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COLLECTION Identifier: MS Keats 1-6

John Keats collection

Overview

Papers of English poet, John Keats, collected by numerous donors. Collection includes holograph letters by Keats; drafts, fair copies, and transcripts of his poems; a copyright deed for "Endymion;" commonplace books by Richard Woodhouse; and correspondence of Keats' friends and family.

Dates

  • Creation: 1814-1891

Language of Materials

English

Physical Description

Extent is approximate

Conditions Governing Access

Access to original manuscripts and letters is restricted. Readers must use the color digital facsimiles linked to this finding aid or the facsimile edition of manuscripts. Facsimiles can be found in: John Keats. Poetry Manuscripts at Harvard, edited by Jack Stillinger (Belknap Press, 1990) and in other sources noted in the finding aid.

Conditions Governing Use

Images linked to this finding aid are intended for public access and educational use. This material is owned and/or held by the Houghton Library, and is provided solely for the purpose of teaching or individual research. Any other use, including commercial reuse, mounting on other systems, or other forms of redistribution requires the permission of the curator.

Extent

25 linear feet

Collection includes letters by Keats; drafts, fair copies, and transcripts of his poems; commonplace books by Richard Woodhouse; and correspondence of Keats' friends and family.

Other Finding Aids

This finding aid has been published (with additional text) as: John Keats 1795-1995: with a Catalogue of the Harvard Keats Collection. Cambridge: The Houghton Library, 1995.

The publication of the catalogue was made possible by a grant from The Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation, published on the occasion of the exhibition, "John Keats and the Exaltation of Genius," 5 September-28 October 1995 and of the John Keats Bicentennial Conference 7-9 September 1995, The Houghton Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Keats collection has been acquired by Houghton Library through various accessions from numerous donors, especially Amy Lowell and Arthur A. Houghton, Jr. Full accession information is recorded for each item in the finding aid.

Existence and Location of Copies

Facsimiles found in: John Keats. Poetry Manuscripts at Harvard, edited by Jack Stillinger (Belknap Press, 1990) and in other sources noted in the finding aid

Processing Information

Catalogue of the Harvard Keats Collection, by W.H. Bond, updated and revised by Leslie A. Morris. A few items that were part of the original Keats accessions were overlooked during the compilation of this catalogue in 1995. These items are so marked in the cataloging.

Processing Information

This finding aid was revised in 2023 to address outdated and harmful descriptive language. During that revision, contextualizing processing notes were added to the description of two items. For more information on reparative archival description at Harvard, see Harvard Library’s Statement on Harmful Language in Archival Description.

Title
Keats, John, 1795-1821. John Keats collection, 1814-1891: Guide. MS Keats 1-6
Status
completed
Author
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hou00062

Repository Details

Part of the Houghton Library Repository

Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.

Contact:
Harvard Yard
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2440