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Manuscript Collections

Washington University's collections of manuscripts contain a broad range of materials dating from the 2nd century BC through the present. The largest group of materials is the Modern Literature Collection.

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Manuscripts by Format

Ija Adler Papers

William K. Bixby Papers

Walter H. Cummings Collection

Frederick William Lehmann Papers

George N. Meissner Collection

Mrs. I. A. Stevens Collection

Gert von Gontard Papers

Norman C. “Tom” Wolff, Jr. Collection

Vertical Manuscript Files

Conrad Aiken Papers

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Samuel Beckett Papers

Elizabeth Bishop Papers

Mary Boatwright Collection of James Merrill Papers

Jan Garden Castro Papers

Cid Corman Papers

Robert Creeley Papers

James Dickey Papers

Babette Deutsch Papers

Robert Duncan Papers

William Eisendrath Papers

Stanley Elkin Papers

William Everson Papers

Farmer Family Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

Donald Finkel Papers

Michael Fraenkel Papers

William Gaddis Papers

Ken and Donna Galchus Tennessee Williams Collection

Isabella Gardner Papers

William H. Gass Papers

Pamela White Hadas Papers

Harley Hammerman Collection on Eugene O’Neill

Richard Hazelton Papers

High Family Papers

Herbert Howarth Papers

Ted Hughes Papers

Fannie Hurst Papers

International Writers Center Archive

David Jackson Papers

Elizabeth Jennings Papers

Josephine Johnson Papers

Lee Kissman Alternative Theater Collection

Robert Kohn Papers

Marilyn Aronberg Lavin Collection of James Merrill Papers

Timothy Leach Papers

Albert and Naomi Lebowitz Papers

Denise Levertov Papers

Pearl Archive

John M. Pickering Papers

Lord John Press Collection

Charles Newman Papers

Robert Newton Linscott Papers

Walter Lowenfels Papers

Erica Marx Papers

Charles Mathes Papers

Michael McClure Letters

Clark Mills McBurney Papers

Shepherd Mead Papers

David Meltzer Papers

Isador Mendle Collection on the History of Priting

James Merrill Papers

Josephine Miles Papers

Pamela Millward Letters

Charles Monaghan Papers

Marianne Moore Papers

John N. Morris Papers

Vladimir Nabokov Papers

Howard Nemerov Papers

George Marion O’Donnell Papers

Donald Oresman Papers

Karl Orend Collection of Michael and Daphne Fraenkel Papers

Eric Pankey Papers

Carol Pearlman Papers

Perspective Archive

Pierrepont Press Archive

Progressive League Archive

Release Press Archive

River Styx Archive

Horace Scudder Papers

George Bernard Shaw Papers

Florence Margaret “Stevie” Smith Papers

William Jay Smith Papers

Muriel Spark Papers

Radcliffe Squires Papers

Richard Stang Papers

Robert Sward Papers

May Swenson Papers

James Tate Papers

Benjamin Taylor Papers

Jarvis Thurston Papers

Trigram Press Archive

Alexander Trocchi Papers

Jean Tucker Papers

John Updike Papers

Constance Urdang Papers

Mona Van Duyn Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

Gert von Gontard Papers

David Wagoner Papers

Richard “Red” Watson Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Dorothea Wolfgram Letters

Vertical Manuscript Files

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Samuel Beckett Papers

John M. Bennett Papers

Benjamin Clapp Diary

Katherine Corbitt Collection

Robert Creeley Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

William Gaddis Papers

Jeremiah Green Collection

Richard S. Hawes Collection

George C. Hitchcock Collection

Fannie Hurst Papers

David Jackson Papers

Elizabeth Jennings Papers

Josephine Johnson Papers

Lord John Press Collection

Clark Mills McBurney Papers

Shepherd Mead Papers

James Merrill Papers

Howard Nemerov Papers

Eric Pankey Papers

St. Louis Theater Programs Scrapbook

Scrapbook

Horace Scudder Papers (Rev. Timothy Edward)

Robert Sward Papers

May Swenson Papers

Alexander Trocchi Papers

Constance Urdang Papers

Mona Van Duyn Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

David Wagoner Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Mary Jo Bang Papers (poetry)

Samuel Beckett Papers (drama, fiction)

John M. Bennett Paper (poetry)

Jan Garden Castro Papers (poetry, non-fiction)

Rick Cluchey Collection of Waiting for Godot Materials (drama)

Robert Creeley Paper (poetry, fiction, drama)

Elyane Dezon-Jones Papers (fiction)

James Dickey Papers (poetry)

Stanely Elkin Papers (prose)

Raymond Federman Papers (prose, poetry)

Wayne Fields Paper (prose)

Donald Finkel Papers (poetry)

Ford Maddox Ford Papers (fiction, poetry)

William Gaddis Papers (fiction)

Isabella Gardner Papers (poetry)

William H. Gass Papers (prose)

Pamela White Hadas Papers (poetry)

Harley Hammerman Collection on Eugene O’Neill (drama)

Katherine Arnstein Heinemann Papers (poetry)

A. E. Hotchner Papers (prose)

Ted Hughes Papers (poetry)

Fannie Hurst Papers (fiction)

David Jackson Papers (poetry, plays, fiction)

Elizabeth Jennings Papers (poetry)

Josephine Johnson Papers (poetry, fiction)

Lee Kissman Alternative Theater Collection (drama)

William Krasner Papers (fiction)

Marilyn Aronberg Lavin Collection of James Merrill Papers

Lord John Press Collection (poetry, fiction)

Ted Morgan Collection of William S. Burrough (non-fiction)

Albert and Naomi Lebowitz Papers (fiction)

Leo E. Litwak Papers (fiction)

Walter Lowenfels Papers (poetry by others)

Charles Mathes Papers (fiction)

Clark Mills McBurney Papers (poetry)

Shepherd Mead Papers (fiction)

David Meltzer Papers (non-fiction, poetry)

James Merrill Papers (poetry)

John N. Morris Papers (poetry)

Howard Nemerov Papers (poetry, prose)

Karl Orend Collection of Michael and Daphne Fraenkel Papers (fiction, poetry)

Eric Pankey Papers (poetry, prose)

Pearl Archive

Pierrepont Press Archive (poetry)

F.T. Prince Papers (poetry)

Release Press Archive (poetry, prose)

Cedric “Ted” Reynolds Papers (poetry)

Michael Singer Papers (poetry)

Florence Margaret “Stevie” Smith Papers (poetry)

William Jay Smith Papers (poetry, prose, translations)

Muriel Spark Papers (poetry)

Judith Saul Stix Papers (poetry)

Robert Sward Papers (poetry, prose, drama)

May Swenson Papers (poetry, drama)

Benjamin Taylor Papers (fiction, non-fiction)

Jarvis Thurston Papers (fiction)

Trigram Press Archive (poetry, prose)

Alexander Trocchi Papers (poetry, prose)

John Updike Papers (poetry)

Constance Urdang Papers (poetry, fiction)

Mona Van Duyn Papers (poetry)

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers (poetry, prose)

David Wagoner Papers (poetry, prose, drama)

Mary Augusta Ward Papers (fiction)

Patty Jo Watson Papers (non-fiction)

Richard “Red” Watson Papers (fiction, non-fiction)

Joy Williams Papers (fiction, non-fiction)

Vertical Manuscript Files

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Jan Garden Castro Papers

Stanley Elkin Papers

Shepherd Mead Papers

Samuel Beckett Papers (French)

Raymond Federman Papers (French, et al)

David Jackson Papers (Greek)

James Merrill Papers (Greek)

Gert von Gontard Papers (German)

William Jay Smith Papers (French, et al)

Vertical Manuscript Files

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Thomas Clark Papers (Naropa)

David Meltzer (San Francisco Poets)

Vladimir Nabokov Papers

Howard Nemerov Papers

F.T. Prince Papers

May Swenson Papers

John Updike Papers

Constance Urdang Papers

Mona Van Duyn Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Mary Jo Bang Papers (Boston Review)

Carol Bergé Papers (Center Magazine)

Jan Garden Castro Papers (River Styx)

Michael Castro Papers (River Styx)

Cid Corman Papers (Origin)

Delmar Magazine Archive

Donald Finkel Papers (Focus/Midwest)

Free Lance Archive

International Writers Center Archive

Pearl Archive

Perspective Archive

River Styx Archive

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers (Perspective)

Alexander Trocchi Papers (Merlin, Sigma)

Cartographic Manuscript Collection

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Lee Anderson Papers

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Jan Garden Castro Papers

Michael Castro Papers

Robert Creeley Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

William Gaddis Papers

William H. Gass Papers

Harley Hammerman Collection on Eugene O’Neill

David Meltzer Papers

James Merrill Papers

Modern Literature Recorded Multimedia Collection

F.T. Prince Papers

River Styx Archive

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

May Swenson Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

John M. Bennett Papers (Luna Bisonte Prods)

Jordan Davies Publishing Archive

Michael Fraenkel Papers (Carrefour Press)

Golden Cockerel Press Collection

Lord John Press Collection

Erica Marx Papers (The Hand and Flower Press)

David Meltzer Papers (Oyes Press)

Isador Mendle Collection on the History of Printing (Alcuin Press and Gogmagog Press)

Pierrepont Press Archive

Release Press Archive

Robert Sward Papers (Soft Press)

Trigram Press Archive

William H. Gass Papers (International Writers Center)

International Writers Center Archive

Erica Marx Papers (Poetry Book Society, Company of Nine)

Perspective Archive

Release Press Archive

River Styx Archive

Trigram Press Archive

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers (Perspective)

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Samuel Beckett Papers

Robert Creeley Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

William Gaddis Papers

Isabella Gardner Papers

William H. Gass Papers

Harley Hammerman Collection on Eugene O’Neill

High Family Papers

Fannie Hurst Papers

David Jackson Papers

Lee Kissman Alternative Theater Collection

Marilyn Aronberg Lavin Collection of James Merrill Papers

Lord John Press Collection

Hunter Low Papers

International Writers Center Archive

Shepherd Mead Papers

James Merrill Papers

Howard Nemerov Papers

Eric Pankey Papers

Pearl Archive

May Swenson Papers

Mona Van Duyn Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Michael Castro Papers

Duff’s Restaurant Literary Events Collection

Raymond Federman Papers

William Gaddis Papers

William H. Gass Papers

International Writers Center Archive

Modern Literature Recorded Multimedia Collection

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

May Swenson Papers

Constance Urdang Papers

Mona Van Duyn Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Mary Jo Bang Papers

Michael Castro Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

William G.B. Carson Papers

Jan Garden Castro Papers

Donald Finkel Papers

William H. Gass Papers

Howard Nemerov Papers

Eric Pankey Papers

May Swenson Papers

Constance Urdang Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

Patty Jo Watson Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Manuscripts by Genre

Thomas Clark Papers (Ted Berrigan, Robert Creeley, Edward Dorn, Jack Kerouac, Charles Olson, and Neil Young)

A. E. Hotchner Papers (Ernest Hemingway)

Herbert Howarth Papers (T.S. Eliot)

David Meltzer Papers (San Francisco Poets)

Ted Morgan Collection of William S. Burroughs

Horace Scudder Papers (Noah Webster, Baynard Taylor, George Washington, James Russell Lowell)

Radcliffe Squires Papers (Allen Tate)

Richard Stang Papers (Ford Maddox Ford)

Vertical Manuscript Files

Ija Adler Papers (Eugene Field)

William K. Bixby Papers (Eugene Field)

William Jay Smith Papers

May Swenson Papers

John Updike Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Lee Anderson Papers (poetry)

Robert Creeley Papers

Thomas Clark Papers (poetry)

Ruby Cohn Papers (Samuel Beckett, theater)

Elyane Dezon-Jones Papers (Marcel Proust)

Raymond Federman Papers (Beckett)

Wayne Fields Papers (rhetoric)

William H. Gass Papers (culture, literature, philosophy)

Charles Guenther Papers (poetry)

Richard Hazelton Papers (William Gaddis)

Herbert Howarth Papers (T.S. Eliot)

Robert Kohn Papers (William Gaddis, Thomas Pynchon, Ian McEwan)

David Meltzer Papers (rock music, San Francisco poets)

Ted Morgan Collection of William S. Burroughs

Albert and Naomi Lebowitz Papers (philosophy)

Walter Lowenfels Papers (poetry)

Josephine Miles Papers (poetry)

John N. Morris Papers (17-18th century literature)

George Marion O’Donnell Papers (William Faulkner)

Pearl Archive

John M. Pickering Papers (Robert McAlmon)

Horace Scudder Papers (American history)

George Bernard Shaw Papers (music and literature)

Radcliffe Squires Papers (20th Century writers)

Richard Stang Papers (Ford Maddox Ford, 19th Century English literature)

Benjamin Taylor Papers (modern literature)

John Updike Papers (art, literature)

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers (poetry, literature)

Gert von Gontard Papers (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, theater)

Patty Jo Watson Papers (archeology)

Vertical Manuscript Files

Mary Jo Bang Papers (Boston Review)

Jan Garden Castro Papers (River Styx)

Michael Castro Papers (River Styx)

Robert Creeley Papers

Lorin Cuoco Papers

Michael Fraenkel Papers (Carrefour Press)

Lord John Press Collection

Charles Monaghan Papers

Isador Mendle Collection on the History of Printing

Charles Newman Papers (TriQuarterly)

Pearl Archive

John M. Pickering Papers (Robert McAlmon)

Release Press Archive

River Styx Archive

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

Horace Scudder Papers

Jarvis Thurston Papers (Perspective)

Trigram Press Archive

Alexander Trocchi Papers (Merlin, Sigma)

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers (Perspective)

David Wagoner Papers (Poetry Northwest)

Vertical Manuscript Files

Thomas Clark Papers

A. E. Hotchner Papers

David Meltzer Papers

Horace Scudder Papers

George Bernard Shaw Papers

Benjamin Taylor Papers

Edmond Taylor Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Thomas Clark Papers

Robert Creeley Papers

Babette Deutsch Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

Wayne Fields Papers

William H. Gass Papers

A. E. Hotchner Papers

Michael McClure Letters

David Meltzer Papers

Modern Literature Recorded Multimedia Collection

George Marion O’Donnell Papers

Perspective Magazine Archive

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

William Jay Smith Papers

Radcliffe Squires Papers

Benjamin Taylor Papers

Edmond Taylor Papers

Jarvis Thurston Papers

Alexander Trocchi Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

Patty Jo Watson Papers

Richard “Red” Watson Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Samuel Beckett Papers

Anthony Burgess Papers

Ivy Compton-Burnett Papers

Thomas Clark Papers

Robert Creeley Papers

Elyane Dezon-Jones Papers

Stanley Elkin Papers

George P. Elliott Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

Michael Fraenkel Papers

William Gaddis Papers

William H. Gass Papers

A. E. Hotchner Papers

Fannie Hurst Papers

David Jackson Papers

Josephine Johnson Papers

William Krasner Papers

Albert and Naomi Lebowitz Papers

Leo E. Litwak Papers

Lord John Press Collection

Walter Lowenfels Papers

Charles Mathes Papers

Shepherd Mead Papers

Modern Literature Recorded Multimedia Collection

Vladimir Nabokov Papers

Howard Nemerov Papers

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

Shirley Seifert Papers

Benjamin Taylor Papers

Alexander Trocchi Papers

John Updike Papers

Constance Urdang Papers

David Wagoner Papers

Mary Augusta Ward Papers

Richard “Red” Watson Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Vertical Manuscript Files

Samuel Beckett Papers

William G.B. Carson Papers (Me, Vashya by Tennessee Williams)

Ruby Cohn Papers (Samuel Beckett)

Rick Cluchey Collection of Waiting for Godot Materials

Robert Creeley Papers

T. S. Eliot Collection

Harley Hammerman Collection on Eugene O’Neill

A. E. Hotchner Papers

William Inge Collection

Lee Kissman Alternative Theater Collection

Michael McClure Letters

Howard Nemerov Papers

Eugene O'Neill Collection

George Bernard Shaw Papers

William Jay Smith Papers

May Swenson Papers

David Wagoner Papers

Tennessee Williams Collection

Ken and Donna Galchus Tennessee Williams Collection

George Moore and William Butler Yeats Typescript

Vertical Manuscript Files

Conrad Aiken Papers

Lee Anderson Papers

Arts in Transit Collection

Jennifer Atkinson Papers

Mary Jo Bang Papers

John M. Bennett Papers

Carol Bergé Papers

Elizabeth Bishop Papers

Paul Blackburn Papers

Jan Garden Castro Papers

Thomas Clark Papers

Aaron Coleman Papers

Robert Creeley Papers

Babette Deutsche Papers

James Dickey Papers

Robert Duncan Papers

T.S. Eliot Collection

William Everson Papers

Raymond Federman Papers

Donald Finkel Papers

Michael Fraenkel Papers

Isabella Gardner Papers

Charles Guenther Papers

Pamela White Hadas Papers

Katherine Arnstein Heinemann Papers

Ted Hughes Papers

Elizabeth Jennings Papers

Josephine Johnson Papers

Marilyn Aronberg Lavin Collection of James Merrill Papers

Timothy Leach Papers

Denise Levertov Papers

Lord John Press Collection

Walter Lowenfels Papers

Clark Mills McBurney Papers

Michael McClure Letters

David Meltzer Papers

James Merrill Papers

Modern Literature Recorded Multimedia Collection

Marianne Moore Papers

John N. Morris Papers

Roden Noel Papers

Howard Nemerov Papers

George Marion O’Donnell Papers

Eric Pankey Papers

Pearl Archive

Perspective Archive

Pierrepont Press Archive

F.T. Prince Papers

Progressive League Archive

Release Press Archive

Cedric “Ted” Reynolds Papers

River Styx Archive

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

Michael Singer Papers

Florence Margaret “Stevie” Smith Papers

William Jay Smith Papers

Muriel Spark Papers

Judith Saul Stix Papers

Robert Sward Papers

May Swenson Papers

James Tate Papers

Trigram Press Archive

Alexander Trocchi Papers

John Updike Papers

Constance Urdang Papers

Mona Van Duyn Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

David Wagoner Papers

Tennessee Williams Collection

Vertical Manuscript Files

Samuel Beckett Papers

Robert Creeley Papers

Stanley Elkin Papers

William Gaddis Papers

William H. Gass Papers

Josephine Johnson Papers

Leo E. Litwak Papers

Lord John Press Collection

Modern Literature Recorded Multimedia Collection

Perspective Archive

Release Press Archive

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

Jarvis Thurston Papers

John Updike Papers

Mona Van Duyn and Jarvis Thurston Papers

David Wagoner Papers

Joy Williams Papers

Samuel Beckett Papers (French)

Mary Jo Bang Papers (Italian, Japanese)

Raymond Federman Collection (French)

Donald Finkel Papers (Chinese)

William H. Gass Papers (German)

Charles Guenther Papers (French, German)

Clark Mills McBurney Papers (French)

River Styx: Liberating the Spoken Word

William Jay Smith Papers (Danish, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Swedish, etc)

May Swenson Papers (Swedish)

Alexander Trocchi Papers (French)

Constance Urdang Papers (Japanese, Spanish)