Mudd Manuscript Library Blog

A wonderful end of the year gift came to the Princeton University Archives through the generosity of eight alumni who serve on the Princetoniana Committee. The item, a copybook from Class of 1836 graduate Samuel Humes Porter, was for sale on eBay. Dave Cleaves ‘78, the organizer of “pBay”—a group of alumni who collect Princetoniana—noted the item’s availability on Sunday, December 16, and by week’s end, led by Sev Onyshkevych ‘83 and joined by Steven Brown ‘77, Cleaves, Scott Clemons ‘90, Donald Farren ‘58, Cynthia Penney ‘83, Jonathan Sapan ‘04, and Frank Sloat ‘55, the copybook was on its way to the Archives.

Though small in size (3” x 5.25”), the book’s importance is due to its scarcity. The University Archives has very little documentation prior to 1855 due to the Nassau Hall fire that year, and next to nothing that documents individual students’ work. University Archivist Dan Linke reports that this is the first copybook from that era. The book includes lines of poems from Coleridge, Sidney, Spenser and Pope, as well as translations from Latin and Greek, all written in an exceptionally crisp hand. Porter’s penmanship was so fine that he worked several government clerkships before becoming a lawyer.

Due to extended deterioration of its binding, the book is currently being treated by the Preservation Lab and is unavailable for review, but it should be available in the Spring.

The Mudd Manuscript Library typically adds between 100 and 150 items or collections to its holdings each year. As part of our commitment to publicly providing information about our collections, we will be including a monthly listing of new accessions on our blog. Anyone interested in additional information about the accessions listed below should contact the library through our general email account.

In addition to the monthly listings here, an rss feed on newly cataloged resources at Mudd is available via the Princeton University Library webpage (be sure to select Seeley G. Mudd Library from the "location" drop down menu). We are also, as part of our efforts to revamp our accessioning processes, creating, updating, and posting finding aids on the library's EAD website within several weeks of the accession's arrival at the library.

A significant collection of John Maclean, Jr. Papers has been acquired by the University Archives, thanks to the generosity of 11 Princetoniana Committee members. Maclean, President of the College of New Jersey from 1854-1868, saw the College through trying times such as the Nassau Hall fire of 1855 and the Civil War years. At the heart of the new collection are scores of letters written to Maclean during his tenure as President. The content of the letters ranges from official business of the President to personal matters of individual students. The collection also includes materials pertaining to Maclean’s parents and extended family, such as an 1814 inventory of the possessions of Maclean’s late father, the College’s first chemistry professor [See image of John Maclean Sr.’s inventory of possessions, top].

The papers complement Maclean material already held in the University Archives in the Office of President Records. “These papers represent a significant addition to our holdings on John Maclean, both in quantity and quality,” said University Archivist Dan Linke. “Maclean was an important figure in Princeton’s history, serving on its faculty and as an administrator for over 50 years. I am pleased that members of the Princetoniana Committee recognize this acquisition’s significance and that they continue their generosity in support of the Archives.”

Those who supported the acquisition are Steven Brown ‘77, Dave Cleaves ‘78, Scott Clemons ‘90, Donald Farren ‘58, Jan Kubik ‘70, Gregg Lange ‘70, Sev Onyshkevych ‘83, Cynthia Penney ‘83, Robert Rodgers ‘56, Jonathan Sapan ‘04, Paul Sittenfeld ‘69 and Frank Sloat ‘55.

A preliminary finding aid for the papers is available online. Mudd staff will process the collection this spring and a full description of the collection will be available by the summer.

Visit here or here for more information on John Maclean Jr.

Related Collections:

Office of the President Records, 1746-1999 (bulk 1830-1869, 1933-1957) Finding Aid (AC117)

John Maclean Letters and Papers, circa 1750-1890 Finding Aid (CO342)

As mentioned last month, Mudd staff will post lists of new accessions to the Princeton University Archives and Public Policy Papers each month. The list below includes information on items and collections accessioned in April 2008. As always, anyone interested in additional information about the accessions listed below should contact the library through our general email account.

Public Policy Papers

David A. Morse Papers Accrual, 1949-1972
ML.2008.012

Edwin S. Corwin Papers, Series 3, Professional Correspondence, Digital Files, 2008
ML.2008.013

Jessie Wilson Sayre Papers Digital Files, 2008
ML.2008.014

Charles Woodruff Yost Papers Accrual, 1933-1974
ML.2008.015

Princeton University Archives

Class of 1936 60th Reunion Planning Materials for George Washington Program; Our Side of Paradise Manuscript by Gail Tirone; and a Class of 1871 Ribbon.
AR.2008.034

Nassau Literary Magazine of October 1870; Record Books of the Class of 1871, Issues 10-15; and Photocopied Sources on Thomas Harvey Skinner Class of 1809 and Benjamin Skinner Lassiter Class of 1871.
AR.2008.035

Campus Club Records, 1909-1976
Consists of drafts of the Campus Club Constitution as amended in 1976, a 1924 Certificate of Incorporation, and several financial documents relating to the mortgage of the Campus Club property.
AR.2008.036

Office of the Treasurer Accrual, 1986-2006
AR.2008.037

Reunion Magnets, 1992-2006
AR.2008.038

Michelle L. (Robinson) Obama '85 Public Information File, 1985
Materials document Obama's participation in various campus activities during her undergraduate years at Princeton.
AR.2008.039

Office of Communications Records, 1963-2008
AR.2008.040

Year Book of the Cannon Club, 1951
AR.2008.041

Princeton Sterling Silver Spoon, circa 1930s
AR.2008.042

Antonin Scalia Talk, "The Role of the Courts in a Liberal Democracy," March 7, 2008
Talk given on the occasion of having been granted the American Whig-Cliosophic Society's 2008 James Madison Award for Distinguished Public Service. [Closed during Scalia's lifetime.]
AR.2008.043

Center for Research on World Political Institutions Files, 1952-1958
AR.2008.044

The list below includes information on items and collections accessioned in May and June 2008. As always, anyone interested in additional information about the accessions listed below should contact the library through our general email account.

Public Policy Papers

John Van Antwerp MacMurray Films, circa 1926-1928 ML.2008.016

Allen Macy Dulles Papers, 1940-2007 ML.2008.017

United States Senators Photographic Negatives, 1956-1980. Includes images of Howard Alexander Smith ‘01, Bill Bradley ‘65 and George McGovern. ML.2008.018

Allen W. Dulles Papers Accrual, 1926-1968. Consists of correspondence between Allen Welsh Dulles and George Gaevernitz regarding the making of a film about Operation Sunrise in World War II. Also includes a document purported to be a forged Bank of England twenty pound note produced in a World War II era concentration camp. (see image below.) ML.2008.019

Marten Van Heuven Speaking Notes, 2007-2008 ML.2008.020

Margaret Snyder Papers Accrual, 1977-2005 ML.2008.021

Princeton University Archives

Clarence Porter Cowles and Woodrow Wilson Digital Images, 2008 AR.2008.045

Class of 1873 Student Photograph Album, 1873 AR.2008.046

John Archibald Wheeler Digital Images, undated AR.2008.047

Michelle Obama Digital Image, circa 1985 AR.2008.048

Princeton Tiger Editorial Board Photograph, 1947 AR.2008.049

Class of 1909 Ceramic Mugs, undated AR.2008.050

Class of 1945 Mini-Reunion Trip Photographs and Letter, 2008 AR.2008.051

Photographs by Marie Bellis, 1969-1975 AR.2008.052

John Cobb Cooper Papers, 1917-1966 AR.2008.053

Physics Notebook of Robert H. Dicke, Class of 1939, circa 1935-1939 AR.2008.054

Princeton University Library Records Cotsen Children’s Library Accrual, circa 2003-2004 AR.2008.055

Class of 1971 Twenty-fifth Reunion Survey Materials, 1990-1996 AR.2008.056

Stuart R. Stevenson Letter and Charter Club Document, 1917, 1943 AR.2008.059

Photocopied sources on James West Clark, Class of 1779, 1762-1996 AR.2008.060

Princeton University Store Bookmark, circa 1988 AR.2008.061

Digital Video Recording of Opening Reception for Robert Goheen Library Exhibit, 2006 AR.2008.062

Robert F. Goheen Memorial Service Programs and Audio Recordings, 2008 AR.2008.063

Opening Reception Program for Exhibition: The Alternative is Not Possible to Contemplate, Eleanor Roosevelt and a Vision of Freedom and Peace, 1985 AR.2008.064

Subject Index of the Library of Industrial Relations Section and J. Douglas Brown, A Record of Service Booklet, 1951-1959 AR.2008.065

Commencement Publications and Reunion Photograph, 1932-1946 AR.2008.066

Tom Reed Graphic Illustration: Dragons and Tigers and Dreams, Oh Yes! 2008 AR.2008.067

Reunions 2008 Program, Fan and Alumni Council Meeting Agenda, 2008 AR.2008.068

John Maclean, Jr. Papers Accrual, 1790-1890 AR.2008.069

Class of 1973, 35th Reunion Women’s Bandana, 2008 AR.2008.070

Chronicle of News Coverage On the Planning and Opening of Whitman College, 2008 AR.2008.071

George A. Vaughn, Jr. Papers, 1941-1991 AR.2008.072

Class of 1978, 30th Reunion Potato Chip Bags, 2008 AR.2008.073

Princeton School Committee Slide Show, 1967-1975 AR.2008.074

Admissions Materials, 1940-1944 AR.2008.075

Programs for the Princeton’s 16th Annual Summer Carillon Series, 2008 AR.2008.076

Digital Video Recordings of Reunion Activities and Lacrosse Game, 1927-1934 AR.2008.077

The Princeton Connection, A Century of Princetonians in Greensboro, Vermont, 1996-1999 AR.2008.078

Princeton Association of Northern Ohio Records, 2003-2007 AR.2008.079

Alumni Association Accrual, 1961-2008 AR.2008.080

Princeton University Library Records Cotsen Children’s Library Accrual, 1996-2007 AR.2008.081

Dean of the College Student Academic Files and Tulane University Visiting Student Files, 1943-2008 AR.2008.082

Dean of the College Student Academic Files from Whitman College, circa 2004-2008 AR.2008.083

Dean of the College Student Academic Files from Forbes College, 2004-2008 AR.2008.084

Office of the Treasurer Finance Committee Meeting Materials, 1999-2003 AR.2008.085

This month’s highlighted accession is a Princeton University flag signed by director Michael Bay, Shia Lebouf, and other cast members of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (accession number: AR.2008.108) . To answer the most commonly asked question about this accession: Optimus Prime was, unfortunately, unavailable for the signing. The flag was obtained by the Communications Office while Transformers was filming in Princeton earlier in the summer and transferred to the University Archives.

The list below includes information on items and collections accessioned in July 2008. Though they do not relate to future summer blockbusters, their evidential and/or informational value is at least as high as that of the Transformers flag. As always, anyone interested in additional information about the accessions listed below should contact the library through our general email account.

Public Policy Papers

Council on Foreign Relations Records Accrual, 1996-1999 ML.2008.022

Princeton University Archives

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Photo-Identification Cards and Photographs, 1993-1997 AR.2008.086

Newspaper Clippings, Ephemera and Photographs of Princeton Alumni, 1963-1988 AR.2008.087

Constitution and By-Laws of the Metropolitan Club of the City of Washington, 1966 AR.2008.088

“Going Back” Fifty-Two Members of the Class of 1952 Revisit Their Undergraduate Days, undated AR.2008.089

Princeton Summer Theater Brochures and Promotional Correspondence, 2008 AR.2008.090

Princeton Summer Theater Promotional Materials and Newspaper Clippings, 2005-2007 AR.2008.091

Princetoniana Committee Oral History Project Accrual, 1994 AR.2008.092

Rockefeller College Student Academic Files, 2004-2008 AR.2008.093

Office of Communications Faculty Files, 1948-2008 AR.2008.094

Class of 1883, 45th Reunion Buttons and Princeton Lapel Pin, 1928, undated AR.2008.095

Grade and Attendance Book for History 102 Precepts, 1957 AR.2008.096

Fifth Year Record of the Class of 1906, 1912 AR.2008.097

Student Course Guides, 1978, 1985 AR.2008.098

Class of 1970 Alumni Materials and Henry Martin ‘48 File, 1945-2001 AR.2008.099

Office of Stewardship Scholarship Files for Classes 1909-1922, 1971-2000 AR.2008.100

Mathey College Student Academic Files, 1989-2008 AR.2008.101

Near Eastern Studies Department Records, 1976-1999 AR.2008.102

Theatre Intime Photographs, 1977-2001 AR.2008.103

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Publications: “News” and “Hotline,” 1997-2007 AR.2008.104

The Progressive Review, Correspondence File of John Oakes, 1982-1983 AR.2008.105

Law School of the College of New Jersey Document, 1846 AR.2008.106

Autograph Book Belonging to Charles Dunning, Class of 1883, 1883 AR.2008.107

Flag Signed by Director and Cast of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, 2008 AR.2008.108