The Midst of Life

mnsss10 Mina Kirstein Curtiss Papers, 1913-2005 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Burd Schlessinger. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Brook Hopkins. 2003-06-05 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mnsss10 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Mina Kirstein Curtiss Papers, 1913-2005 Finding Aid MS 250 Burd Schlessinger 2000 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Curtiss, Mina Kirstein, 1896- Mina Kirstein Curtiss Papers1913-2005 MS 250 33 boxes (11 linear ft.) Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

English professor, translator, and author. The bulk of the Curtiss papers focus on her writing career including correspondence with publishers and researchers, research material, artwork, and edited typescripts. Other materials include an oral history, photographs, diaries, and extensive correspondence with many eminent figures from the literary world as well as Smith College associates, friends and family members. Correspondents include Dean Acheson, Jacques Barzun, Jill Ker Conway, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, William Allen Neilson, Orson Welles, and Rebecca West. English. Biographical Note

Mina Curtiss at Chapelbrook, Ashfield, Massachusetts, n.d.

Mina Kirstein Curtiss was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 13, 1896 to Louis Kirstein, an optician, and Rose Stein. She had two younger brothers, Lincoln Kirstein, founder and general director of the New York City Ballet, and George Kirstein, publisher of the Liberal Weekly. The family moved to Rochester, NY in 1901 and remained there until 1912, when they returned to Boston and Louis Kirstein became a partner in Filene's Department Store. Curtiss was schooled at home by a governess until 1912, when she was sent to Northampton, Massachusetts to attend Miss Capen's School. She graduated from Smith College in 1918 and went on to earn an MA in English from Columbia University in 1920.

Prior to attending Columbia, Curtiss worked as a research clerk for Military Intelligence in Washington, D.C., from 1918 to 1920. She lived at the headquarters of the National Woman Suffrage Association where she became friends with Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt. Curtiss married Henry Tomlinson Curtiss in 1926 only to be devastated by his untimely death a year later, in 1927. In 1933 she published The Midst of Life, a book that took the form of a series of letters to her dead husband. From 1922 to 1934 and again from 1940 to 1942, Curtiss was a beloved and highly regarded professor of English at Smith College, returning in 1976, at the age of 81, as Visiting Professor of English Language and Literature to teach a course on writing biography. From 1935 to 1939, she worked with Orson Welles and John Houseman in researching and writing scripts for the Mercury Theatre of the Air. In 1942, she created a program for the Des Moines Register and Tribune radio station, based on soldiers' letters home. This evolved into a book, Letters Home, edited by Curtiss and published in 1944. In 1942 Curtiss also joined the Office of War Information and, with Houseman, developed a short wave radio program for the BBC entitled "Answering You," in which celebrities responded to questions submitted by BBC listeners.

Rather than return to teaching when World War II ended, Curtiss opted to pursue a career in writing, authoring books, journal articles, and book reviews for national and international audiences. She was also fluent in French, and translated and edited works by several noted Frenchmen, including Edgar Degas, Philip Halevy, Marcel Proust, and Alexis Leger (also known as Saint-John Perse). She once said in an interview, "I fall in love with whatever I'm working on," and this passion, combined with a rigorous intellect, made her a tireless, tenacious, and meticulous researcher. Having read Proust and translated his letters for publication in the United States (The Letters of Marcel Proust, 1949), Curtiss was inspired to go to Paris to seek out Proust's family and friends still living, and to unearth more of his correspondence. This research led to publication in 1978 of Other People's Letters: A Memoir and to an interest in the composer Georges Bizet, which Curtiss pursued with characteristic vigor.

Following publication of Other People's Letters: A Memoir in 1978, Curtiss continued to write. She submitted several manuscripts for publication ("Winter Letters," a sequel to Midst of Life; "The Past and I" and "Slices of Life," sequential autobiographies; and "Plato: Archbishop of Moscow," a biographical sketch that evolved from researching A Forgotten Empress: Anna Ivanovich and Her Era, 1730-1740), and to her disappointment all were rejected. Despite a severe heart condition that left her bedridden for the last several years of her life, with the help of her secretary Curtiss continued to edit and modify the manuscripts in hopes that they would eventually go to press.

In addition to teaching and pursuing a career in writing, Curtiss was generous to causes in which she believed, to the extent that her finances allowed. In 1964, she donated most of the land that comprised Chapelbrook, her farm in Ashfield, Massachusetts, to the Trustees of Reservations, before selling the house and remaining acreage privately. She also founded the Chapelbrook Foundation the purpose of which was to provide funding to writers over the age of forty, to enable them to complete works in progress that might otherwise have gone unfinished. Curtiss also donated manuscript material to libraries and repositories, and works of art to museums.

In 1984, Smith College alumnae Anne Morrow Lindbergh and her sister, Constance Morrow Morgan, organized a campaign among Curtiss's former students to raise funds for a tribute to her. The response was overwhelming and led to establishment of the Mina Curtiss Fund, thanks to which a vase of fresh flowers, replaced on a regular basis in perpetuity, graces the Browsing Room in the William Allan Neilson Library at Smith College. Curtiss herself was an avid gardener and, not long before she died, suggested that the tribute take this form.

Mina Kirstein Curtiss died in Connecticut on October 31, 1985.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Mina Kirstein Curtiss Papers consist of 11 linear feet and date from 1913 to 1986. Types of material include biographical information, including an oral history; personal and professional correspondence; photographs; journals and diaries; financial records; clippings; and typescripts of writings. The papers are arranged in six series: Biographical Material, Photographs, Correspondence, Teaching, Writings and Subject Files.

The bulk of the papers dates from 1933 to 1985 and focuses on Curtiss's writing career. It includes correspondence with publishers and researchers, research material, artwork, royalty statements, and typescripts. The typescripts are edited in Curtiss's hand and provide insight into her creative and analytical processes. Correspondence is also extensive and reflects the many friendships Curtiss developed while teaching, and in researching and writing her various books and attempting to see them through to publication. Many of the correspondents are people of note. The correspondence also well illustrates Curtiss's analytical approach to her topics of research.

Although the diaries and journals in this collection are limited in scope, they do reveal something of their author's passionate nature and discerning intellect, as well as some of her struggles and disappointments.

The photographs are also of interest, offering a glimpse into Curtiss's childhood and early family life, as well as life at Chapelbrook, the Curtiss home in Ashfield, Massachusetts.

The financial records document the acquisition of art and antiques, and the necessity for Curtiss to sell certain pieces later in her life, when she faced financial difficulties. They are also evidence of Curtiss's generosity in donating books, manuscript material and artwork to appropriate institutions when she was financially secure.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into five series:

I. Biographical Material II. Photographs III. Correspondence IV. Teaching V. Writings VI. Subject Files Oversize Materials Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection, with the following exceptions: Researchers must obtain permission from the Morrow family to examine the Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Constance Morrow Morgan correspondence; the correspondence of John Houseman and Mina Curtiss may not be used or photocopied without John Houseman's or his heir's permission.

The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to unpublished works of Mina Kerstein Curtiss. Lynne Robbins has retained literary rights to "Slices of Life," Sir John Pope-Hennessey or his heirs have retained rights to his letters to Mina Curtiss, and the Morrow family retains rights to material generated by its members. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission must be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use."

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Mina Kerstein Curtiss Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

History of the Collection

The Mina Kirstein Curtiss Papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection in 1986 by Kirstein's brothers, Lincoln and George Kirstein. Sallie Gottfried gave additional material in 1987, as did Lynne Robbins, co-executor of Mina Curtiss' estate, in 1988. In 1999, former student Delia Marshall donated a series of letters by Curtiss, spanning the years 1976 to 1985.

Processed by Burd Schlessinger, 2000.

Search Terms Acheson, Dean, 1893-1971--Correspondence Auchincloss, Louis--Correspondence Barzun, Jacques, 1907- --Correspondence Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875 Conway, Jill K., 1934- --Correspondence Curtiss family Curtiss, Mina Kirstein, 1896- Degas, Edgar, 1834-1917 Frankfurter, Felix, 1882-1965--Correspondence Garnett, David, 1892- --Correspondence Grant, Duncan, 1885-1978--Correspondence Halevy, Daniel, 1872-1962--Correspondence Houseman, John--Correspondence Ivanovich, Anna Kolb, Philip--Correspondence Laski, Harold Joseph, 1893-1950--Correspondence Levin, Harry, 1912- --Correspondence Lindbergh, Anne Morrow, 1906- --Correspondence Linscott, Robert Newton, 1886- --Correspondence Manet, Edouard, 1832-1833 Neilson, William Allan, 1869-1946--Correspondence Nicolson, Marjorie Hope, 1894- --Correspondence Proust, Marcel, 1871-1922 Pope-Hennessy, John, Sir, 1834-1891--Correspondence Saint-John Perse, 1887-1975 Steegmuller, Francis, 1906- --Correspondence Storm, Hans Otto, 1895-1941--Correspondence Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977--Correspondence Welles, Orson, 1915- --Correspondence West, Rebecca, Dame, 1892- --Correspondence Europe--Description and travel--Sources French literature--Translations into English--Sources Mercury Theater of the Air--History--Sources Radio broadcasting--United States--History--20th century--Sources Smith College--Faculty--History--Sources Smith College--Students--History--Sources Women authors, American--20th century--Sources Additional Information SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL (1918-1986) 3 linear feet.

This series provides an overview of Mina Kirstein Curtiss's private life and includes legal documents, an oral history, and photographs. The series also contains two bound volumes of poetry, some of which is in Curtiss's hand and the rest in another, unidentified hand. There is also correspondence pertaining to the Mina K.Curtiss Fund at Smith College, established in 1984. The financial information is extensive and includes tax returns; bills of sale, receipts, and appraisals for art and antiques; and records of donations made to various museums and libraries. Also included is a set of Curtiss's daily appointment calendars, spanning the years 1936 to 1985; the year 1939 is missing. There are also magazine articles, correspondence, drawings, legal documents, and printed matter relating to various properties Curtiss owned during her life, most of which concern Chapelbrook in Ashfield, Massachusetts. The Chapelbrook photograph albums are filed in this series because they are germane to to that particular property and because many of the photographs depict life there before Mina Stein Kirstein married Henry Tomlinson Curtiss in 1926.

SERIES II. PHOTOGRAPHS

This series consists of photo albums and single images of Mina Curtiss and her family; there are also several photographs of Henry Tomlinson Curtiss. Although most of the images are undated and the people in them are unidentified, they well illustrate certain aspects of Curtiss's family life and leisure activities.

SERIES III. CORRESPONDENCE (1913-85) 1.75 linear feet.

This series is divided into four subseries: Family, Friends and acquaintances, Legal and financial, and Miscellaneous. In the Family subseries, letters to "Goosie" and "Pettikins" probably refer to Lincoln and George Kirstein, respectively. The bulk of the series consists of Friends and acquaintances and includes letters from many eminent figures from the literary world. Letters to family and to Smith College President William Allan Neilson are especially revealing of Curtiss's thoughts and feelings as she grappled with personal problems. Legal and financial correspondence is comprised of letters between Curtiss and the prominent Boston firms that represented her legal and fiscal interests. Since Curtiss traveled extensively, whenever practicable on incoming correspondence her whereabouts have been noted in pencil above the greeting. (See also The Tin Box Collection: Letters of Roger Sessions and His Friends, Sarah Chapin, Ed., 1992).

SERIES IV. TEACHING (1920-77) .25 linear feet.

This series contains material relating to Mina K. Curtiss's years of teaching English at Smith College, and includes a grade book, lecture notes, and letters from students.

SERIES V. WRITINGS (1917-85) 5.5 linear feet.

This series consists of diaries and journals; draft manuscripts and typescripts; research materials; artwork for illustrating Curtiss's books; book reviews, both by Curtiss and by others about her books; journal articles; fan mail, and correspondence with publishers, literary agents, and research associates. A significant amount of material in this series relates to unpublished works. Some of the artwork filed under "Manet Caricatures: Olympia" was not actually used in the published version of that article, which appeared in the Massachusetts Review in 1966. It is unknown whether Curtiss decided against using this material in the "Olympia" article, or if she intended all along to use it in subsequent vignettes or in the proposed book on Manet caricatures. Since Curtiss filed this artwork with illustrations that were used in the "Olympia" article, it has been retained there.

Material pertaining to The Midst of Life contains an untitled essay that Curtiss had identified as "background material--Midst of Life;" the essay has therefore been filed with other papers having to do with The Midst of Life. "Winter Letters," which never reached publication, was the sequel to The Midst of Life.

"Slices of Life" is a sequel to the "Past and I." Both are autobiographies, neither of which was ever published. The manuscript "Platon: Archbishop of Moscow" was originally part of "Slices of Life," but Curtiss separated it and submitted it for publication, also unsuccessfully, as a separate manuscript; the "Platon" material is therefore filed immediately after the "Slices of Life" typescript.

Much of the correspondence between Curtiss and Liliane Yacoel Ziegel, Curtiss's Parisian research associate, is in French, particularly that pertaining to Letters of Marcel Proust and Bizet and His World.

Correspondence with publishers and literary agents comprises a separate subseries due to its broad and varied content, particularly the letters between Curtiss and Al Hart of the Fox Chase Agency.

Research material for Letters Home consists of typescripts of letters soldiers wrote either to their hometown newspapers or to their families. Material pertaining to the radio program, "What's YOUR Idea," and to a column in Cosmopolitan called "Letters Home," both of which evolved from the huge success of Letters Home, is filed with other documents relating to the book.

SERIES VI. SUBJECT FILES (1937-72) .25 linear feet.

This series consists of translations of essays and a bibliography by Saint-John Perse, as well as clippings about him; and clippings about the murder of Elliot Speer, Headmaster of the Mount Hermon School for Boys, which occurred in September 1934.

OVERSIZE MATERIALS SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS 1 1 Biographical statements, Smith College transcript, and obituaries, 1918, 1985 1 2 Birth and marriage certificates, passports, employment documents, clippings, and cemetery permits, 1921-83, n.d. 1 3 Wills, 1979-84, n.d. 1 4 Bequests, 1986 Mina K. Curtiss Fund at Smith College

[See also SERIES III. CORRESPONDENCE]

1 5 General correspondence and lists of donors, 1984-85 1 6 Vase design, correspondence, receipts, and drawings, 1985 1 7 Letters of thanks by Mina K. Curtiss, 1985 1 8 Responses to letters of thanks, 1985 1 9 Condolences, 1985-86 1 10 Correspondence re: estate of Mina K. Curtiss, 1985-86 1 11 Oral history transcript, 1971 1 12 Address books, circa 1985 1 13 French Legion of Honor award (includes medal), 1960 1 14 Partnership agreement, The Nation, 1963-64 Antiques, art, and furnishings 1 15 Correspondence, 1969 1 16 Receipts and bills of sale, 1954-82, n.d. 1 17 Appraisals, 1965-1980, n.d. 1 18 Correspondence about Manet painting, 1974-82 1 19 Photographs and negatives of unidentified paintings, n.d. 1 20 Notes on library of Mina K. Curtiss, n.d. 1 21 List of books owned by Mina K. Curtiss (?) (incomplete), n.d. 2 1-2 Books of poetry, 1922, n.d. 2 3 Poems found folded in books of poetry, n.d. Financial records 3 1-5 Tax returns, 1939-43 3 6 Social Security summary, 1977 3 7 List of income sources, 1973 3 8 Account sheets for household staff, 1982-83 Donations and gifts 3 9 Fondation St. John Perse: correspondence, 1975-85 3 10 Pierpont Morgan Library: correspondence, 1968-84 3 11-13 New York Public Library: correspondence, 1964-84 3 14 Sigmund Freud Archives: correspondence, 1962-73 Smith College William Allen Neilson Library 3 15 Correspondence, receipts, and reports, 1974-75 Museum of Art 3 16 Correspondence, receipts, and reports, 1968-85, n.d. 3 17 Estate of Mina K. Curtiss: correspondence, 1986 3 18 Rare Book Room: correspondence and inventories, 1975-85 College Archives and Sophia Smith Collection 3 19 Margaret Storrs Grierson: correspondence, 1947-64 3 20 College Archives: correspondence and inventories,1983-84 3 21 Sophia Smith Collection: correspondence re: estate of Mina K. Curtiss, 1986 3 22 Other institutions: correspondence and inventories, 1944-83 Calendars 4 1-16 1936-38, 1940-52 5 1-19 1953-71 6 1-15 1972-85 Residences Chapelbrook, Ashfield, Massachusetts 7 Photograph albums, 1917-29, n.d. Publications 8 1 House Beautiful, 1924 8 House and Garden, 1925, 1946 8 2 Management plans, 1977, n.d. 8 3 Correspondence, 1979-85 8 4 Elevation and brochure, n.d. 8 5 Inventories, 1924, n.d. 8 6 A Climber's Guide to Chapel Falls, circa 1979 8 7 Brochures, Trustees of Reservations, 1981, n.d. 8 Bethel and Weston, Connecticut houses: descriptive brochure, Certificates of Title, Mortgage Deed, correspondence, photograph, and financial information, 1963-78, n.d. SERIES II. PHOTOGRAPHS 9 1 Mina Curtiss, alone and with family and friends, n.d. 9 2 Henry T. Curtiss, Smith College, and miscellaneous, 1916-18 10 Photograph album, n.d. SERIES III. CORRESPONDENCE Family 11 1 Louis Kirstein, 1913-37, n.d. 11 2-3 Rose Stein Kirstein, 1942-52 11 4 George Kirstein ("Pettikins?") and Lincoln Kirstein ("Goosie?"), 1947-49, 1971 Friends and acquaintances 11 5 A, 1978 11 6 Acheson, Dean and Alice, 1928-85 11 7 Adams, Thomas B., 1967-84 11 8 Adams, William H., 1985 11 9 Auchincloss, Louis, 1978 11 10 B, 1930-78 11 11 Barzun, Jacques, 1951-57 11 12 Bradley, Jenny, 1947-78 11 13 C, 1978-84 11 14 Cain, Julien, 1959-61 11 15 Conway, Jill Ker, 1975-85 11 16 D, 1965, 1982 11 17 E, 1985 11 18 Einstein, Albert, 1946-47 11 19 F, 1982-84, n.d. 11 20 Fardig, Elenor, 1958-69, n.d. 11 21 Fistere, Isobel, 1978-83, n.d. 11 22 Frankfurter, Felix, 1943-44, n.d. 11 23 G, 1967, 1978 11 24 Garnett, David, 1947 11 25 Gottfried, Sallie, 1982-85 11 26 Grant, Duncan (photocopies), 1923-25 11 27 Green, Dorothy, 1947-60 11 28 Guerin, Jacques, 1947-49 12 1 H, 1979 12 2 Halevy, Daniel, 1954-58, n.d. 12 3 Houseman, John, 1936-54 12 4 Johnson, Hugh, 1942-44 12 5 K, 1926, 1976, n.d. 12 6 Kolb, Philip, 1947-78 12 7 Krauss, Henry, 1968-69 12 8-10 Laski, Frida, 1919-22 12 11 Laski, Harold, 1922 12 12 L'Engle, Madeleine, 1980 12 13 Levin, Harry, 1946-59, n.d. 12 14 Levy, Harriet, 1941 Lindbergh, Anne Morrow and other members of Morrow and Lindbergh families

[See also SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL]

13 1-8 Anne Morrow Lindbergh to Mina Curtiss, 1929-85, n.d. 13 9 Mina Curtiss to Anne Morrow Lindbergh (photocopies), 1940 13 10 Typescript by Anne Morrow Lindbergh and related letter from Mina Curtiss, n.d. 13 11 Constance Morrow Morgan, 1930-78, n.d. 13 12 Anne Spencer Lindbergh, 1960 13 13 Reeve Lindbergh Brown, 1983 Mina Kirstein Curtiss Fund at Smith College 13 14 Executive correspondence, 1984, n.d. 13 15-18 General correspondence, A-Z, 1984 14 1 Linscott, Robert (?), 1947 14 2 M, 1930-85, n.d. 14 3 Maloney, Daniel, 1977-78 14 4 Marshall, Delia, 1977-85 14 5 Martin-Chauffier, Louis, 1946-48 14 6 de Mornand, Louisa (includes fragments of writings), 1947 14 Mortimer, Raymond, n.d. 14 7 Mencken, H.L. (photocopies), 1936 14 8 Nathan, Robert, 1919-22, n.d. 14 9 Neilson, Elizabeth, 1939, 1949 14 10 Neilson, William Allan, 1919-45 14 11 Nicolson, Marjorie, 1950-53 14 12 Pope-Hennessey, John, 1962-79

[See also SERIES V. WRITINGS: Published works: Books: Other People's Letters, fan mail]

14 13 Proust, Suzy Mante, 1947-48 15 1 R, 1942, 1975 Russian correspondents 15 2 Drapkina, Lucy, 1969-72, n.d. 15 3 Others, 1960-70, n.d. 15 4 S, 1939-84 Sibilat, Magda, 1938-52, n.d. 15 5 Magda Sibilat (written by Pauline Nisbet on behalf of Sibilat, who was gravely ill), 1949-50 15 6 Steegmuller, Francis, 1948-84, n.d. 15 7 Storm, Hans Otto, 1940-41 15 8 Correspondence about Hans Otto Storm, 1942, 1970-73 15 9 T, 1976 15 10 Una [?], 1972-78 15 11 Untermeyer, Louis, 1917-18 15 12 Vecchi, Floriano, 1971, n.d. 15 13 W, 1976-85 15 14 Welles, Orson, n.d. 15 15 West, Rebeccca (includes photocopies and related correspondence), 1924-78 15 16 Wilmerding, Gay, 1978-79 15 17 Unidentified, 1981-85, n.d. 15 18-23 Stenographer's notebooks, Jan 1978-Jul 1983 16 1-4 Aug 1983-Sep 1985 Legal and financial 16 5 Pullman, Comley, Bradley and Reeves, 1978 16 6 Ropes, Gray, Best, Coolidge and Rugg, 1952-60 16 7 Ropes and Gray, 1961-74 16 8 Miscellaneous: letter to the editor, The New Yorker, 1979 SERIES IV. TEACHING Smith College 16 9 Grade book, n.d. 16 10 Teaching notes, 1977 16 11 Correspondence from students, 1920s, 1977 16 12 Clipping, Dec 1929 SERIES V. WRITINGS Diaries 17 1-2 Journals, 1911, 1914, 1918-19 17 3-4 Journal from trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1942 Radio programs Mercury Theatre of the Air 18 1 "War of the Worlds," clippings, 1938 18 2 Unidentified list, n.d. Listen, Iowa's Own Newspaper of the Air 18 3 Correspondence, 1942 18 4 Character profiles, 1942 18 5 Scripts, 1942-43 18 6 Answering Australia, scripts: 1943 Answering You 18 7 Correspondence and listeners' surveys, 1943 18 8-9 Scripts, #1-#8, 12, 1943 19 Disc recordings, circa 1942

[See APPENDIX]

Published works 20 1 Lists of published works (incomplete), n.d. 20 2 Statements of earnings from writings, 1965-71 Books Bizet and His World, 1958 20 3 Royalty statements, 1961-77 20 4 Reviews, 1958-59, 1978 20 5-6 Research materials: from Genevieve Bizet Straus: correspondence, printed material, clippings, transcribed excerpts, legal documents, and school records, circa 1883-1975 20 7 Records of royalties on works by Georges Bizet, 1939-43 20 8 List of documents about Georges Bizet held by Magda Sibilat, n.d. A Forgotten Empress: Anna Ivanovich and Her Era, 1730-1740, 1974 20 9 Correspondence and contract, 1967-74 20 10 Fan mail, 1974 20 11 Royalty statements, 1976-78 20 12 Reviews, 1974-75, n.d. Research materials 20 13 Photographs, n.d.

[See also OVERSIZE MATERIALS]

20 14 Catalogs, 1969, n.d. 20 Plates

[See also OVERSIZE MATERIALS]

Letters Home, 1944 21 1 Correspondence, 1944-72 Research materials: typescripts of newspaper articles containing information about soldiers serving in World War II, 1942-43 21 2-13 Africa, Asia and Europe: Africa-Trinidad 21 14-18 United States:Alaska- Pennsylvania 21 19 Other, 1942-43, n.d. 21 20 Clippings, 1942-43 21 21 Reviews, 1944 Column in Cosmopolitan, "Letters Home" 21 22 Correspondence, galleys, clippings, 1944

[See also OVERSIZE MATERIALS]

Radio program: What's Your Idea? 21 23 Correspondence and typescript, 1944 Letters of Marcel Proust, 1949 22 1 Correspondence and copyright information, 1947-49, 1977 22 2 Fan mail, 1949-50 22 3 Royalty statements, 1967-78 22 4 Reviews from U.S. publications, 1949-50 22 5 Reviews from British publications, 1950-51 Research material 22 6 Letters from Proust to Nahamas (photocopies), n.d. 22 7 Typescript, Proust and the Double 'I' of Two Characters by Andre du Bouchet, n.d. Photographs 22 8 Marcel Proust, 1890-1922 22 9 Marcel Proust with family and friends, n.d. 22 10 Other people, n.d. 22 11-12 Copy negatives, n.d. 22 13 Related material, 1956, n.d. The Midst of Life, 1933 23 1 Correspondence, 1933 23 2-5 Fan mail, 1928-53 23 6-7 Typescript, n.d. 23 8 Serialized version, Atlantic Monthly, Jan-Apr, 1933 23 9 Abridged version, Reader's Digest, Feb 1938 23 10 Translation into French by Andre du Bouchet (incomplete), n.d. 23 11 Press releases and reviews, 1933 23 12 Typescript, "background material," n.d. Olive, Cypress and Palm: An Anthology of Love and Death, 1930 24 1 Correspondence and royalty statement, 1929-32 24 2 Reviews, 1930 Other People's Letters: A Memoir, 1978 24 Copy of reissued book, 2005 24 3 Correspondence and contract, 1977-81 24 4-5 Fan mail, 1978-84 24 6 Royalty statements, 1978-84 24 7 Research materials, n.d. 24 8-10 Typescript, Jun 1977 24 11-13 Typescript, n.d. 25 1 Typescript (incomplete), n.d. 25 2 Photographs, 1890s, n.d. 25 3 Pre-publication correspondence and press releases, 1977-78 25 4 Reviews from U.S. publications, 1978 25 5 Reviews from British publications, 1978-79 Articles Apollo 26 1 "Letters of Edouard Manet to His Wife During the Siege of Paris, 1870-71": published version, Jun 1981 26 2-3 Typescripts, n.d. 26 4 Illustrations, n.d. 26 5 Correspondence, 1980-81 26 6 Atlantic Monthly: "Harvard Calm and Henry Adams": published version and correspondence, 1920-21 Boston Herald: Series of articles on the trial of Francis A. Carroll and Paul Dwyer for the murder of Dr. and Mrs. James Littlefield in South Paris, Maine 26 7 Notes, n.d. 26 8 Typescript, n.d. 26 9 Clippings of articles by Mina Curtiss, Aug 1938 26 10-11 Clippings of articles by Arthur Stratton and others,1938-39 26 12 Correspondence, 1974 26 12a "A Mother's Career": clipping, 27 Aug 1939 26 13 Center: "Roma: Bizet's 'Souvenirs of Italy'": published version, Feb 1955 26 14 The Cornhill: "Celeste": published version and typescript, Spring 1950, n.d. 26 15 German Encyclopedia of Music: "Georges Bizet": typescript, ca. 1966 26 16 Harper's Bazaar: "Three Women": published version, Apr 1938 26 17 High Fidelity: "The Ill-Starred Debut of the Girl From Arles": published version, Sep 1958 History Today 26 18 Correspondence, 1968-78 26 19 Typescript, "The Empress Anna Ivanova's Ice Palace, Jan 1973 26 20 The Hound and Horn: "No Boswell": typescript, 1931 26 21 Mademoiselle: Published version and correspondence,"The World We Wanted," Aug 1945 Massachusetts Review "Chosen?" 26 22 Correspondence, 1978-83 26 23 Published version and typescript, Summer 1983, n.d. 26 24 Typescript, n.d. "Some American Negroes in 19th Century Russia," 26 25 Published version, Spring 1968 26 26-30 Typescripts, n.d "Manet Caricatures: Olympia," 1966 27 1 Correspondence, 1959-81 27 2 Published versions, 1966 27 3 Outline for proposed book, n.d. 27 4 Typescript, L'Exposition d'Edouard Manet by G. Randon (incomplete?), n.d., 27 5-6 Art work, n.d. Musical Quarterly 27 7 "Unpublished Letters by Georges Bizet": published version,Jul 1950 27 8 "Fromental Halevy": published version, Apr 1953 27 9 "Gounod Before Faust": published version, n.d. The Nation 27 10 "Cocktails": published version, Jan 1925 New York Times, Op-Ed 27 11 "Women's Wasting Lives": published version, correspondence, clippings, May 1978 27 12 Seven Arts Chronicle: "One of the Little Foxes": published version, correspondence, draft and notes, 1917 Vogue 27 13 "A Letter at Last": published version, Jan 1945 27 "The Midst of Life: The Curious Charm, The Free Satisfactions of Middle Age": published version, Oct 1945 Book reviews 27 14 The Atlantic Monthly, 1933 27 15 The Boston Herald, 1945 27 16 The Living Age, 1936-37 27 17 The Nation, 1925-70 Washington Post 27 18 Correspondence, 1980-81, n.d. 27 Published versions and typescripts, 1981-82 Translations by Mina K. Curtiss My Friend Degas by Daniel Halevy, 1964 27 19 Typescript, n.d. 27 20 Research material, photographs, and reviews, 1963-66, n.d. 27 21 "Le Chat" by Jean-Louis Hue: draft, n.d. 27 22 "Letters to an Amazon," author unknown: draft, n.d. Articles 27 23 Art News, Le Figaro Litteraire, and Vogue: "Chardin, or the Essence of Things" by Marcel Proust: (published versions in French and English, and typescript), 1964, n.d. 27 24 Mademoiselle: "Names and Places" by Marcel Proust:(published version in English), Oct 1956 27 25 The Nation: "Love" by Tibor Dery: (published versions in French and English), Feb 1967, n.d. The Virginia Quarterly: "Letters From China" by Alexis Leger (Saint-John Perse) 27 26 Published version, Autumn 1973 27 27 Correspondence, 1973 27 28 Typescript and fragments, 1973, n.d. Unpublished works 28 1 M.A. Thesis: "Henry Adams and Failure": typescript, n.d. Books As For Man 28 2 Correspondence, 1934-36 28 3-5 Typescript, circa 1935 The Past and I 28 6 Outline, n.d. 28 7-8 Original typescript, n.d. 28 9 Master typescript, n.d. 28 10 Master typescript, carbon, n.d. 28 11 Master typescript, second carbon (incomplete), n.d. 28 12 Typescript (incomplete), n.d. 28 13 Typescript, n.d., edited by George Kirstein (incomplete) Slices of Life 29 1 Draft, n.d. 29 2-3 Typescript, n.d. Research materials 29 4-5 Harriet Lane Levy, correspondence, clipping, and typescripts, 1974, n.d. Platon 29 6 Original typescript, n.d. 29 7 Original typescript, carbon, n.d. 29 8 Revised typescript, n.d. 29 9 Revised typescript (as orginally included in Slices of Life master typescript), 1985 29 10 Revised typescript (as orginally included in Slices of Life master typescript), photocopy, 1985 30 1 Revised typescript, 1985 30 2-3 Typescript, cut versions, n.d. 30 4-14 Research notes, n.d. Winter Letters 31 1 Correspondence, 1979-81 31 2-3 Draft manuscript, n.d. 31 4 Original typescript, n.d. 31 5 Master typescript (incomplete?), n.d. Miscellaneous manuscripts and typescripts 31 6 "Alamogordo Before the Bomb," n.d. 31 7 "Another Day," n.d. 31 8 "California Episode," n.d. 31 9 "Campanula Pyramidalis," n.d. 31 10 "The Desert" and "Desert Spring," n.d. 31 11 "Exercise in Narcissim," n.d. 31 12 "The Frontier, Bar," n.d. 31 13 "Giants and Pygmies," n.d. 31 14 "Lindbergh: A Personal Portrait," n.d. 31 15 "Military Intelligence, 1918 Style," n.d. 31 16 "A Monument," n.d. 31 17 "My [illegible] and Hopes," n.d. 31 18 "Natives," n.d. 31 19 "New Mexico," n.d. 31 20 "Period Piece," n.d. 31 21 "These Moderns," n.d. 31 22 Untitled, n.d. 31 23 Fragments, n.d. Correspondence with publishers and literary agents Al Hart (Fox Chase Agency) 32 1 Re: Other People's Letters, 1974-84, n.d. 32 2 Re: Slices of Life, 1979-85 32 3 Eakins Press, Houghton Mifflin and Random House, 1978-81 Research 32 4-9 Correspondence with Liliane Yacoel Ziegel, 1947-73 32 10 Correspondence pertaining to Liliane Yacoel Ziegel, 1984-85 32 11 Unidentified research material, n.d. Writings by others 32 12 Lincoln Kirstein, n.d. 32 13 Lewis, Nell Battle, "The Follies of 1918 or How Doth the Busy Bolshevik (An Agitation in Two Spasms)," typescript, n.d. 32 14 Miscellaneous, 1937-77, n.d. SERIES VI. SUBJECT FILES Saint-John Perse (Alexis Leger) Writings 33 1 "Narrow Are the Vessels," 1937 33 2 "Seamarks," 1937 33 3 "A Selection of Works for Understanding World Affairs Since 1914", 1943 33 4 Clippings, 1957-72 33 5 Murder cases: Elliott Speer murder, clippings, 1937 OVERSIZE MATERIALS Flat file A Forgotten Empress: Anna Ivanovich and Her Era, 1730-1740, photographs, and plates Flat file Letters Home, column in Cosmopolitan, "Letters Home," galley Flat file Other People's Letters, review from Danbury New Times, 23 May 1978, containing photograph of Mina Curtiss Flat file Letters of Marcel Proust, fold-out with photographs and letter Flat file 2 photographs of Proton, n.d. Appendix 16" Disc Recordings Answering Australia # 5 (2 identical discs; 1 disc is broken): 30 Jan 1943 #? (1 disc): 26 April 1943 Answering You

Scripts to Answering You #s 4, 5 and possibly #2 are located in Box 17, Folder 8.

Script to Answering You #8 is located in Box 17 Folder 9

#2 (1 disc, Part 2; Part 1 is missing): 16 Nov 1943 #4 (1 broken disc, Part 2; Part 1 is missing): 10 Jan 1943 #5 (2 discs; Parts 1 & 3): 30 Jan 1943 #8 (1 disc, Part 2; Part 1 is missing): 21 Apr 1943 #9 (3 discs, Parts 1-3): 3 May 1943 #9 (1 disc, Part 2; Part 1 is missing): 4 May 1943