Richard Tillinghast Papers, 1887-2008 (majority within 1960-2008)
22 Linear Feet — 21 records boxes, 1 oversize box
22 Linear Feet — 21 records boxes, 1 oversize box
The Richard Tillinghast Papers consist of a wide variety of materials from across the length of Tillinghast's career. The collection contains a large amount of correspondence with colleagues, family, friends, publishers, and others involved with his career, a voluminous amount of manuscripts for his many poems, essays, critical pieces, and other writings, and material related to his professional work as a poet and professor as well as his personal life and that of his family. The largest element of the collection is the many manuscripts and drafts of Tillinghast's poems and other published writings, as well as the scrapbook-like journals he kept for many years documenting his travels, work, and writing. The Richard Tillinghast Papers are divided into seven series: Name and Topical, Personal, Professional, Writings and Manuscripts, Journals and Diaries, Clippings and Reviews, and Audiovisual.
The Name and Topical series contains approximately 3.25 linear feet, Boxes 1-4, consisting mainly of correspondence with fellow authors, colleagues, academics, friends, and publishers. Although largely organized by names, a few organizations with which Tillinghast corresponded significantly are included as topics as well. Relevant photographs, clippings, and ephemera are generally kept with related names and topics. The series is arranged alphabetically by name. Each name or topic is given a folder as long as there are at least three letters of correspondence or if the person is of significant status. Names or topics that do not meet these minimum requirements are filed by letter in the alphabet. This series also contains some unidentified correspondence due to illegible signatures on letters.
Tillinghast's largest correspondents include David Freidberg, Rachel Hadas, Donald Hall, Alan Williamson, and Wesleyan University Press, which published several of his books. Other notable correspondents include William Bolcom and Joan Morris, Billy Collins, James Dickey, Annie Dillard, Shelby Foote, George Garrett, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Haas, Seamus Heaney, James Laughlin, Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Hardwick, Robert Pinsky, Gary Snyder, Chase Twichell, and Robert Penn Warren.
The Personal series contains approximately 1 linear foot, Boxes 4-5, and includes a variety of materials related to Tillinghast's early life and family. Much of the series consists of correspondence with family members and close personal friends, arranged chronologically. Some correspondence of Tillinghast's family members, especially his grandparents, that dates from before his birth is also included. Among these are a letter to his grandfather A. J. Williford, a prominent public figure in the Memphis area, from Theodore Roosevelt. The series also contains materials from Tillinghast's childhood, and some of his academic work prior to graduate school, especially from his undergraduate days at the University of the South (Sewanee) in Tennessee. More general materials related to his time at Sewanee and at graduate school at Harvard are also included. The series also contains genealogical information and photographs on both Tillinghast's father's and mother's families compiled by relatives, and other miscellaneous personal materials.
The Professional series contains approximately 2 linear feet, Boxes 5-7, and includes materials related to Tillinghast's work both as a professor at the University of Michigan and as a poet and lecturer more generally. The largest part of the series is correspondence, logistical and publicity information, and other material related to Tillinghast's travels around the United States and abroad to conduct poetry readings at college and universities, bookstores, and other locations. This material is arranged by state, and within each state every institution for which there was a significant amount of correspondence or other information is given its own folder(s). Readings which Tillinghast gave in Ireland follow the US states. This series also contains correspondence with many publishers and publications regarding publication of Tillinghast's poems and essays. Because it is with such a wide variety of entities, this correspondene was left together rather than being split in Name and Topical. There is thus some overlap with Name and Topical, as well as correspondence in the Writings and Manuscripts series. Other materials in this series include some teaching materials, material related to projects Tillinghast conducted as a professor, materials on writers' conferences he attended and/or organized, and materials related to his work in Ireland and international travel.
The Writings and Manuscripts series contains approximately 6.75 linear feet, Boxes 7-15, and contains materials from Tillinghast's writings throughout his career. The series contains nine subseries: Poetry, Published Books of Poetry, Novels, Editorial Work, Criticism, Essays, Talks and Lectures, Robert Lowell, and Other.
The Poetry subseries consists largely of manuscripts of Tillinghast's poems from drafts, and revisions made by Tillinghast, which show the development of his work over time. Occasionally, correspondence related to the development of the poems is included as well. Undated manuscripts are grouped together at the end of the series, which also contains manuscripts of unpublished books of poetry and photocopies of published poems. Materials were generally kept together in the groupings in which Tillinghast had arranged them, which means related materials are sometimes dispersed throughout the series. For example, when a large number of copies of poems were placed together, they were placed in a single folder or set of folders. The same is true, though to a lesser degree, for other materials in this series. A limited amount of correspondence appears alongside the manuscripts.
The Published Books of Poetry subseries contains materials related to many of Tilinghast's published works, arranged chronologically by book. The series contains drafts, manuscripts, galleys, copies, signatures, and correspondence with publishers and others. The amount of material for each book varies considerably, and for none is there enough material to show the complete development of the book. It is important to note that the manuscript entitled "They Gambled For Your Clothes" was renamed as "The New Life" before eventually being published. Earlier manuscripts can be found in the Poetry subseries. Many of the individual poems in each book also have files in the Poetry subseries.
The Novels subseries consists of a manuscript for a never-published novel by Tillinghast, as well as drafts and fragments of another unpublished novel or short story.
The Editorial Work subseries contains material related to Tillinghast's service as editor of an edition of the literary magazine Ploughshares, mainly correspondence and manuscripts. Correspondents are arranged alphabetically.
The Criticism subseries consists primarily of book reviews Tillinghast wrote for a wide variety of academic and popular publications, arranged chronologically. Materials include manuscripts and drafts of the reviews and correspondence with publishers and publications. The subseries also includes similar materials on various other works of criticism published in a variety of publications. Publications for which there was not a significant amount of materials are grouped together as "various." The subseries also contains materials of the same nature as those in the Published Books of Poetry subseries for one published book of criticism by Tillinghast.
The Essays subseries contains material similar to that on book reviews in the Criticism subseries, but for essay on literary and travel topics by Tillinghast published in various publications, arranged chronolgoically. A large amount of these essays were travel pieces for the New York Times, as well as a large amount of writing on Irish literature and culture for a number of publications. Folders on many of the travel pieces also contain a variety of tourist materials and other ephemera from the locations about which the essays were written. Those essays for which there were not a large amount of materials are grouped together as "various." Manuscripts and materials related to Tillinghast's Finding Ireland are grouped following the essays, as well as working manuscripts and correspondence related to "The Istanbul Book", an as-yet unpublished book.
The Talks and Lectures subseries contains manuscripts of a few talks and lectures given by Tillinghast.
The Robert Lowell subseries contains all of Tillinghast's writings on Robert Lowell, arranged by type and chronologically therein. Lowell was a mentor to Tillinghast at Harvard and Tillinghast wrote his Ph.D. thesis on Lowell as well as a literary biography of him. Because of the importance of Lowell in Tillinghast's work, these writings are grouped together. This subseries contains book reviews, essays, a lecture, and various Lowell-related clippings and articles.
The Other subseries contains a few other writings and manuscripts by Tillinghast that do not fit into any of the other subseries, such as an interview, a travel guide, and an autobiography Tillinghast provided to Gale.
The Clippings and Reviews series contains approximately 0.25 linear feet, Box 15, of primarily clippings and photocopies of reviews of Tillinghast's published books of poetry, arranged by book. The series also contains miscellaneous clippings about Tillinghast from throughtout his career.
The Journals and Diaries series contains 7 linear feet, Boxes 15-20, of Tillinghast's journals or diaries from throughout his career, arranged chronologically by decade, though the bulk are from the 1990s and 2000s. These books contain a wide variety of materials: notes on and drafts of poems, materials related to teaching, such as notes on grading and class preparation, notes from Tillinghast's extensive travels, clippings and photographs pasted in, and a wide range of other content. The earliest journals, from Tillinghast's undergraduate days, are primarily his class notes. The journals appear to have been kept as "catch-all" books that served a wide variety of professional and personal purposes. They are in a wide variety of physical formats. When the dates of a journal could not be determined, a guess was made based on the other journals near it and on content. Since the dates of journals occasionally overlap, no attempt was made to arrange them chronologically beyond the level of decade. The varied nature of these books mean that they reveal much about Tillinghast's writing, his work, and his life in general in the years in which they were kept.
The Audiovisual series contains1 linear foot, Box 21, of primarily audio and videocassettes, as well as two CDs. Some of the audio and videocassettes are of Tillinghast giving poetry readings or of projects he participated in or coordinated. The bulk of the collection is recordings of class meetings for two classes Tillinghast taught, the Beat Generation and Poets Live, from January to April 1995.
22 Linear Feet — 21 records boxes, 1 oversize box
5.4 linear feet
The Right to Decency records include correspondence, organizational records, meeting minutes, newsletters, flyers, articles, and recordings regarding the activities and administration of the organization.
20 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 16.6 GB (online)
The Robby DeBoer papers document the legal battle and media coverage surrounding the adoption of "Baby Girl Clausen," and also the organizational records of the national child advocacy group Hear My Voice. The collection consists of correspondence, news clippings, press releases, photographs, audio cassette tapes, digital materials, video tapes, and legal papers such as petitions, briefs, judicial orders, and amicus briefs. The collection has the following series: Biographical, Litigation, Hear My Voice, Publicity, Audio/Visual Materials, and General Correspondence.
20 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 16.6 GB (online)
56 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2 film reels — 6.2 GB (online)
The Robert C. Stempel collection has been arranged into the following series: General Motors Corporation; Energy Conversion Devices; Speeches / Conferences / Presentations; Organizational Affiliations, Responsibilities, and Interests; Background / Personal information; Visual Materials, and Sound Cassettes.
56 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2 film reels — 6.2 GB (online)
7 cubic feet (in 7 boxes)
Collection of auction catalogs and books, some of which are self-published, catalogs, bibliographies, facsimiles including reprints, a photograph album, and a scrapbook of clippings, all on the topic of angling. Materials are from or focused on Michigan as well as national and international angling. Authors include individuals, organizations, and government units. Original inventories compiled by Kohrman and inventories annotated by processing students are in the first folder of Box 1. Materials not in the boxes or not in the inventory that were found in the boxes were noted by the processing students. All catalog publishers are listed in the subject headings. These published materials are part of the Robert E Kohrman Angling Collection, but did not have an OCLC record at the time of processing in 2024, and thus were processed together as a manuscript collection to speed accessibility by researchers. For more detail please see the finding aid and inventories. The catalogs are organized in original order. The remainder of the collection is in alphabetical order by author or creator’s name. Some of the materials are still under copyright.
4.5 linear feet — 1.1 GB (online)
History of Prick of Conscience Studies
The Prick of Conscience, to judge from the number of known manuscripts (120), was the most popular English poem of the Middle Ages, surpassing such popular poems as Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (its nearest competitor with 64 manuscripts), Piers Plowman (with 54), and John Gower's Confessio Amantis (with 51), and was itself surpassed in English only by the two versions of the Wycliffite prose translation of the Bible and the prose Brut. The poem exists in three versions: (1) an original or main version (in 99 manuscripts), which originated in the north of England, probably Yorkshire, with a preponderance of manuscripts from that area and the north midlands, but also extending into the west midlands and East Anglia and even into the southeast and the southwest; (2) a shorter, thoroughly revised recension (in nineteen manuscripts) originating somewhere in the south, with a more restricted distribution; and (3) a heavily revised and abbreviated version of the main version entitled Speculum Huius Vite (in two manuscripts).
The popularity of the poem is supported by other signs: eighty per cent of the counties of England can claim at least one copy of the poem, some have two or more, and three of the copies are written in the Anglo-Irish dialect; extracts circulated separately (twelve in eight manuscripts); the poem was quoted in a number of other Middle English poems ("Stimulus Consciencie Minor," "Desert of Religion," "Of the Flood of the World," "Wheel of Fortune," for example) as well as in a stained glass window at All Saints Church in York); there was a translation into Latin prose made in the 14th century (six manuscripts exist); and the poem appears in wills and book lists.
The Prick of Conscience is a long verse compilation (over 9,600 lines in rhyming couplets), divided into a prologue; seven books, which treat, in turn, the wretchedness of man's nature throughout his life, the world and the various conditions thereof, death and the fear of death, purgatory and its characteristics, the day of judgment, the pains of hell, and the joys of heaven; and a brief conclusion or epilogue. The poem has a great many sources: ultimately over twenty separate works, primarily Latin, including both well known ones like St. Augustine's De Civitate Dei, Honorius of Autun's Elucidarium, Pope Innocent III"s De Miseria Humane Conditionis, and Bartholomeus Anglicus's De Proprietatibus Rerum and not so well known ones like Robert Grosseteste's De Penis Purgatorii (in its French version) and Hugh Ripelin of Strasbourg's Compendium Theologice Veritatis.
For a long time the poem was thought to have been written by the well known hermit and mystical writer Richard Rolle (died 1349), to whom it is attributed in five manuscripts, but his authorship is now considered extremely doubtful. Three manuscripts attribute the poem to Robert Grosseteste (circa 1170-1253), Bishop of Lincoln, but he lived too early to be the author. A more recent suggestion is William of Nassyngton (died 1359), chancellor of the Diocese of York and the author of the Speculum Vite, but there is as yet no proof for this. In genre the Prick of Conscience is unlike any other Middle English work in verse or prose, though it has some similarities and has been compared to the Speculum Vite. Its primary function was probably as a compendium of knowledge from which a parish priest could instruct his flock or draw material for his sermons, and its wide circulation in the 14th and 15th centuries indicates that it must have fulfilled its purpose.
The poem is worth studying for a number of reasons and from a variety of points of view, and when Lewis came to Ann Arbor in 1982 he had just completed, with Angus McIntosh A Guide to the Manuscripts of the Prick of Conscience (Oxford: Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature), which they hoped, as they said in their Preface, would "stimulate and facilitate research into some of the important . . . questions connected with [the poem], such as its genre, the reasons for its popularity, its audience, and its influence in Britain in the later Middle Ages"; and Lewis himself was planning to spend whatever free time he had on various aspects of the poem. He had made good progress on two projects: the sources (and the manuscript tradition of the sources) of Book I and an edition of one of the short poems indebted to the Prick of Conscience, the "Stimulus Consciencie Minor." But the work of the Middle English Dictionary took precedence during his official working years, and because of other commitments he was unable to complete these projects during retirement. He deposited his Prick of Conscience materials in the Bentley Library in the hope that other researchers would consult them as a starting point either to complete the two projects he began or to study other aspects of the poem.
Scope and Content Note
The Robert E. Lewis papers relate primarily to research and study of the Prick of Conscience the most popular English poem of the Middle Ages. Prick of Conscience material includes reproductions (photocopies and microfilm) of medieval manuscripts and related Middle English texts as well as Lewis's correspondence, notes, and research files on the Prick of Conscience. Material relating to the Middle English Dictionary and his professional career is also present.
The Lewis papers are arranged in five series. The first four series relate to the poem Prick of Conscience: Prick of Conscience, Related Materials, Notes on Cards and Slips, and Microfilms of Manuscripts. The content of the first two boxes are all in standard archival folders and are arranged by subject. In box three the materials represent a variety of formats (4" x 6" cards, 5" x 8" cards and slips, and a paperback book), also arranged by subject, with a few microfilms in various kinds of containers. The final box consists of microfilms only.
14.5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 40.5 GB (online) — 6 digital audio files — 10 digital video files
The Robert Williams papers, dating from 1951, include correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, audio-visual material, manuscripts, petitions, and government documents. The collection documents a wide variety of subjects: the American civil rights movement, Black Nationalism, cold war politics, Castro's Cuba, Mao's China, and the radical left in the United States.
As Robert Williams continued to add to his collection following his initial donation in 1976, it was necessary to arrange and describe the materials based on groupings of dates of accessioning. Thus the bulk of the collection is divided into two subgroups: 1976-1979 Accessions and 1983-1997 Accessions with much overlapping of material. In addition, the collection contains a small series of papers collected by his son John C. Williams and a separate series of Audio-Visual Materials.
14.5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 40.5 GB (online) — 6 digital audio files — 10 digital video files
18 audiotapes (reel-to-reel tapes) — 2 volumes — 1 folder — 11.8 GB (online)
The Robert Shepard collection includes recorded letters (18, 3-inch reel-to-reel tapes) sent home while stationed in Vietnam, 1968-1969; and photographic snapshots of Shepard, other members of his company, and the areas in Vietnam where they were stationed. The Photogaphs consist of two photo albums and two envelopes full of loose photographs as well as scans of the photo albums created by the donor.
The recordings consist of 18 audio letters sent to his family from Vietnam. These were sent through the army mail's "Voices from Home" program using 3M's "Living Letters" brand.
18 audiotapes (reel-to-reel tapes) — 2 volumes — 1 folder — 11.8 GB (online)
9 items
This collection consists of nine letters written by Robert Morgan between 1830 and 1843 from Sharon, Pennsylvania; Freedom, Pennsylvania; and Quincy, Illinois. He wrote to his brother, William Morgan of Seaford, Delaware, about family news, tending to his large and growing family of eleven children, and provided details about living and working in Western Pennsylvania and Illinois. He wrote about the landscape, weather, diet, labor and wages, costs of provisions, health, as well as canals, religion and more.
In Sharon, the Morgans lived on the road from Pittsburgh to Lake Erie, and Robert commented on shipments of cheese and livestock coming from Ohio (October 30, 1830), and he noted the construction of canals (May 13, 1831). He encouraged his family in Delaware to move westward: "I think when you and George sees the paper you will leave that poor sickley corn fed part of the Country and Come out whare you can have a plenty." He remarked on the need for doctors and preachers, good wages, and plentiful opportunities as inducements.
Robert and William Morgan corresponded regularly about religion, particularly Methodism and opposing viewpoints about traditional and reformed practices. Robert noted his wife's refusal to read any books on Methodist reforms or listen to him discuss it (July 25, 1831), and he wrote about revivals, churches, and preachers in the region. In 1832 Robert Morgan and his family moved to the newly established Freedom, Pennsylvania, where he initially worked as a carpenter. He occasionally referenced politics, including Andrew Jackson and banking (June 30, 1834; October 12, 1834), and wrote frankly about the potential hazards of remarrying (October 12, 1834). Some letters include comments on sickness, including cholera, scarlet fever, and the deaths of children and grandchildren. The final letter was written from Quincy, Illinois, where several members of the Morgan family had emigrated.
approximately 22,890 photographs (including 18,500 stereographs), 1220 prints, 13 photograph albums, 11 books, 117 pieces of ephemera, 15 pieces of realia
The Robert M. Vogel collection of historic images of engineering & industry contains approximately 22,890 photographs (including 18,500 stereographs), 1220 prints, 13 photograph albums, 11 books, 117 pieces of ephemera, and 15 pieces of realia documenting a wide range of subjects primarily related to 19th-century civil engineering, industrial processes, and mechanization.
Particularly well-represented topics within the Vogel collection include images of different types of civil infrastructure such as bridges, canals, roads, dams, and tunnels as well as images showing construction projects, various types of machinery, modes of transportation (such as railroads, steamboats, automobiles, etc.), agricultural pursuits, natural resource extraction (including oil drilling, quarrying, mining, and lumbering), textile operations, electrical and hydraulic power generation, manufacturing, metal working, machine shops, and various industrial factory scenes. Many images of important and iconic structures are included such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Panama Canal, Hoosac Tunnel, and SS Great Eastern. Other represented topics include general architectural views, scenes of disasters/accidents, and portraits of notable individuals (such as Thomas Edison, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and Robert Stephenson). While predominately United States-focused, the materials are international in scope overall and especially include many images of industrial sites and civil infrastructure in Great Britain. The order of the collection's original arrangement has largely been kept intact.
Examples of items of particular interest include salt prints possibly taken by civil engineer Montgomery C. Meigs documenting the construction of the U.S. Capitol and Washington Aqueduct in Washington, D.C.; a series of portraits of early Baldwin Locomotive Works locomotives; images documenting the SS Great Eastern and USS Niagara steamships; a group of 4 colored stereoviews on glass produced by Frederick Langenheim showing the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge ca. 1850s; images related to specific railroads including the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Mauch Chunk, Mount Washington Cog Railway, and New York City elevated railroad; and half-frame proof prints of stereographs produced by Underwood & Underwood as well as H. C. White & Co.
The following list represents the general subject categories found across the Vogel collection along with relevant box and folder numbers:
While the Vogel collection general subject categories are generally comprehensive there are still numerous instances of items that could feasibly belong to multiple categories other than the group they are classified under. For instance, there are disaster images found in several groupings other than "Disasters," while bridge construction images can be found in all of the various "Bridges" categories as well as within the "Construction" category. For more detailed descriptions of specific materials, see the box and folder listing in the Contents section below.
approximately 22,890 photographs (including 18,500 stereographs), 1220 prints, 13 photograph albums, 11 books, 117 pieces of ephemera, 15 pieces of realia