Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of [Francis] Coleman Rosenberger, Accession #5719, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was a gift from F. Coleman Rosenberger of Alexandria, Virginia, on 1957 October 31.

Biographical/Historical Information

Coleman Rosenberger was born March 22, 1915, in Manassas, Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia and received an LL.B. degree from George Washington University in 1942. Rosenberger was an attorney, writer, and editor. Rosenberger published several volumes of his own poetry: The Virginia Poems (Gotham Book Mark, 1943), XII Poems (Gotham Book Mart, 1946), One Season Here (University Press of Virginia, 1946), An Alphabet (University Press of Virginia, 1978), and The Visit (Tabula Rasa Press, 1984). A selection of the books he edited includes: Virginia Reader: a Treasury of Writings from the First Voyage to the Present (Dutton, 1948; reprinted Octagon, 1972), American Sampler: a Selection of Poetry (Prairie Press, 1951), Jefferson Reader: a Treasury of Writings about Thomas Jefferson (Dutton, 1953), Records of the Columbia Historical Society of Washington, D.C. (8 vols., University Press of Virginia, 1961-1980), Washington and the Poet (an anthology, University Press of Virginia, 1977).

Rosenberger also contributed poetry to 5 anthologies during the 1940s and contributed poetry to approximately 40 periodicals. He was a book reviewer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch (1938-1940), Washington Post (1940-1945), New York Herald Tribune Book Review (195-1962), and Washington Star (1967-1971). He was also interested in genealogy and wrote Some Notes on the Rosenberger Family in Pennsylvania & Virginia, 1729-1950 (William Byrd Press, 1950), and edited The Robinson-Rosenberger Journey to the Gold Fields of California, 1849-1850: the Diary of Zirkle D. Robinson (Prairie Press, 1966).

Rosenberger received a National Poetry Center Award at the New York World's Fair in 1939.

Rosenberger was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1939, bar of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1949, and was a member of the legal and legislative staff of the U.S. Senate, 1942-1978. He received a certificate of commendation for scholarly editing from the American Association for State and Local History in 1971 for his work on the Records of the Columbia Historical Society of Washington, D.C.

Scope and Content Information

This literary collection of Francis Coleman Rosenberger (1915-) consists of 163 items, 1946-1952, with most of the items dating from 1946-1948. The collection primarily includes letters and poems to Coleman Rosenberger in response to his inquiry to current American poets for "new poems which have not previously appeared in print." These poems were for the column, "A Selection of Recent American Poetry" for the British publication, Poetry Quarterly, edited by Wrey Gardiner. Rosenberger was aiming for a selection which would " show something of the variety and the worth of poetry in the United States to-day." Rosenberger's selections were published in 2 issues: v. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1946-47), and v. 9, no. 3 (Autumn 1947). Rosenberger collected poems from more poets than were published in these issues. Only poems selected by Rosenberger are in this manuscript collection; poets sometimes write they are sending a specific number of poems, which are greater than the number in the collection.

A small portion of the collection concerns the use of the poems for "American Sampler: a selection of new poetry," edited by Rosenberger.

The Coleman Rosenberger Literary Collection includes poems, most of which are typed manuscripts. Some manuscripts are signed, and some are drafts containing handwritten corrections.

The Collection also contains letters or postcards from the following poets, saying that they did not have any poems to contribute: Louise Bogan, Gwendolyn Brooks, Katherine Garrison Chapin, E. E. Cummings, Lawrence Lee, Marianne Moore, Delmore Schwartz, Winfield Townley Scott, Allen Tate, Reed Whittemore, and Oscar Williams.

Several letters from Kenneth Durant concerning the poetry of Genevieve Taggard are in the Collection. Some of these are about the texts of her poems; others are about securing copies of her manuscripts and publications for the Genevieve Taggart Collection at Dartmouth College Library.

Also included in the Collection are two letters from C. Wrey Gardiner concerning the publication of American poetry in the Poetry Quarterly including the amount paid for the poems.

A letter from Helen Stewart asks permission to reprint Mark Van Doren's poems, which appeared in Poetry Quarterly , in an anthology of his works.

A letter from Geraldine Udell of Poetry requested whether she could order a copy of Poetry Quarterly from Rosenberger.

Letters from Gore Vidal accompanying his poems are included although none of his poems are in the Collection.