Scope and arrangement
The James Smith manuscript material is arranged in two series:
The James Smith manuscript material in the Pforzheimer Collection consists of writings and correspondence. The writings include: a holograph copy of Horace Smith's poem "Man"; holograph sonnets in immitation of Shakespeare ("Absence and presence, born of Elder Night" and "Thoul't still survive, when I to Time shall bow"); and a holograph "Epigram to Count D'Orsay." Four poetic pieces held by the Pforzheimer Collection were published in a posthumous collection edited by Horace Smith in 1840; these four and an additional five pieces were published by Alfred Morrison in 1895, while the remainder remain unpublished. The bulk of the correspondence is from the 1830's. Correspondents include: Lady Blessington, writer and literary hostess; Henry Colburn, publisher; Jane Porter, novelist; Horace Smith, writer and humorist (his brother) and over twenty others.
James Smith, English writer and humorist.
The James Smith manuscript material is arranged in two series:
This guide lists and describes the manuscript materials held by the Pforzheimer Collection that were created by James Smith. These materials have been acquired throughout the history of the Collection and are kept onsite at the New York Public Library.
The first major acquisition of James Smith manuscripts was in 1919, when the Collection acquired a six-album collection known as The Blessington Papers. Consisting chiefly of correspondence addressed to Lady Blessington, the volumes were purchased from the sale of the autograph collections of Alfred Morrison (1821–1897) autograph and art collector. (See item number 2740 in the Sotheby catalogs for the Alfred Morrison autograph collection sale). Included among the Blessington papers are nine holograph poems and forty-two letters. The majority of the correspondence in The Blessington Papers albums was published in 1895 in Alfred Morrison's catalog series.
Under the auspices of the Pforzheimer Library the Collection acquired a number of additional manuscripts from 1968 to 1975, including a lot of thirty manuscripts purchased from the dealer W. A. Myers in 1972.
Since the Collection's move to the New York Public Library in 1986, only a handful of James Smith letters have been acquired. Because the Pforzheimer Collection collects actively, more James Smith letters may be accessioned in the future as they become available for purchase.
Processed by Charles Carter, 2019 and Timothy Gress, 2022.
In addition to manuscripts in the hand of James Smith, the Pforzheimer Collection also has over eighty manuscripts in the hand of James's brother and co-author of Rejected Addresses, Horace Smith. Also held are a number of early editions of Horace Smith's books, including two copies of the jointly authored first edition of Rejected Addresses and copies of several subsequent editions of the same work, including a copy of the 18th edition grangerized with four letters and one manuscript poem in the hand of James Smith.