Scope and arrangement
The seven boxes of incoming letters and one box of miscellaneous letters in this collection are organized by author with dates as yet undocumented. The manuscripts include poems in many drafts, essays, a play, work based on his journals and a novel. Typescripts are often heavily revised by hand.
Eighty-three journals, two scrapbooks, two address books and one photo album make up the rest of the collection and were created between 1938-197[5]. These are predominantly autograph with some sections written in shorthand; some have illustrations painted or drawn on the covers of interior pages, postcards, or clippings glued in. Later in his career, Griffin attempted to publish an autobiography based on these journals. In the process, he created indices for a number of them. These indices are written or typed on the front or inside cover. Typescript portions of the autobiography can be found in boxes 13, 18 and 19.
In addition, Box 40 contains one photo album and five folders of photographs.
One hand-made item with typed poems glued in, some illustrations and original artwork is unboxed. Certain poems have been revised and a few loose poems have been inserted.
Please consult the online catalog for the following printed items included in the Nell Blaine gift that have been catalogued separately:
Cry Cadence (New York: Farrar, Straus, 1947). 3 copies; Harking Back. Waldsboro, ME:Kinsman Publications. [Includes a biographical essay on Griffin, p. 169-204].