Collections A-Z @ Brown University Library

COLLECTIONS A-Z

American Culture and Society Collections

American Television Scripts, [ca. 1953-1988]
Unpublished scripts representing approximately 730 different television programs (sitcoms, cop shows, satires, soap operas, musical specials) documenting American popular culture from the Truman era to the Reagan era. The collection reflects changes in American attitudes towards family, sex, politics, history, etc ...more information
Anne Seddon Kinsolving Brown Papers
Personal papers of the Baltimore-born wife of John Nicholas Brown (1900-1979) who was one of the world's foremost authorities on military iconography. The collection includes her professional, family and personal correspondence, along with household records and materials that document her professional activities as a journalist, writer, and collector of military books, prints and museum objects. ...more information
Anthony (Richard H.) papers, 1923-1958
Richard H. Anthony was a Providence, Rhode Island native and Brown University graduate, class of 1925. His distinguished career included working as a journalist in Paris for the European edition of the New York Herald Tribune, where he covered the landings of Charles E. Lindburgh and Richard E. Byrd on their respective transatlantic flights in 1927. These papers include letters, family memorabilia, and a collection of autographs of Richard E. Byrd, and co-pilots Bernt Balchen, Bertand B. Acosta and George O. Noville, who accompanied him on his historic flight from New York to the coast of Normandy on July 1, 1927. ...more information
Audubon's Birds of America

The double elephant folio edition of Audubon's The Birds of America was published between 1827 and 1838. Subscribers received 87 parts of 5 prints each (one large, one medium and three small prints). The series contains 435 hand colored plates of 1065 birds. "Double elephant" refers to the size of the sheet of paper, which is the largest size that can be made by hand. Each sheet measures more than two by three feet.

There were 308 original subscribers, who paid approximately 00 for a complete set. While there were 308 original subscribers, only 161 subscribers purchased all parts. It is not possible to locate all of the complete sets. Some have been broken up and sold as individual images.

Albert E. Lownes, Class of 1920, presented his copy (bound in six volumes) to the University on the occasion of his 50th Class Reunion in 1970. Mr. Lownes received his copy as a wedding gift.

In addition, to the Double Elephant Folio edition, the library owns several uncolored proofs and an original printing plate, as well as other published editions of Audubon's work. ...more information
Bakst (M. Charles) papers
These papers date from 1927-2009 and include the personal papers and materials of Merrill Charles Bakst, Brown '66 and journalist for the Providence Journal. Includes manuscripts, correspondence, notebooks, ephemera, photographs, audiocassettes and videotapes related to his student days at Brown and his career as a reporter and columnist. ...more information
Baptist Collection
Holdings in the area of religious history that reflect the University's Baptist origins. Included are the papers of many clergymen, among them Roger Williams, Isaac Backus, Samuel Jones, Thomas Ustick, Jones Very, missionaries (Adoniram Judson and Josiah Nelson Cushing) and several presidents of Brown. The First Baptist Church of Swansea (Massachusetts), the Baptist Church in Warren (Rhode Island), and the Arkwright and Fiskeville Baptist Church in Scituate (Rhode Island) have placed their papers, records, and ledgers on deposit with the Library. There is also a sizeable collection of Baptist periodicals. ...more information
Broadsides Collection
The Broadsides Collection houses broadsides (single-sheet imprints), posters, bookplates, prints, valentines, greeting cards, postcards, and photographs. From a nucleus of 8,000 pieces in 1928, holdings have increased to over 40,000 items. Largely ephemeral by nature, broadsides are collected by only a few major libraries and historical societies in the United States. Originally issued primarily by governmental, religious, and political bodies, broadsides were later used for advertisements, programs, notices, ballad verses, elegies, and comments on contemporary events. More recently, they have become popular as exemplars of fine printing. Includes holdings of the Harris, Rider, Lincoln, Koopman, Military and general library collections. Notable areas within Harris include slip ballads and carriers' addresses. ...more information
Brown (Harold) papers, 1885-1900
The Harold Brown papers, dated from 1878 to 1920, include legal and business documents, personal and business correspondence, two unpublished manuscripts, miscellaneous bills paid, two cashbooks and an inventory of Harold Brown's estate. ...more information
Brown (John Nicholas) (1861-1900) papers, 1871-1900
John Nicholas Brown (1861-1900) was the eldest son of John Carter Brown and Sophia Augusta (Brown) Brown, members of one of the most prominent and distinguished families in Rhode Island. The papers reflect John Nicholas Brown's passion for the arts, travel, Europe, yachts, and philanthropic and civic activities. ...more information
Brown (Natalie Bayard) papers, 1877-1950
Natalie Bayard Brown (1869-1950) was the wife of John Nicholas Brown (1861-1900) and mother of John Nicholas Brown (1900-1979), members of the prominent Brown family of Providence, Rhode Island. The papers reflect Natalie Bayard Brown's interests in politics and charitable causes through correspondence with family and friends, writings and speeches, scrapbooks, and photographs. The papers contain detailed financial and legal records related to John Nicholas Brown's (1900-1979) large inheritance from his father and uncle, Harold Brown. The papers also hold travel diaries and photographs from Natalie Bayard Brown and John Nicholas Brown's (1900-1979) travels in Europe, Asia, and Middle East. ...more information
C.A. Stephens Collection
Approximately 550 items by and relating to Stephens (1844-1931), author of works for young people, long time contributor to and assistant editor of The Youth's Companion.
In-process records; Filed by item number ...more information
Carriers' Addresses
Carriers' addresses were published by newspapers, usually on January 1, and distributed in the United States for more than two centuries. The custom originated in England and was introduced here during colonial times. The newsboys delivered these greetings in verse each New Year's Day and the customers understood that a tip was expected. The poems, often anonymous, describe the events of the past year, locally, regionally, and nationally, and end with a request for a gratuity for the faithful carrier. Often the poem referred to the carrier's diligence and hardships during winter weather. Illustrated with wood-engravings and decorative borders, carriers' addresses are distinctive examples of popular publishing in nineteenth century America. Brown University Library holds one of the largest collections of these charming works, in the Broadsides Collection and the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays. ...more information
Carroll (Michael R.) papers, 1885-1931
The collection consists of documents relating to Michael Carroll's pension for Civil War military service, letters written to him about slavery and the impact of emancipation by Victor Chambers, and the book "Born at the Battlefield of Gettysburg" written by Carroll's great-grandaughter, Harriet Rinaldi. ...more information
Chace (Elizabeth Buffum), and family, papers [ca. 1801-1900]

Quaker reformer Elizabeth Buffam Chace was a feminist, abolitionist, activist for prison reform, the rights of orphans, peace, and temperance and the author of "Anti-Slavery Reminiscences."

The collection includes her commonplace book and diary; family albums, scrapbooks, photographs; miscellaneous clippings and other material relating to the Buffums, the Chaces, the Cheneys, and the Tolmans. The collection also includes some correspondence. ...more information
Charles Woodberry McLellan Collection of Lincolniana

A collection, comprising 30,000+ items in various media, of materials by and about Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, and about the historical and political context of his life and career, chiefly the U.S. Civil War and its causes and aftermath. The collection of Charles Woodberry McLellan (1836-1918), one of five great Lincoln collectors at the turn of the 20th century, was acquired for Brown University in 1923 by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Class of 1897, and others, in memory of John Hay, Class of 1858, one of Lincoln's White House secretaries; in the ensuing 75 years it has been increased to more than five times its original size.

The books and pamphlets include 85-90 percent of the titles in Jay Monaghan's Lincoln bibliography, 1829-1939 (many in multiple editions and variant copies), as well as many thousand volumes of contemporary and later publications relating to the Civil War and the slavery controversy. In conjunction with the Harris Collection, the John Hay Library holds probably the largest collection anywhere of poems about Lincoln. There is also a good selection of representative titles of books that Lincoln read.

The manuscript collection includes original letters, notes, and documents, over 950 written or signed by Lincoln; material relating to Lincoln's family and associates; and facsimiles of manuscripts held by other institutions. The broadsides include song sheets, political sheets, ballots, and posters; also 27 of the 52 printed editions listed in Charles Eberstadt, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. There is a selection of newspapers for 1860-1865; an index to the 11,300+ entries for Lincoln items in all existing files of Illinois newspapers to the end of the Civil War; and photocopies of the clipping files of the Louis A. Warren Lincoln Library and Museum, Fort Wayne, Ind.

The prints, arranged according to Meserve numbers, include most of the known photographs of Lincoln, engravings, and Currier & Ives prints. There are also original oil portraits by artists of Lincoln's day, most notably the portrait by Peter Baumgras, 1827-1903; some original drawings, as well as a scrapbook of Thomas Nasts's Civil War sketches. The statuary includes two Rogers groups, an original Truman Bartlett plaster statuette, and replicas of Leonard Volk's work. The sheet music comprises every known piece relating to Lincoln, including funeral marches, memorial songs, and campaign songs. The museum objects include over 550 medals, mourning and campaign badges, coins, postage stamps, etc. ...more information
Chester H. Kirk Collection on Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous

In 1995, Chester H. Kirk, in a generous contribution to the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, established the Chester H. Kirk Collection on Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous. The 15,000 items purchased initially with Chester Kirk's gift were amassed over two decades by Charles Bishop, an antiquarian bookseller and author of several research tools on Alcoholics Anonymous and related groups. . Acquisition of this collection, one of the largest of its kind in the country, immediately brought the University attention as a center for the study of addiction to alcohol and other substances and to the history of attempts to treat or prevent such addictions.

Chronologically, the collection ranged from a leaf from the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle depicting a drunken Noah to late 20th century studies. The formats were equally diverse: in addition to printed books, pamphlets there were periodicals, newspapers, dealers' catalogues, posters, audiovisual materials, photographs, 18th century engravings and 19th and 20th century sheet music. American in emphasis, the collection provided rich resources for the study of the temperance and prohibitions movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, hospital-based treatment of addictive behavior, and the 20th century evolution of self-help programs under the leadership of Alcoholics Anonymous. The collection includes a copy of the first book published in British-speaking North America on alcoholism, Anthony Benezet's The Mighty Destroyer Displayed (1774) as well as current issues of The Union Signal, the periodical of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Related materials ranged widely, from those bearing on drinking customs (bartenders' guides and drinking vessels) to anti-drunk driving campaigns and studies of other widespread addictions such as tobacco and narcotic drugs.

NOTE: Researchers using this collection are asked to abide by the Anonymity Guidelines for the Brown University Library AA Collections. ...more information
Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive
The Farnham Archive constitutes a system for describing and accessing collections with materials pertaining to women within the special collections housed at the John Hay Library. Accessed through the printed Research Guide, the Farnham Archive pulls together substantial holdings of all varieties in the Hay Library that document women's history. ...more information
Civil War Manuscripts Collection
Comprises more than 26 collections (more than 2,000 letters in all) covering the period from 1858 through 1879. Includes correspondence, diaries, photographs, prints and graphics and other related materials pertaining to all aspects of the Civil War, from the lives of enlisted Union soldiers and their families back home, to camp life and battlefield medicine, and the political issues that gripped the nation. ...more information
Cohen (Robert F., Jr.) papers, 1952-1984
The Robert F. Cohen, Jr. papers relate to his activist work as a student at Brown from 1964-1968, and as a community organizer in Providence and other Rhode Island communities, and New York City around welfare rights, housing discrimination and education between 1968-1972. The collection contains original materials created in the context of this work, including press releases, research notes, minutes of meetings, leaflets, and other organizing materials, as well as news clippings covering the actual events. There is also an extensive collection of publications from progressive organizations. ...more information
Corbett (Scott) papers, 1884-1984
The Scott Corbett papers contain a variety of material related to his career as a writer as well as personal memorabilia from his childhood and service in the United States Army during World War II. These papers also include Elizabeth Corbett’s personal and business papers and artwork by the illustrator and author Don Freeman. ...more information
Cramer Silver and Decorative Arts

The Cramer Collection, consisting of approximately 900 volumes, was compiled over several decades by Diana Cramer, Editor of Silver Magazine until her death in 1993, and author of a number of important articles on silver design and decorative arts. The principle strengths of the collection are in the history of silver design and silversmithing, worldwide, from early modern times to the present; however, also included are a range of materials on American decorative arts -- jewelry, glass, furniture, architecture -- from the colonial period through the early 20th century. The collection documents the craft process, as well as the end product, and includes trade catalogs, exhibition brochures, collectors guides, and miscellaneous research publications.

A title list may be viewed by doing a "word" or "author" search for "Cramer Silver" in JOSIAH.

The Cramer Collection supplements, and provides reference material for, the Gorham Company Archive.

...more information
Curtis (Minerva G.) diaries, 1900-1941
A collection of 34 leather-bound diaries, ranging from 1900 to 1941, recording the daily activities of Minerva Greenwood Curtis, a grade-school teacher in Providence, Rhode Island. The collection also includes an address book, a notebook, a loose, hand-written recipe and a newspaper clipping. ...more information
Damon Collection of Occult and Visionary Literature
The collection deals primarily with alchemy, the interpretation of dreams, mysticism, black magic and the Kabbalah plus visionary testaments and manifestations of all kinds. Includes rare editions of early occult books and numerous chronicles of demonology, secret societies, theosophical orders, and ancient mystery relitions. Among the works on sorcery and supernatural events are several on American witchcraft and the Salem trials. The collection reflect's Damon's fascination with alchemy, mysticism, symbolism and theosophy. ...more information
Denison (Frederic) collection of Baptist biographies, 1880-1883
The Denison Collection consist of letters, manuscripts, and printed matter that contain biographical information about individual Baptists in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. ...more information
Dexter (Robert Cloutman) and Elisabeth Anthony Dexter papers
Records and personal papers of sociologist and Unitarian minister Robert Cloutman Dexter (Class of 1912) and his wife, the noted historian Elisabeth Anthony Dexter. An important focus within the collection is the significant role played by the Dexters -- co-founders of the Unitarian Service Committee with Rev. Waitstill and Martha Sharp in 1937 -- in working to expedite the release of war refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe between 1938 and 1944. The collection also includes personal writings by the Dexters, as well as much information on the history of the Anthony family. ...more information
Dickson (James C.) papers, 1988-2002
These papers document the career of James C. Dickson (Class of 1968) as an activist and organizer for disabled individuals, primarily with the VOTE! 2000 Campaign, an effort to increase the number of voters with disabilities. Includes materials Dickson used in his efforts to increase the voting rights of disabled persons and their access to polling places. The materials contain information on poll accessibility, black voters, gay and lesbian voters, voting statistics, the motor voter law, election reforms, methods of voting, and the registration of potential voters when they apply for food stamps, Medicaid or a driver's license. Also consists of material documenting other organizing efforts involving the rights of children, especially children with disabilities, and the medical care of the elderly and people with disabilities. ...more information
Dixon (Nathan Fellows) family papers, 1721-1938
The Nathan Fellows Dixon family papers consist of letters, legal documents, personal and political memorabilia and photographs relating to a Westerly, Rhode Island, family of great prominence in state and federal politics during the 19th century. The majority of the collection represents the domestic and political lives of three generations of men named Nathan Fellows Dixon, all of whom graduated from Brown University and went on to serve in the United States Congress. ...more information
Dorr (Thomas Wilson) papers, 1790-1897 (bulk 1826-1854)
The Library holds the papers of Thomas Wilson Dorr, 1805-1854, lawyer, politician, reformer, and central figure in Rhode Island's "Dorr War" of 1842. The Dorr collection contains letters and speeches on suffrage, elections, banks, and state politics. They are supported by 60 scrapbooks of Dorr's personal and political correspondence, law practice and other items relating to the Suffrage Party and Providence history in the Rider Collection. The collection includes a box containing personal effects relating to Dorr's prison stay. ...more information
Eberstadt Collection of Western Pioneer Narratives

The Eberstadt Collection of Western Pioneer Narratives was given in 1977 as a memorial to Charles F. Eberstadt, Class of 1934, one of the nation's leading booksellers of Americana. Among its 300 volumes are crudely printed journals written by emigrants as they crossed the plains to California during the Gold Rush of 1849 as well as minor classics of the West published in fine editions by John Henry Nash and the Grabhorn Press. The narratives describe buffalo hunts, Indian encounters and captivities, outlaws, disasters, trading and trapping, stage coach driving, the frontier Army, and everyday life for the pioneers.

A title list may be retrieved by performing an "author" search for "Eberstadt Collection" in JOSIAH.
...more information
Edward North Robinson Collection of Brown University Athletics
The Edward North Robinson Collection of Brown University Athletics contains more than 30,000 photographs, over 900 reels of motion pictures, manuscripts, cartoons, scrapbooks, museum objects, office files, media guides and programs. This collection is part of the Brown University Archives. ...more information
Fradkin (Irving A.) papers, 1956-2002
The Dr. Irving A. Fradkin papers date from 1956 to 2002 and relate to the founding and development of the Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of America, now Scholarship America. ...more information
Frost (Edwin Collins) and William Henry Frost papers, 1890-1941 (bulk 1890-1910)
This collection, dating from 1890 to 1941, consists of letters addressed to both Edwin Collins Frost (1867-1956) and William Henry Frost (1863-1902) and a small autograph collection. Edwin Collins Frost was an assistant and instructor of rhetoric at Brown University from 1895 to 1898 and the cataloguer of Marsden J. Perry's Shakespeare Collection from 1901 to 1907. William Henry Frost joined the New York Tribune in 1887 as a reporter and drama critic and was the author of four books for children. ...more information
Gay Pulp Fiction
A growing collection of over 4,600 volumes of gay men's pulp fiction. A small number of lesbian-interest titles are included.The collection began with the acquisition of a large private collection and has been supplemented by works from two other collections of gay literature, the Scott O'Hara Papers, and the James Jackson bequest. See searchable database. Stored off-site. ...more information
Glass (Jodi L.) papers, 1978-2002
The Jodi Glass papers provide rich documentation of the inner workings of feminist organizations and movements in Rhode Island and beyond. Included in the collection are the correspondence, essays, news clippings, legislation, agendas, and minutes of a number of groups and movements, including the Rhode Island Feminist Chorus, Feminist Resources Unlimited and the anti-pornography movement. ...more information
Gorham Company Records

Archival records (approximately 3,000 linear feet, dating from 1831 to 2005) of the company founded in 1831 by silversmith Jabez Gorham in Providence, Rhode Island, and expanded under the leadership of his son John in the 1840s. At various times the company was the largest manufacturer of silver products, producer and distributor of ecclesiastical wares, and art bronze foundry in the United States.

The collection features many thousands of drawings and photographs of Gorham products, reflecting American taste from Victorian times to the present. It also contains corporate, personnel, costing, sales, and advertising records, as well as blueprints, plaster casts, and copper printing plates. Incorporated into the collection are the records of fourteen companies acquired by Gorham prior to its acquisition by larger companies, first by Textron Inc., then by Dansk International, and finally by Brown-Forman Corporation in 1991.

...more information
Hall-Hoag collection of dissenting and extremist printed propaganda
Contains documents representing a broad spectrum of militant political, social and religious dissent in the United States, from the post-World War II period to the present. The Collection currently exceeding 168,000 items emanating from over 5,000 organizations, constitutes the country's largest research collection of right and left wing U.S. extremist groups, from 1950 to 1999. The collection began when Gordon Hall, a young veteran of the Pacific Theatre during the war, first encountered the printed propaganda issued by domestic hate-your-neighbor organizations/groups in the late 1940's. He supported his investigations and research of these organizations by giving public lectures about them. Materials from all corners of the country were collected, enabling him to document statements made in lectures as well as in a growing number of expository articles written for newspapers and magazines. Grace Hoag, an alumna of Smith College, began collaboration with Hall during the 1960's, assisting the research and investigation and expanding the collection beyond its initial emphasis. Includes publications of Anti-Abortion organizations; Anti-Integrationist organizations; Anti-Semitic and Racist political parties; Christian Identity organizations; Communist organizations; Communist political parties; Communist publishers; Congressional investigating committees; Cults and Alternative religions; Extreme Left-Wing publishers; Ku Klux Klan organizations; LaRouche organizations; Marxist-Leninist organizations; Militant Anti-Communist organizations; Militant Populist organizations; Neo-Nazi organizations; Pacifist organizations; Racial and Ethnic Consciousness organizations; Right-Wing Christian religious organizations; and Right-Wing publishers. ...more information
Hanna (Muriel Marjorie Boos) papers, 1922-1989
The Muriel Marjorie Boos Hanna papers consist primarily of poetry by Muriel Hanna (dating from 1976 to 1989), drafts, notes and a draft of a compilation of poems, as well as a printed collection. An active member of the Rhode Island State Poetry Society, Hanna wrote of nature, family, and personal experiences in her poems. Included in the papers are poems by Hanna's grandmother, Emma Doan (Evans) Nicholas, whose poems describe her life a farm in New Jersey, provide information about the Grange, and gender roles in rural life in the early twentieth century. ...more information
Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays
The Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays is composed of approximately 250,000 volumes of American and Canadian poetry, plays, and vocal music dating from 1609 to the present day. It is perhaps the largest and most comprehensive collection of its kind in any research library. The works of most well-known (and many thousands of little-known) American and Canadian poets and playwrights, from the 18th century to the present day, are held comprehensively. There are significant holdings of early American literature, hymnals, songsters, little magazines, contemporary fine printing, extensive collections on Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe, women's writings, gay and lesbian literature, modern first editions, Yiddish-American literature, and French-Canadian literature. The Collection is fully cataloged, with records available in Josiah, the Library's online catalog.. Includes periodicals, broadsides, recordings, films, electronic resources, manuscripts, prints and photographs. ...more information
Hay (John, b. 1915) papers, 1939-2004
The collection represents a portion of the letters, journals, manuscripts and research materials of the Burroughs medal winning naturalist, writer and poet John Hay (born 1915). ...more information
Inman (Arthur Crew) papers, 1856-1963
Correspondence, poems, fiction, drama, essays, galley proofs, and printed notices or reviews of the published work of an Atlanta-born 20th century American poet. Collection includes transcripts of correspondence of Gen. George Pickett and his wife, LaSalle Corbell Pickett, from which Inman prepared an edited volume. Correspondents include George P. Baker, Alice H. Bartlett, Gamaliel Bradford, Abbie F. Brown, Edgar Guest, DuBose Heyward, Walter Lippmann, Josephine Peabody, H. L. Mencken, Bliss Perry, and Edward A. Robinson. ...more information
James Jackson Bequest
Approximately 1,900 titles in the area of gay/lesbian literature, much of it dating from the pre-Stonewall era. The Jackson Collection contains many titles not proviously owned by Brown and virtually all are in very good condition and retain their dust jackets. There are a quite a few lesbian-related titles which fills in a gap in our existing holdings and quite a few gay-related science fiction and fantasy titles which complement one of existing collection strengths. Quite a few of the books are signed or inscribed, this being particularly true of the post-Stonewall titles. ...more information
Jay Saunders Redding (1906-1988) papers
Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Saunders Redding graduated from Brown in 1928. After two years of teaching he returned to Brown to earn an A.M. in 1932. A writer and specialist in African-American Literature, Redding spent the majority of his teaching career at the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, where he was Professor of English from 1943 to 1966. He subsequently taught at taught Duke, George Washington and Cornell Universities. In 1949, he returned to Brown for a brief stint as a visiting Professor, thus becoming the first African American to teach at an Ivy League school. He later served as Director of the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Research and Publications from 1966 to 1969.

The Redding papers cover his long career as a writer, academic and administrator, and document his involvement with numerous African American organizations and causes. ...more information
Just Say No Campaign Collection, 1985-1996
This collection contains material, chiefly photographs, related to the "Just Say No" campaign against drug use from 1985 to 1996. It also includes some correspondence to and from the Just Say No Foundation and Just Say No International, slides, negatives, videocassettes and a workbook. ...more information
Keddy (Jane L.) papers, 1969-1993
The Keddy papers contain correspondence, research notes on index cards, brochures, museum handbooks, photocopies of entire chapters from books being used for research, maps and other illustrations along with extensive drafts of a proposed 1000 plus page biography of Samuel de Champlain. Other material includes personal correspondence on topics as diverse as feminism, safe drinking water and theology, professional correspondence in Jane Keddy's capacity as the editor/owner of Parameter Press and a folder of correspondence with potential publishers of the Champlain manuscript. ...more information
Lester Frank Ward collection, 1860-1913

Ward, a Brown faculty member recognized today as one of the founders of the field of sociology, bequeathed his library and personal papers to Brown, and they arrived at the John Hay Library in 1914. The 1,200 bound volumes and pamphlets plus approximately 11,000 letters and manuscripts represent Ward's interests in botany, paleobotany, geology, philosophy and sociology. The two main series of Ward's papers, the correspondence and the writings, are available on microfilm. ...more information
Lewis (David C.) papers
The David C. Lewis papers contain information on his efforts to collect historical collections concerning alcoholism, and his work at the local, state and federal level concerning alcoholism and addiction. The collection contains correspondence, legal papers, writings, printed materials, meeting minutes, audiovisual materials and financial papers including appraisals of collections which David Lewis had acquired or was exploring acquiring for the Brown University library. ...more information
Linton (William James) papers, ca. 1848-1896
The William James Linton Papers of Brown University contains material reflecting the three major spheres of activity--literary, artistic, and political--to which Linton chiefly devoted himself during the course of his long life. The literary manuscripts, correspondence to and from Linton, sketchbooks, drawings, and photographs, which comprise the chief part of this collection, are materials which will serve the researcher in good stead in attempting to understand Linton's various achievements. When considered in conjunction with the large holdings of printed Linton materials in various collections elsewhere within the Brown University Library, the papers comprising the Linton Papers described here take on added significance, insofar as they serve well to complement those printed holdings. Special interest may attach to some of the literary manuscripts in this collection, "Love's Diary", "Mr. Joseph", and "Blue-Beard", which are as yet unpublished. The researcher may also be especially interested in the correspondence involving noteworthy personalities, such as Winslow Homer, Christina Rossetti, Algernon Charles Swinburne, et al. ...more information
Littlefield (Katherine Frances) papers, 1887-1912
The Katherine Frances Littlefield papers chronicles the early professional life of a 1902 graduate of Pembroke College at Brown University through letters to her mother from 1905-1909. The letters focus on the establishment of her professional career and family matters. ...more information
Lord (Augustus Mendon) collection of letters and autographs of famous personages, 1778-1908 (bulk 1876-1908)
The Augustus Mendon Lord Papers includes correspondence, documents, and autographs of prominent figures from the period 1778 through 1908. The bulk of the correspondence pertains to American politicians, particularly members of Congress, and dates from 1876 through 1908. However, the collection also contains autographs and documents from American and European military, scientific, literary, and artistic figures. ...more information
Lownes (Albert Edgar) collection on Henry David Thoreau, 1837-1965
The Albert E. Lownes Collection on Henry David Thoreau was received in 1967 as a gift from Albert E. Lownes, Class of 1920. It consists of over 1,000 items, and includes books by Thoreau, later editions of his writing, biographical and critical works, and books from his personal library. It contains first editions for each of Thoreau's separately published books and pamphlets as well as a virtually complete selection of his contrib utions to periodicals. Of particular note are a number of annotated volumes from Thoreau's personal library and original manuscript fragments from his Journals, The Maine Woods, and A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.

There are also periodicals, engravings, photographs, a striking original sketch of Thoreau, maps, broadsides, museum objects, and other memorabilia. The Collection includes a number of Thoreau letters, college papers and journal excerpts.

Especially noteworthy is an album entitled "Concordia", a collection of autograph letters, portraits, and original sketches of Concord personalities, compiled by Rev. Moncure Daniel Conway. ...more information
Luce (Nancy) papers, 1725-1964 (bulk 1833-1889)
The Nancy Luce Papers comprise manuscripts poems, accounts, journals, photographs, family papers and clippings that cover the period from 1725 to 1964. ...more information
Lucy Truman Aldrich Collection of Rare Illustrated Children's Books
Collection of American, British, and some European (primarily French) illustrated children's books, donated to Brown University in June 1990. The appraiser's catalog included with the collection lists: Chapbooks 1780-1840 (31 items); English 1840-1952 (213 items); Pre-1835 American (11 items); American gift and miniature (5 items); American primers and prayer books (6 items); American 1835-1954 (115 items); European 1850-1940 (35 items); Reference (6 items). The total, 423 items, reflects a slightly different way of counting sets of Kate Greenaway ephemera. The collection was donated to the Library by Aldrich's nephew, Mr. David Rockefeller. ...more information
Martensen (Augustus) papers, 1822-1923
The Martensen Papers are comprised of letters and documents; including fifty-five Civil War letters in German by Martensen and letters received by Martensen and members of Martensen's family. ...more information
Maud Howe Elliott Papers, 1882-1948

Correspondence (mostly dating between 1890 and 1940), manuscripts, lectures and scrapbooks of a Newport-based literary figure who was the daughter of the poet Julia Ward Howe and activist Samuel Gridley Howe, and wife of the artist John Elliott. The collection includes unpublished manuscripts for Elliott's memoirs "Afternoon Tea" and "Memories of Eighty Years." ...more information
Maury A. Bromsen Collection
of Confederate Etchings by Adalbert Volck

In 1863, Adalbert J. Volck, a Maryland dentist and Southern sympathizer, produced a series of copper-plate etchings that caricatured Lincoln and the Union cause. The prints were published as a set and were very popular in the South during and after the war.

The collection now at Brown was compiled by Boston book dealer Maury A. Bromsen and bequeathed to the John Hay Library. Though the prints are widely available in academic libraries today, the Bromsen collection of the Volck prints is unique as it includes the original copper plates from which the etchings were printed, as well as notes and reference material from Bromsen's research on Volck. ...more information
McConoughey (Artha May) papers, 1896-1939 (bulk 1908-1929)

The Artha May McConoughey Papers consist of travel diaries, temperance speeches, law school assignments, photographs, and personal artifacts. All of the written material is from McConoughey's own hand; most of it was composed during the first quarter of the 20th century when she came of age and became active in the temperance and women's suffragist movements in the Chicago area. ...more information
Metcalf (Edward De Forest) papers
Edward De Forest Metcalf (1924-1968) was a Providence writer of poetry and short stories. Metcalf's papers contain numerous drafts and fragments as well as complete literary works. Included in the papers is a compilation Edward De Forest Metcalf's writings that was published after his death by his father, George T. Metcalf. ...more information
Metcalf Collection
An extraordinarily diverse collection of pamphlets donated by the Hon. Theron Metcalf, Class of 1805. It is the Library's principal collection of American, English and Irish pamphlet literature of the 17th through the 19th centuries.

A distinguished jurist and author on legal subjects, Metcalf was an avid collector of pamphlet literature. He added periodically to the collection after giving it to Brown and, at his death in 1875, it included well over 10,000 items.

The collection includes ordination, election-day and dedicatory sermons, Fourth of July orations, plus pamphlets on the Civil War and slavery, the Irish question, Mormonism, agriculture, medicine and women's suffrage to name but a few categories. Pamphlets were bound into thematic volumes, and the call numbers represent the individual volumes. ...more information
Michael J. Ciaraldi Collection
The collection, housed in the John Hay Library at Brown University, was amassed by the donor, Michael J. Ciaraldi, beginning in the early 1970s, and came to the Library beginning in 1996. The majority of the collection consists of comic books published since that time, up to 1995; there are also significant sections of magazine-format comics, graphic novels, fan and collector's journals, reissues of classic "golden age" comics and newspaper strips, translations of Japanese "manga" and "anime" comics and European comic art, and compilations of the work of comic artists, as well as advertising ephemera, role-playing game materials, and adult erotica. The Collection is particularly noteworthy for its holdings of comics by the small and independent publishers of the 1970s and 1980s. Imprints are very largely American, with some British satirical graphic magazines. The total number of items in the Collection is estimated at 60,000. ...more information
Miller Collection of Wit and Humor
The Miller Collection, consisting of approximately 40,000 volumes, is the personal library of Bernard, Saul, and George Miller, amassed over a period of fifty years. The brothers assembled the best collection of American humor in private hands, unequalled in any American institution, which they donated it to Brown University Library in the early 1990s.
The Collection consists primarily of 20th-century American imprints, but also includes significant sections of 19th-century joke books, British imprints, works in Russian, Hebrew, French, German, and Italian, and 19th-century editions of classic works of humor. The Collection includes much important early humor material, such as Joe Miller's Jests, or The Wit's Vade-Mecum (London, 1739), and Yankee Notions, or, The American Joe Miller, by Sam Slick (London, 1839).
The Collection includes works by Fred Allen, George Allen, Gracie Allen, Steve Allen, Woody Allen, Alan King, Allan Sherman, and H. Allen Smith. There is topical humor of every conceivable kind, such as sex, medicine, the law, sex, politics, sports, sex, and plumbing. There are also sections of comic novels, familiar essays by humorists, political satire, light verse, theatrical memoirs of comedy performers, American and European folk humor, ethnic humor, vaudeville routines, collections of political cartoons, paperback joke and cartoon books, and playscripts; and a notable section of "Army joke books", pulp periodicals from the World War II era. ...more information
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet Diary (1922-1934)

Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (1890-1960) was an American sculptress and a 1918 graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work became well-known throughout Europe and the United States, and she later taught in various schools. Born in Warwick (Rhode Island) to a Narraganset Indian father and an Afro-American mother, she experienced and struggled against racial discrimination typical of the times in which she lived. Her diary, dating from a period when she was working in Paris, detail the deep anguish she felt during a time of misfortune and hardship. ...more information
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. Archives
Marty Mann (1905-1980) founded NCADD and dedicated her life to teaching the public that alcoholism is a preventable and treatable disease, not a moral failing. The archive comprises 16 record storage boxes containing official and personal correspondence, papers, articles, speeches, brochures, press clippings, field reports, Board minutes, photographs, films, and audio cassettes.

NOTE: Researchers using this collection are asked to abide by the Anonymity Guidelines for the Brown University Library AA Collections. ...more information
Needmor Fund records, 1975-2005
The Needmor Fund is a family foundation established in Toledo, Ohio in 1956 by Duane and Virginia Stranahan with income from the Champion Spark Plug business. It focuses on funding community organizing efforts to create a more equitable and just society. The records document the activities of the Needmor Fund from the the 1970\'s to the early 21st century and include correspondence, grant applications, pamphlets, seminar brochures, notes from site visits, speeches, and publications. Within the Needmor Fund Collection, the Kathy Partridge papers include material related to gay and lesbian issues. ...more information
Newton family papers, ca. 1780-1856
Manuscript copies of 18th and 19th century broadside verse, made by members of the Newton family, chiefly Mrs. Miriam Newton and Miss Nancy Newton, with an occasional original piece; accounts, genealogies, verse and prose; copies of sermons; excerpts from religious books; biographies of famous people; accounts of local weather; newsworthy local events. Compiled mostly in Southboro, Massachusetts, and Marlboro, New Hampshire. ...more information
On Our Backs
The archive of the lesbian periodical, On Our Backs. The library also holds a run of the periodical. See Josiah record. ...more information
Paterson (William) papers, 1919-2003
The William Paterson Papers, dating from 1919-2003, includes photographs, plays in manuscript, an autobiography in manuscript, a pen and ink drawing, clippings, military decorations, acting awards, pamphlets, and other documents. Paterson, a Brown University graduate (Class of 1941) and a World War II veteran, was an actor by profession. He joined the Cleveland Playhouse in 1947 and worked there for the next 20 years. In 1967 he joined the American Conservatory Theatre where he remained for over 30 years. He also occasionally performed in television and film productions. ...more information
Poland (William Carey) papers, 1860-1910
William Carey Poland (1846-1929) was a member of the Class of 1868, and subsequently professor of Classics at Brown from 1870 to 1892. After his return from a sabbatical year in Greece in 1892, he was named the first Professor in the History of Art at Brown. He later served as President of the Rhode Island School of Design (1896-1907), but continued to teach the history of art at Brown until his retirement in 1915. Poland House, a residence hall on the Brown campus, is named for him.

The William Carey Poland Papers consist of 9 diaries and 24 photographs dating from around 1860 to 1910. Two of the diaries are in the hand of Clara (Harkness) Poland and one is in the hand of William Poland Jr. The photographs in the collection include various images of the Poland family as well of Prof. Poland at an archaeological dig, probably in Greece. ...more information
Providence Medical Association Milk Commission records
The records of the Providence Milk Commission consist of financial and business records related to the Commission’s activities from 1931 to 1985. The series concerning Hillside Farms contains reports on the health of its employees and the results of tests to determine the quality of the milk produced there. ...more information
Robert J. Tierney Collection of Entertainment Memorabilia
Posters, scripts, tickets, photographs, and other ephemera related to theatrical and entertainment events in the local area over the past fifty years. The collection features over 350 radio and television scripts, representing musical variety, science fiction, drama, mystery, westerns, and comedies of the Fifties and the Sixties. In addition there are many scripts accompanied by correspondence related to their acquisition from producers, sponsors, etc.; numerous posters, programs, playbills, promotional brochures, handbills, photographs, and tickets to performances primarily in the Providence arena, gathered from local and regional theaters. Also included are itineraries for big bands, musicians, and other performers, as well as play lists for their performances ...more information
Rollo G. Silver Collection of Printing and Publishing History
The working library of Rollo Silver, Class of 1931, historian of early American printing, publishing, and typography; includes ca. 3,000 volumes, as well as 45 linear feet of notebooks containing transcriptions or reproductions of primary and secondary source materials.Records the historical development of the printing and publishing industries, particularly in the United States.
The collection includes 64 volumes of notebooks containing the source materials for all of Silver's writings in the history of American printing; include ms. transcriptions, photographs, photostats, and photocopies from published and archival sources; some pamphlets; and typed drafts of some of Silver's own articles and addresses. ...more information
Romance Novels by Brown and Rhode Island Authors
The romance novels included in this database, along with the working papers of their authors, were acquired in conjunction with the establishment of the Christine Dunlap Farnham Archive, which is "dedicated to preserving and the continued collection of materials documenting the history of women in Brown University and Pembroke College, the post-graduate lives of Brown University and Pembroke College alumnae, and the lives of Rhode Island women." The authors are Barbar Kieler, Jo Ann Ferguson, Patricia Coughlin, and Sylvia Baumgarten. In addition to works by the Brown and Rhode Island authors listed, works by over 30 other romance authors appear in the database in cases where they have been anthologized with these four authors. The novels include titles translated into many languages ...more information
Rutgers Anti-Saloon League Collection of Temperance and Addiction Studies Periodicals

This collection of foreign-language temperance materials was originally amassed by the Anti-Saloon League. The collection was transferred by the League to the Westerville (Ohio) Public Library, and in 1982 was donated by the Westerville Public Library to the library of the Center for Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University. In 1999, Rutgers in turn transferred the collection to the John Hay Library.

The collection comprises approximately 15,000 items dating from the first half of the 20th century. The database linked below lists all cataloged titles and offers the ability to sort by author, title, imprint, call number and language. In addition, there is a link for the collection website on the Anti-Saloon League at the Westerville Public Library, which includes helpful background information on the League.

...more information
Sargent (Frances Herriott) papers, 1928-1942
This collection of about 285 items traces the evolution and production of the play "Porgy" and its operatic expression, "Porgy and Bess". The collection is composed of the professional and personal papers of the assistant stage manager, Frances Herriott (later Frances Herriott Sargent), and provides insight into the major elements of production as well as the personal relationships of cast members and stage professionals. ...more information
Schirmer Collection on Anti-Imperialism

This collection, assembled by Daniel Boone Schirmer, currently numbers 964 titles dealing with the Anti-Imperialist movement of 1898 and its repercussions in United States, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Filipino history. It deals with the debate within the United States during and after the Spanish-American War over the appropriate relationship between the English-speaking and Spanish speaking Americas.

Searching for AUTHOR "Schirmer Collection" in JOSIAH pulls up a complete list of titles in the collection.

...more information
Scholarship America records, 1960-2006
This collection consists of the records of Scholarship America (formerly known as the Citizens' Scholarship Foundation of America) from 1960-2006. ...more information
Scott O'Hara Papers
Literary and personal papers, 1979-1998, of Scott O'Hara (1961-1998), pornographic film actor, author, magazine publisher, also containing publications that include material by or about him.

The gay pulp paperbacks acquired as part of this collection are listed in the Gay Pulp Fiction database. ...more information
Screenplays, 1938-1980
Collection consists of 81 dialogues and post production scripts. Motion picture studios represented include: ABC, Paramount, Columbia, MGM, RKO, Republic, 20th Century Fox, United Artists, Universal, Warner Brothers, World Entertainment, and British film companies. Includes scripts for well-known films such as Chinatown, Love Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and many others. ...more information
Seven Hills Garden Club records, 1937-1981
The Seven Hills Garden Club of Providence, Rhode Island, was founded in 1937 to "stimulate an interest in horticulture for purposes of civic betterment, and to enable each member to enjoy her own garden more intelligently." These records were kept in two notebooks by the Seven Hills Garden Club librarian and include by-laws, programs, clippings, photographs, some minutes, membership lists, memorial tributes to past members, and reports. In addition to documenting a women's club and the horticultural activities of a number of Providence women over several decades of the twentieth century, this collection provides some information about individual members and about the Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs. ...more information
Sheet Music Collection
The Sheet Music Collection, an outgrowth of the Harris Collection, contains approximately 500,000 pieces of sheet music, largely American imprint vocal music dating from the late 18th century to the present day; the bulk of the titles date between 1800 and 1950.

Owing to its size, the Collection is divided into a number of sections. The largest is the section of vocal music, some 150,000 pieces, with an additional 35,000 pieces representing songs from the musical theatre, films, radio, and television shows. Afro-Americana accounts for perhaps 10,000 titles, of which perhaps 2,500 (mainly from the 19th century) are fully cataloged. There are another 2,000 pieces of cataloged music relating to World Wars I and II, and perhaps 1,500 cataloged musical settings of American poetry; there are another 1,500 uncataloged pieces belonging to these categories. Sheet music from the Confederacy is keyed to the citations in the Crandall bibliography; pre-1800 music is keyed to Sonneck-Upton, and music from 1801-1825 is filed by Wolfe number. Approximately one-third of the titles cited by Wolfe are in the Collection. There are also smaller (less than 2,500 pieces each) sections of: color lithographs; works by Boston lithographers; Endicott lithographs; Union imprint Civil War music; Latin American music; Yiddish-American music; Harrigan and Hart music; silent film music; dance folios; theatre music (non-vocal); music dealers' stamps; Canadian music.

Note: Only approximately 5,000 titles have Josiah records. These include Afro-Americana, music relating to World Wars I and II, and musical settings of American poetry. ...more information
Sidney S. Rider Collection

The Sidney S. Rider Collection on Rhode Island history, the largest private collection of materials related to Rhode Island, was presented to the library in 1903 by Marsden Perry. Rider was a leading Providence bookseller, publisher and antiquarian who had amassed a collection of manuscript and printed materials from the 18th through the early 20th centuries. The collection includes books, pamphlets, manuscripts, broadsides, ephemera, scrapbooks and newspapers compiled over 50 years of collecting. Notable among the ephemera are posters, cartoons, playbills, ballots, carrier's addresses, theater programs, tax bills, lottery tickets, death notices, and funeral invitations. Significant sections of the collection pertain to the Dorr Rebellion of 1842 and to the life and career of Rhode Island lawyer and Congressman Thomas Allen Jenckes.
...more information
Smith (Robert Holbrook, Dr. Bob) papers
The collection consists of over five thousand items, including two hundred books, dozens of pieces of memorabilia, and several hundred manuscripts (original and photocopied) and photographs once the property of "Dr. Bob," the legendary co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. The collection was purchased in November 1999 from Sue Smith Windows, Dr. Bob's daughter and donated by Esmond Harmsworth, James Abernathy, Christopher Ohrstrom, Mark Ohrstrom, and Richard Ohrstrom. Books, all from Dr. Bob's personal library, deal with religious and spiritual topics as well as the problems of addiction and recovery. Manuscripts include the notes of Dr. Bob's wife, Anne, who jotted down the spiritual principles that eventually influenced the AA movement's twelve steps; a looseleaf binder containing the mimeographed instructions on how to set up an AA meeting sent out to chapter secretaries; and some pages of Dr. Bob's letters and notes. Among the notable items in this collection are the coffee pot that Dr. Bob and Bill W. first used to sober up in 1935.

Visitors should note that there is no permanent display of materials from the Dr. Bob Collection, although the memorabilia can be paged upon request.

NOTE: Researchers using this collection are asked to abide by the Anonymity Guidelines for the Brown University Library AA Collections. ...more information
Snyder (Clarence H.) A.A. Collection
These papers consist of pamphlets, brochures, books, periodicals, menus, programs and tickets for events, rosters of A.A. groups, speeches, newspaper and magazine clippings, postcards, greeting cards, gas rationing stamps, bills of sale, receipts, and letters either typed, autographed or photocopied. The majority of the materials focus on the early history of Alcoholics Anonymous in the Cleveland, Ohio area and Clarence Snyder's involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous.

The collection also includes books that have been cataloged separately and audio cassettes that are housed separately from the papers.

NOTE: Researchers using this collection are asked to abide by the Anonymity Guidelines for the Brown University Library AA Collections. ...more information
Sorrentino (Mary Ann) papers regarding her excommunication, 1974-1989
The Mary Ann Sorrentino papers about her excommunication from the Catholic Church consist of correspondence, clippings, and other materials. These papers relate to the practice of abortion, the authority of the Catholic Church over its members, and general discussion of religion and morality with respect to abortion. The correspondence with Sorrentino (who was Executive Director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island from 1977 to 1987) includes responses from proponents of both the pro-choice and pro-life movements, Catholics, non-Catholics, public officials, and others. ...more information
Stamp Collections
Webster Knight Collection
W. L. L. Peltz Collection
Irene Heneghan Stamp Collection
George S. Champlin Memorial Stamp Collection
United States First Day Covers
Robert T. Galkin Collection

In 1933 Colonel Webster Knight, Class of 1876, bequeathed an almost complete collection of mint United States postage stamps, in blocks of four, along with mint and used singles and blocks of revenue stamps plus an endowment for supporting the collection. The Knight Collection served as a magnet to attract the Peltz and Morriss Collections of Special Delivery stamps, in 1947 and 1960, as well as the George S. Champlin Memorial Stamp Collection of international issues, which began arriving in 1960. The Robert T. Galkin Collection of Frist Day Covers was presented to the Library in 1976. The Irene Heneghan Stamp Collection, given in 2002, includes 93 mounted stamp albums and several hundred early 20th century U.S. postcards with cancelled one-cent stamps. ...more information
Stevens (Mitchell L.) papers, 1988-2004
The Mitchell L. Stevens papers are a research collection of materials on home schooling in the United States in the late 20th and early 21st centuries compiled by an educational sociologist. There are newsletters, catalogs, workbooks and promotional materials for private schools, home schooling programs and home schooling products, conference handouts, photocopies of newspaper and magazine articles and long runs of several magazines. ...more information
Tefft (Thomas Alexander) Architectural Drawings, 1844-1859
Architectural drawings by Thomas Alexander Tefft, Brown University Class of 1851. ...more information
Textbook Collection
A collection of approximately 4,500 textbooks on all subjects, dating from the mid-18th century to the 1930s. Call numbers begin with '4-'; ...more information
Thatcher (Henry Knox) papers
The Henry Knox Thatcher papers comprise three journals kept by Thatcher while he was on active duty as an officer of the U.S. Navy between 1839 and 1863, and cover his service on board the U.S.S. Brandywine (1839-1841), the U.S.S. Jamestown (1847-1849), the U.S.S. Shore Ship Relief (1851-1852) and the U.S.S. Constellation (1862-1863). The collection also includes Thatcher's naval commissions, a pamphlet that details his naval service, Thatcher's military insignia (including dress sword, admiral's hat and epaulets), and an 1862 painting of the Constellation by Italian artist Tomaso de Simone.
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The Ernest Kurtz Collection on Alcoholism

Assembled by Ernest Kurtz, beginning in the 1970s. the major strengths of this collection are interviews with and testimonials by alcoholics, and talks given at various workshops. Subjects covered include personal narratives by individuals suffering and recovering from alcoholism. Materials include audio tapes and cassettes.

NOTE: Researchers using this collection are asked to abide by the Anonymity Guidelines for the Brown University Library AA Collections. ...more information
The Richard G. Katzoff Collection
The collection, named in honor of Richard G. Katzoff and housed in the John Hay Library at Brown University, consists primarily of literary works relating to gays and lesbians, with a small component of history and sociology; most are U.S. publications. The core of the Collection is the gift of books, primarily novels dating from the 1970s and 1980s, received in 1991 from the estate of Richard Katzoff, supplemented by the library and personal writings of John Preston, journalist, author and editor of gay literature (the Library also houses Preston's papers). In addition, the Collection includes the publications of Larry Townsend (sadomasochistic fiction and pictorial erotica), many books from the library of Edmund White, an extensive collection of contemporary lesbian fiction, and many other smaller donations of gay and lesbian writings. Materials continue to be added to the Collection by gift and purchase; an endowment has been established for that purpose by the Katzoff family. The more recent acquisitions include a 30,000-item collection of gay pulp fiction dating primarily from the 1950s and 1960s. ...more information
Turner (William Mason) papers, 1857-1877
Contains personal correspondence, legal documents, poetry, photographs, and sketches of William Mason Turner, a graduate of Brown University (1855), physician, Confederate surgeon, traveler and author. ...more information
Watson (John Brown) collection
John Brown Watson (Class of 1904) was among the earliest African American alumni of Brown University and had a distinguished career in the historically Black colleges of the South. After a teaching stint at Morehouse College, Watson moved into a career as an administrator. He became founding President of Leland College in Baker, Louisiana, in 1923, and later ascended to the presidency of Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal School, later known as Arkansas A&M University (now: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff).

The Watson papers cover, among other topics, African American education; the role of the African American woman as Christian homemaker and as community leader in education; land reform (creation of farms and rental of property to poor African Americans); African American business; African American leadership of the early 20th century; and African American missions in Africa.
...more information
Wayne D. Poulin Collection
The Wayne D. Poulin Collection includes over 10,000 comic books, primarily from the 1970s and 1980s. It consists primarily of "superhero" comics of the perio. Donated by Brown University Professor Barton St. Armand. ...more information
Weeks family papers, 1901-2002
Papers of three 20th century New England sisters, Elizabeth Goddard, Genevieve Cass and Norma Geraldine Weeks, the only children of William B. and Mabel Cass Weeks. The collection includes legal documents, baby books, travelogues, diaries, photographs, newspaper clippings, letters and published books. ...more information
Weird Tales
Science fiction and fantasy periodical, notable at Brown University Library for the many works by H. P. Lovecraft it published. Fragile; may not be photocopied. ...more information
William Chauncey Langdon Collection of Pageants
Collection of pageants directed and organized by Langdon, founder and President of the American Pageant Association, and also includes scripts, correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia relating to other pageants of the early 20th century. ...more information
Wilmeth (Don B.) research files for the Cambridge Guide to American theatre
This collection of research files consists of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, e-mails, press releases, playbills, postcards, letters, student papers, lecture notes, brochures and conference presentations which form the basis for the research and writing of the second edition of The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre, compiled by Don B. Wilmeth and Tice L. Miller. Several stages of the resulting manuscript proof are also included. ...more information
Yoken (Mel B.) collection
Personal collection of Mel B. Yoken assembled by the Brown University alumnus over a period of forty years. Receipt of the collection by the Brown University Library began in 1999 and is still in progress. It consists primarily of 20th century pieces of correspondence and literary works by American, British, French and Québécois authors, artists and public figures. Numerous letters written by significant figures of the 18th and 19th century enhance the historical, literary and political interest of the collection. Notes, typescripts, photographs and personal papers complement the archive, as well as the many inscriptions, annotations and signatures in the book collection. ...more information
Young (John) papers, 1859-1903
These papers contain personal correspondence, business papers, writings by John Young and his daughter Harriet, maps and hand drawn diagrams of the Blackfeet Agency and it surroundings in Montana Territory. The personal correspondence from 1876 to 1884 provides firsthand accounts of life on the reservation during a crucial time in the tribe's history. ...more information

Image Source: Selections from the Michael J. Ciaraldi Collection of Comic Books and Comic Art. John Hay Library.

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