Henry Stevens papers, 1812-1935

Summary

Creator:

Henry Stevens, Son & Stiles

Abstract:

This collection is made up of correspondence, letter books, and transcriptions by rare book dealer and bibliographer Henry Stevens. The material primarily concerns his work obtaining books for prominent private collectors and libraries in the United States in the mid-19th century.

Extent:

2 linear feet

Language:

English

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Cheney J. Schopieray, August 2009, and Meg Hixon, November 2012

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection is made up of correspondence, letter books, and transcriptions by rare book dealer and bibliographer Henry Stevens and his company. The material primarily concerns his work obtaining books for prominent private collectors and libraries in the United States in the mid-19th century.

The Correspondence and Documents series primarily consists of incoming letters to Henry Stevens about his book business. The correspondence concerns book catalogues, purchases, exhibitions, and other professional matters. Letters and documents from prominent individuals include materials from John Carter Brown (71 items), Obadiah Rich (26 items), and others. A small group of personal letters between members of the Stevens family, notes and drafts by Henry Stevens, and financial documents are also present. See the contributor list below for a partial list of letter-writers.

Seven items in this series pertain to Stevens's American Historical Nuggets, including manuscript and printed mock-ups of the title page and first page of the introduction. The papers also contain a manuscript of "Who Spoils our new English Books."

A group of 16 Letter and Account Books comprises the bulk of the collection. The volumes primarily contain outgoing business correspondence of Henry Stevens, related to his work as a bookseller and bibliographer in London, England. Recipients included John Carter Brown, Samuel Drake, William Deane, Charles B. Norton, and members of the Stevens family. The volumes also contain financial records.

The series pertains to the acquisition of materials for the libraries and individuals, including the following:

• A. Asher & Co.
• American Antiquarian Society
• American Europe Express Company
• Amherst College Library
• Astor Library
• Bodleian Library
• British Museum.
• Edinburgh University Library
• Fry, Francis
• Harvard College Library
• Irving & Willey
• Lawrence, Abbott.
• Lenox, James.
• Mercantile Library Association of the City of New-York
• New York State Library
• Pennsylvania State Library
• Smithsonian Institution
• United States Patent Office
• University of Vermont Library
• Vermont State Library
• Virginia State Library
• Yale College Library

The Henry Stevens Transcriptions and Notes series contains five transcriptions that Henry Stevens (1819-1886) made in the mid-19th century. The documents concern the years prior to the American Revolution, the New Hampshire Grants, Arthur St. Clair's defeat, and the Sullivan Rail Road.

The series contains the following items:

• "Dr. Stiles' Account of the False Alarm in 1774" (By Ezra Stiles)
• "Observations on the Right of Jurisdiction Claimed by the States of New York and New Hampshire, over the New Hampshire Grants (So Called) Lying on Both Sides of Connecticut River, in a Letter to the Inhabitants of those Grants" (Originally printed by E. Russel in Danvers, Massachusetts, 1778)
• "A Public Defence of the Right of the New Hampshire Grants (So Called)..." (Originally printed by Alden Spooner, 1779)
• "Lieut. Michl. McDonoughs Letter to His Brother. Dated at Fort Washington, Nov. 10, 1791"
• "A Sermon Preached at Charlestown, N. H., on the First Sunday after the Opening of the Sullivan Rail Road, by J. Crosby" (By Jaazaniah Crosby, ca. 1849)

Biographical / Historical:

Henry Stevens was born in Barnet, Vermont, on August 24, 1819, the son of Henry Stevens, Sr., and Candace Salter. He attended several academies and preparatory schools before matriculating at Middlebury College in 1838. In 1840, he left for Yale College; he received a bachelor's degree in 1843 and an honorary master's degree (in absentia) in 1846. Stevens worked for Peter Force for two years, identifying and copying historical books and manuscripts. He left for London, England, in 1845. In London, he established himself as a dealer of rare books and manuscripts, and his clients included prominent collectors such as James Lenox and John Carter Brown.

On February 25, 1854, Stevens married Mary Newton Kuczynski, a widow, and they had one son, Henry Newton Stevens (b. June 7, 1855). Henry Stevens died on February 28, 1886. In 1885, Henry Newton Stevens became a partner in his father's firm, then called Henry Stevens & Son, and in 1895 Robert E. Stiles joined the firm, which then became Henry Stevens, Son and Stiles.

Acquisition Information:

Donated, 1934-1954. M-228, M-230, M-249, M-250, M-950, M-2535 .

Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following series:

• Series I: Correspondence and Documents
• Series II: Letter and Account Books
• Series III: Henry Stevens Transcriptions and Notes

The Correspondence and documents series is arranged by correspondent and subject.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Related Materials

The William L. Clements Library acquired many books through Henry Stevens Son & Stiles. Published works by Stevens (1819-1886) and Stevens (1855-1930) may be found by searching the library's online catalog.

UCLA holds an extensive collection of Henry Stevens papers, and other repositories have smaller collections of Stevens material.

Bibliography

Parker, Wyman W. Henry Stevens of Vermont: American Rare Book Dealer in London, 1845-1886. Amsterdam: N. Israel, 1963.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Book collecting.
Book collectors.
Rare books.

Formats:

Accounts.
Drafts (documents)
Essays.
Invoices.
Letters (correspondence)
Notes.
Receipts (financial records)
Sermons.

Names:

American Antiquarian Society.
Amherst College. Library.
Astor Library.
Bodleian Library.
British Museum.
Edinburgh University Library.
Harvard College Library.
Irving & Willey.
Mercantile Library Association of the City of New-York.
New York State Library.
Pennsylvania State Library.
Smithsonian Institution.
Sullivan Railroad Company.
United States. History--Revolution, 1775-1783.
United States. Patent Office.
University of Vermont. Library.
Vermont State Library.
Virginia State Library.
Yale College (1718-1887) Library.
A. Asher & Co.
Fry, Francis.
Lawrence, Abbott.
Lenox, James.
Allibone, S. Austin (Samuel Austin), 1816-1889.
Arber, Edward, 1836-1912.
Barlow, Samuel L. M. (Samuel Latham Mitchill), 1826-1889.
Bartlett, John Russell, 1805-1886.
Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1887.
Blades, William, 1824-1890.
Bradshaw, Henry, 1831-1886.
Brown, John Carter, 1797-1874.
Cesnola, Luigi Palma di, 1832-1904.
Dana, James Dwight, 1813-1895.
Deane, Charles, 1813-1889.
Drake, Samuel Adams, 1833-1905.
Drake, Samuel Gardner, 1798-1875.
Draper, Lyman Copeland, 1815-1891.
Drexel, Joseph W.
Frémont, John Charles, 1813-1890.
Frothingham, Richard, 1812-1880.
Gilman, Daniel Coit, 1831-1908.
Gilmor, Robert, 1774-1848.
Helps, Arthur, Sir, 1813-1875.
Kohl, J. G. (Johann Georg), 1808-1878.
Lenox, James, 1800-1880.
Lieber, Francis, 1800-1872.
Livermore, George, 1809-1865.
Major, Richard Henry, 1818-1891.
Murphy, Henry Cruse, 1810-1882.
Palfrey, John Gorham, 1796-1881.
Parkman, Francis, 1823-1893.
Pearson, John.
Pennypacker, Samuel W. (Samuel Whitaker), 1843-1916.
Quaritch, Bernard, 1819-1899.
Rich, O. (Obadiah), 1777-1850.
Shea, John Gilmary, 1824-1892.
Smith, Buckingham, 1810-1871.
Smith, Joseph.
Squier, E. G. (Ephraim George), 1821-1888.
Stevens, Benjamin Franklin, 1833-1902.
Stevens, Henry, 1819-1886.
Tenney, Harriet A. (Harriet Augusta), 1834-1899.

Places:

Masonian Patent (N.H.)
United States--History--French and Indian War, 1754-1763.