A Guide to the Joel Chandler Harris Collection
Accession number 6322-b
A Collection in the
Clifton Waller Barrett Library of American Literature

Contact Information:
University of Virginia Library
Alderman Library
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
USA
Phone: (804) 924-3025
Fax: (804) 924-3143
Email: mssbks@virginia.edu

Processed by: Special Collections Department Staff
Date Completed: 1997
Encoded by: Elizabeth Slomba

© 1997 By the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. All rights reserved.

Conditions of Use

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open to research.

Publication Rights

EDIT ME!

Preferred Citation

EDIT ME!

Acquisition Information

Deposit, 1964 Oct 20

Funding Note

Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities

Descriptive Summary

Repository: University of Virginia. Library. Special Collections Dept. Alderman Library University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 USA
Collection Number: 6322-b
Title: Joel Chandler Harris Collection 1881-1907

Extent: 49 items
Language: English


Item Listing

• Manuscripts
• "A Negro Love Song" and "Hog Feeder's Song" [c. 1892]AMsS/AMs, 5 p. [Songs; manuscript of two Afro-American songs with a one page introduction on the remarkable range of a hog-caller's voice.]
• "The Plow-Hand's Song" n.d.AMsS, 1 p. [Song]
• "A Latch fer de gate..." n.d.AMsS, 1 p. [Poem]
• Letters
• Joel Chandler Harristo Jeannette L. Gilder 1881 Oct 10ALS, 1 p. w/env [Sending something for The Critic ; asks her to return it with a "literary note" if she cannot use it; praises a sketch of Uncle Remus.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Unknown 1881 Dec 28ALS, 1 p. [Says that The Century has first refusal; can be published in book form after the serial rights have been exercised.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo B[enjamin] H. [Ticknor] 1884 Mar 15ALS, 1 p. [Writes him about a new short book; could have "A Plot for a Play" finished in a week; wants Blue Dave sent to Scotlandfor copyright; asks for the opinion of the firm's reader on Blue Dave . Signed "Uncle Remus."]
• Joel Chandler Harristo William Carey 1884 Jun 21ALS, 2 p. w/env [Discusses the ownership of a song sent by Carey; believes that the song underwent changes as it was passed down from one generation to the next.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo B[enjamin] H. [Ticknor] 1884 Jul 29ALS, 1 p. [Reluctant to send in poems; feels that Nights with Uncle Remus and Mingo [and other Sketches in Black and White] were failures; believes poems will fail as well; is willing to release the firm from its agreement to print three books. Signed "Uncle Remus."]
• Joel Chandler Harristo James R. Osgood 1885 Mar 2ALS, 2 p. [Says Ticknor unwell and acting strangely: requests an account of sales of unnamed Remus story and Mingo [and other Sketches in Black and White] which he had already requested from Ticknor; chides him for refusing to publish J[ames] W[hitcomb] Riley's book.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Richard Waston] Gilder 1886 Dec 21ALS, 2 p. [Says that the ballad Mr. Smith referred to was an Afro-American song he published in The Critic some years ago; will send a copy; asks him to intervene in a dispute between Stoddard and Edgar Farwellin the Author's Club; claims that Mr. Buell is a womanizer.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Richard Watson] Gilder 1887 May 26ALS, 1 p. [Feels that Kemble is a suitable illustrator; urges Kemble to maintain the dignity of the Afro-American and to remember the differences of various Afro-American types.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Robert Underwood] Johnson 1890 Mar 6ALS, 3 p. [Comments on a lost list of names of people supporting a congressional bill; will send another list; suggests getting support for the bill from other less southern newspapers.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Robert Underwood] Johnson 1890 May 8ALS, 2 p. [Sends extracts from The Atlanta Constitution ; also hopes to get a statement in writing from his congressman.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Unknown 1891 Feb 13ANS, 1 p. [Sends autograph; hopes the recipient and his boys will outgrow their bad habits.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Julius] Chambers 1892 May 16ALS, 1 p. [Requests scope and length desired for articles; lost the original letter that contains the terms for the new work; the articles will highlight the condition of the Afro-American in the South since the war.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Samuel Sidney] McClure 1892 May 19ALS, 2 p. [Accepts his proposition to publish a book in installments; declares that the illustration will be done to his own satisfaction; will create illustration in partnership with [Arthur Burdett] Frost; would like to get this matter settled soon.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Samuel Sidney] McClure 1896 Mar 31ALS, 2 p. [Requests further details from him for a short story because he had been busy.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Francis Jackson] Garrison 1896 Oct 18ALS, 3 p. [Discusses slavery in the South and his writings about the Afro-American; defends the relationship of the southern whites to the blacks.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Francis Jackson] Garrison 1897 Jul 22ALS, 4 p. [Discusses the theme and characters of the book Aaron in the Wildwoods . ]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Francis Jackson] Garrison 1898 Mar 22ALS, 3 p. [Discusses the illustrations for a Remus book by [Fred Stuart] Churchand [Elmer Boyd] Smith; sends illustration of a fence designed to keep animals out of the garden.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1903 Mar 16TLS, 1 p. [Has outlines for ten to fifteen Uncle Remus stories; asks for contact with the party who wanted two stories; mentions Mr. Shepard, the London artist.] (w/electrostatic copy
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1903 Mar 20ALS, 2 p. [Has a series of Remus stories in contemplation; will send them through McClure; asks Reynolds to return "A Romantic Tragedy" so he can make the necessary corrections.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1903 May 8TLS, 1 p. [Asks him if he could sell six or eight more Remus stories to Collier's Weekly . ]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1903 Jun 26TLS, 1 p. [Inquires about the status of the ten Remus stories that he had sent for Collier's ; has another place for them if Collier's doesn't want them.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1904 Jun 2TLS, 1 p. [Will send a story concerning a Union scout when finished; discusses requests for a book and some Uncle Remus stories.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1904 Jun 4TLS, 1 p. [Asks him to secure English copyright on whatever work he receives from Harris; can furnish six stories to Reynolds if he wants them.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1904 Jun 10TLS, 1 p. [Suggests that he should not wait for Russell to agree on a price for stories; might offer them to St. Nicholas Magazine . ]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1904 Jul 23TLS, 1 p. [Believes that Reynolds got a good offer from Mr. Russell; should complete the deal at once.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1904 Aug 12TLS, 1 p. [Denies that British readers could not comprehend the Remus stories because they have been very popular in England; believes [Arthur Burdett] Frostis better than Verbeek at illustrating his stories.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1904 Aug 19TLS, 1 p. [Mailing two stories; says the sixth and last story will be slightly delayed; reports that the New York Herald is undecided about asking him to write a story on Southern life.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds 1904 Sep 5TLS, 1 p. [Received the check; comments on photo of a Mr. Russell taken with Anthony Hope. ]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Hamilton] Holt 1904 Sep 22TLS, 1 p. [Will contribute a series of articles and sketches for The Independent under the title "At the Sign of the Wren's Nest."]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Mr. Miller 1904 Oct 3TLS, 1 p. [Will finish a story by the 15th; reexamining photographs and will send them in a few days.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo James H. Manning 1905 Jan 17TLS, 1 p. [Thanks him for letter and compliments; says Major LaRose is his wife's first cousin; autograph quotation of stanza of "At the Sign of the Wren's Nest" on verso.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Francis] Garrison 1906 Oct 22TLS, 3 p. [Gives some details of the recent riots in Atlanta; complains that most newspapers sensationalized these events; gives information on Uncle Remus's Magazine ; will control the editorial department and give a balanced view of life in the South.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Colonel [John T.] Graves 1907 Oct 30TLS, 1 p. [Will be unable to fulfill his engagement this evening with Graves; compliments him on his career as an editorial writer; wishes him continued success in New York. ] (w/autograph corrections)
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Richard Watson] Gilder n.y. May 25ALS, 2 p. [Recommends that lobbyists should be hired to promote the Congressional bill rather than sending literary men.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds n.y. May 25TLS, 2 p. [Believes that the sale of serial rights includes all the available serial rights; asks that Collier's to arrange for simultaneous serial publication in Englandwhich would secure the English copyright for him.] (w/electrostatic copy)
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds n.y. Jul 11TLS, 1 p. [Authorizes him to secure serial publication and book rights to a series of Remus stories if possible.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds n.y. Jul 30TLS, 1 p. [Terms made with Russell are satisfactory; AN at bottom says that he is enclosing "Brer Rabbit and the Gizzard Eater" which he has just published.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds n.y. Sep 23TLS, 1 p. [Sending him the last of the Uncle Remus material.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Paul R[evere] Reynolds n.y. Oct 21TLS, 1 p. [Inquires about his remittance for October.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Samuel Sidney] McClure n.y. Oct 26ALS, 1 p. [Has sent the manuscript for Aaron ; will have some additional stories in January.] (w/photograph of Harris attached)
• Joel Chandler Harristo "Dear Madam" n.y. Oct 30ALS, 2 p. [Discusses the publication of his latest book and critics' comments; will send a copy to Hayne when available; states preference for serialized publication of Remus stories in newspapers to their publication in book form.] (w/typescript copy.)
• Joel Chandler Harristo [James Ripley] Osgood n.y. Nov 14ALS, 1 p. [Requests payment for royalty on sales of a Remus story and Mingo [and Other Sketches in Black and White] to July 1. Signed "Uncle Remus."] (w/typescript copy.)
• Joel Chandler Harristo [Richard Watson] Gilder n.y. Dec 2ALS, 2 p. [Requests an extra proof of "Baalam and his Master"; sends a recent Constitution editorial for [Robert Underwood] Johnson; comments on the uselessness of sending literary men to Washingtonto push the copyright bill through Congress.]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Charles A. Dana n.y. Dec 11ALS, 1 p. [Thanks him for his kind words about "Uncle Remus."]
• Joel Chandler Harristo Samuel Sidney McClure n.d.ALS, 1 p. [Writes that he is just finishing fifteen installments of Uncle Remus fables and asks what McClure will pay for the serial rights.] 1 p. (w/printed sketch of Harris)
• Joel Chandler Harristo Unknown n.d.ALS, 1 p. [Feels that he no longer wants to write "these legends."] (fragment)