Blunden, T. S. Eliot, William Golding, Frank Morley, Lady Ottoline Morrell, and W. B.Yeats. There are also letters by English composer Henry Vere Fitzroy Somerset. The collection contains drafts, manuscripts and typescripts of many works by Stead, including drafts of what appears to be an unpublished memoir. Personal papers include diaries from between 1896 and 1928; records of Stead's marriage and of his work for the U. S. Consular Service; and family photographs.
The collection consists of material created and accumulated by William Heyen in the course of his activities as a poet and editor, and primarily documents Heyen's literary career from 1995 to 2009. Material includes correspondence with poets and writers, writings by Heyen and others, bound copies of Heyen's journals dating from 1965 to 1985, original journals dating from 1994 to 2006, notebooks, printed material, and other papers.
The William Stanley Braithwaite Papers document his personal and professional life and span the dates 1797 to 1942. The Papers contain correspondence, writings, and other papers, which provide evidence of Braithwaite's career as a writer, publisher, and anthologist. The Papers also includes third-party correspondence, notably, a letter from Sir Joseph Banks to J. Nicol from circa 1797.