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Fales Library of English and American Literature

Overview of the Fales Library of English and American Literature collection in the Special Collections at New York University.

Fales Manuscript Collection

The Fales Manuscript Collection was begun by DeCoursey Fales as a complement and companion to the printed works he collected. Donated to the University alongside the print holdings, the Fales Manuscript collection reflects many of the authors, genres and subgenres held in the Fales Library. 

The collection includes manuscripts of novels, plays and poems, including Bram Stoker's 1913 novel The Lair of the White Worm; correspondence from authors such as Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Felicia Hemans, Wilkie Collins, Frank Harris, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Amelia Opie, Sir Walter Scott, Sean O'Casey and George Bernard Shaw; photographs; drawings; notebooks, and ephemera. 

The provenance of the collection was compromised by the addition of materials purchased by the University and folded into Fales Manuscripts. Some notable additions include papers, manuscripts and correspondence relating by Theodore Enslin, Allen Ginsberg, Samuel Greenberg, Frank Harris, Ted Joans, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Thornton Wilder, the Smith Austen-Leigh family and the Provincetown Players. 

As with all manuscript collections, appointments are necessary to consult materials. The finding aid for the Fales Manuscript collection can be search via the link below, or using the search tool. Please note that the link will open the finding aid in a new browser window.

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