Collection Summary
Edward William Bok Papers
1880-1926
1920-1925
1880-1926
1920-1925
MSS13128
Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930
20 items
3 containers
1.2 linear feet
English
Collection material in English
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Author, editor, reformer, and
philanthropist. Correspondence, autograph albums featuring prominent American literary,
military, and political figures, and writings by Bok. Also included is a manuscript by
Jessie Benton Frémont relating to the death of her husband, John C. Frémont.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC
Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and
by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930.
Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930. Americanization of Edward Bok. 1920.
Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930. Man from Maine. 1923.
Bok, Edward William, 1863-1930. Twice thirty: some short and simple annals of
the road. 1925.
Curtis, Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar, 1850-1933.
Frémont, Jessie Benton, 1824-1902.
Frémont, John Charles, 1813-1890.
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891--Correspondence.
Organizations
Curtis Publishing Company.
Subjects
Armed Forces--Officers--Autographs.
Authors--Autographs.
Autographs--Collections.
Politicians--Autographs.
Publishers and publishing.
Women's periodicals, American.
Titles
Ladies' home journal.
Occupations
Authors.
Editors.
Philanthropists.
Reformers.
Acquisition Information
The papers of Edward William Bok, author, editor, reformer, and philanthropist, were
given to the Library of Congress in 1966-1970 by his wife, Mary L. Curtis Bok.
Additional items were purchased by the Library from 1968 to 1972 and in 2013.
Processing History
The papers of Edward William Bok were arranged and described by Richard Bickel and Allan
Teichroew in 1980. Additional material received between 1968 and 1972 was processed in
2007 by Connie L. Cartledge. Material received in 2013 was processed as an addition in
2019 by Laney Stevenson. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of
a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Copyright Status
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Edward William Bok in these papers and in other
collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to
the public.
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Edward William Bok are open to research. Researchers are advised to
contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored
off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Edward William Bok Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1863, 9 Oct.
Born, Helder, Netherlands
1870
Arrived in the United States
Entered public school, Brooklyn, N.Y.
1884
Entered employ of Charles Scribner's Sons as stenographer
Became editor of Brooklyn Magazine
1886
Founded the Bok Syndicated Press
1889
Became editor of Ladies' Home Journal
1896
Married Mary Louise Curtis
1907
LL.D. degree conferred by order of Pope Pius X, Villanova College, Villanova,
Pa.
1917
State chairman for Pennsylvania of YMCA War Work Council
1919
Relinquished editorship of Ladies' Home Journal
1920
Published The Americanization of Edward Bok. New
York: C. Scribner's Sons
1923
Published A Man From Maine. New York: C.
Scribner's Sons
1925
Published Twice Thirty. New York: C. Scribner's
Sons
1930
Died, Lake Wales, Fla.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Edward William Bok (1863-1930) span the years 1880-1926, with the bulk of
the material dating from 1920 to 1925. The papers consist of a handwritten draft of
Bok's Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography,
The Americanization of Edward Bok
(1920); a biography of Bok's father-in-law, Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis,
A Man From Maine
(1923); and another autobiographical work,
Twice Thirty
(1925).
Also included in the Bok Papers are the typescript of
The Americanization of Edward Bok
and autograph albums dated 1880-1889. The autograph collection is made up of
signatures of prominent American political, military, and literary figures. The
collection contains letters to Bok as editor of the
Ladies' Home Journal
and a writing by Jessie Benton Frémont relating to the death of her husband,
John C. Frémont. The manuscript was sent to Bok and is accompanied by a brief cover
letter from Jessie Benton Frémont. The 2019 Addition is a letter dated September 6,
1882, from Civil War General William T. Sherman responding to Bok, with his opinion on
the adage "the pen is mightier than the sword" and referencing Presidents George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm79013128]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Autograph albums, 1880-1889
1880-1889
(4 folders)
1
Correspondence, 1892-1926
1892-1926
1
Writings
1
By Bok
1
Americanization of Edward Bok
(1920), 1920
1920
1
Handwritten draft
2
Typescript
(9 folders)
2
Man from Maine
(1923), 1922
1922
(3 folders)
3
Twice Thirty
(1925), 1925
1925
(7 folders)
3
By Jessie Benton Frémont, with cover letter by
Frémont, 1901
1901
3
2019 Addition
3
Correspondence, 1882
1882