LIT. Literature

 Record Group
Identifier: LIT
Vanderbilt’s manuscript collecting began with a donation of Fugitive literary journal records in 1967. Since that initial donation, Special Collections has worked to document the development of American literature by collecting the records of literary journals and writers’ papers. The primary focus is poetry, followed closely by literary fiction. Collections related to literary scholarship, non-fiction, genre writing, publishing, screenwriting, and playwriting are considered when they help contribute to the overall story of American literature expressed in Vanderbilt’s collections. Highlights include the Peter Taylor Papers, the P. G. Wodehouse Collection, and the Cumberland Poetry Review Records.

Found in 183 Collections and/or Records:

P. G. Wodehouse Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1001
Abstract The P. G. Wodehouse Collection, 1839-2021, consists of personal materials, correspondence, ephemera, photographs, artifacts, drafts, and published works created by or related to British humorist P. G. Wodehouse, 1881-1975. This collection is a collaboration between Vanderbilt Special Collections curators and members of The Wodehouse Society. View digitized items from this collection at ...
Dates: 1839 - 2021

Bob Williams Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0934
Scope and Contents

This collection contains notes, drafts, and research, including reprints from various literary journals, created and collected by Bob Williams. Williams wrote about Donald Davidson and John Tyree Fain, among other authors.

Dates: 1950 - 1990

Robert Penn Warren Letter

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0957
Abstract

This collection contains a letter dated November 23, 1984 from Robert Penn Warren to E. Lowell Robbins about a manuscript by Robbins.

Dates: 1984 November 23

O'Grady/Dwyer Pennyroyal Press Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0963
Abstract

This collection contains a series of printed pieces designed by Barry Moser and catalogs for the Pennyroyal Press.

Dates: circa 1980s-circa 2010s

Nash Buckingham Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0965
Abstract

The Nash Buckingham Collection contains correspondence (1963-1967), clippings (1910s), and the short story "Uncle Willis, Skimpy, and the Cotton Bale" by Nash Buckingham (1900).

Dates: 1900 - 1967

Susan Luther Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0984

Theresa S. Davidson Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0995
Abstract

This collection contains seven original engravings by Theresa Sherrer Davidson for her husband Donald Davidson's The Long Street; Poems, published in 1961.

Dates: 1961

Athena Book Club Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1002
Abstract

This collection contains cassette tapes of Athena Book Club programs from the 1990s. Speakers are recorded talking about various literary subjects and figures. The Athena Book Club was based in Nashville.

Dates: circa 1990s

Commonplace Book

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1004
Abstract

The Commonplace Book Collection contains a bound volume of various published poems and songs handwritten onto the pages of the journal. Written in two separate hands, the journal appears to have been exchanged among two friends who alternately scribed favorite poems.

Dates: circa 1818

Zora Neale Hurston Letter

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1028
Abstract

This collection contains a single handwritten letter from Zora Neale Hurston to Dorothy Dockstader.

Dates: 1934 August 20

Edna St. Vincent Millay Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1031
Abstract

This collection contains 8 publications by Edna St. Vincent Millay and several newspaper clippings about her life and work.

Dates: 1918 - 1954

All the King's Men Screenplay Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1017
Abstract

This collection contains the original 3rd revised final draft of the screenplay All the King's Men by Robert Rossen dated March 1, 1949

Dates: 1949

Constance Riveau Poetry Book

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1037

Lillian Hellman Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1049
Abstract

This collection contains playbills, scores, and books by playwright and writer Lillian Hellman.

Dates: 1936 - 1963

Experimental Theatre Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1095
Abstract

The Experimental Theatre Collection, 1951, consists of the program from the inaugural season of the New York City Living Theatre, which contains the first published poetry by John Cage.

Dates: 1951

Proxima Vera Visual Poetry by Monica Ong

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1114
Scope and Contents

This collection contains Ong's Lunar Volvelle and Star Gazer.

Dates: 2021

Nettie Hale Rand Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0355
Abstract

The Nettie Hale Rand Collection, 1480-1941, consists of early printings and rare editions collected by philanthropist Nettie Hale Rand, 1881-1942, and the diary she kept while traveling in Europe in the 1934.

Dates: 1480 - 1941

Literary Portrait Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.1083
Abstract

The Literary Portrait Collection, c. 1960-1980, contains two framed oil paintings of Vanderbilt literary figures: scholar Richard Croom Beatty, 1905-1961, and poet James Dickey, 1923-1997.

Dates: c. 1960-1980

About this Site

This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.

Requesting Materials

Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.