Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm90078062
Collection material in English
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.
The papers of Edward O. Wilson, biologist, educator, and author, were given to the Library of Congress by Wilson between 1990 and 2015.
The papers of Edward O. Wilson were arranged and described by Margaret McAleer with the assistance of Alexandra Smith, Tracey Barton, Maria Farmer, and Rosa Hernandez in 2018.
Digital files were received as part of the Edward O. Wilson Papers on a variety of storage media, each of which was assigned a unique digital ID number. Use the digital ID number to request access copies of the files associated with each media. A description of the standard processes taken on all born digital records can be found in the Processing History Note: Born Digital Collection Material at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.digital.
Audio and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcast, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the Edward O. Wilson Papers.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Edward O. Wilson in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for further information.
The papers of Edward O. Wilson are open to research. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Access to digital content is available onsite only in the Manuscript Reading Room and requires advanced notice. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number or digital ID number, Edward O. Wilson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Edward Osborne Wilson (1929-2021) span the years 1931-2015, with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 2007. The collection documents Wilson’s work as a biologist, including his seminal research and writings on ants and sociobiological investigations into the evolutionary and genetic basis of social behavior in animals, including humans. Also chronicled is Wilson’s leadership on environmental issues and in promoting awareness of planetary losses of biodiversity. The collection covers most aspects of Wilson’s professional activities including his widespread correspondence within and outside the scientific community, prolific writing and publishing, fieldwork studying ants, defense of sociobiology, environmental advocacy, speaking engagements and awards, and teaching career at Harvard University. A small amount of material is included from his childhood and young adulthood. The collection is arranged in nine series: General Correspondence, Subject File, Speaking Engagements, Writings, Press and Reviews, Miscellany, Papers of Others, Digital Files, and Oversize.
The General Correspondence series comprises more than half of the collection and documents most aspects of Wilson’s career. The series was compiled by Wilson’s staff and pulls together correspondence and related material dating from Wilson’s undergraduate studies in biology through 2015. Because of its breadth, the series inevitably overlaps with the contents of other series in the collection. Wilson’s work as a biologist and entomologist is documented through his correspondence with fellow biologists, as well as with scientists and scholars in other fields and disciplines including anthropology, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The correspondence features substantive updates on research and publishing projects, exchanges of data, discussions with coauthors, commentary on Wilson’s writings and theories, his comments on the work of others, and recommendations for grants, job searches, tenure, and award nominations. Included among Wilson’s correspondents are William H. Bossert, William L. Brown, Jr., F. M. Carpenter, Napoleon A. Chagnon, Noam Chomsky, Bernard D. Davis, Jared M. Diamond, Paul R. Ehrlich, Thomas Eisner, Robin Fox, Bernd Heinrich, Bert Hölldobler, Daniel H. Janzen, Stephen R. Kellert, L. S. B. Leakey, Mary D. Leakey, Thomas E. Lovejoy, Charles J. Lumsden, Robert H. MacArthur, Robert M. May, Ernst Mayr, Charles Duncan Michener, Eviatar Nevo, George F. Oster, Michael Ruse, Oliver Sacks, Carl Sagan, Daniel Simberloff, Robert Trivers, and Mary Jane West-Eberhard, among many others. Wilson’s theories and writings on sociobiology are discussed in much of the correspondence. Included among his correspondents are some of the theory’s most vocal critics, including Stephen Jay Gould and Richard C. Lewontin. Documentation of Wilson’s work on behalf of biodiversity is extensive and ranges from his correspondence with Rachel Carson beginning in 1958 while she was writing
The remainder of the collection was largely unorganized when received and has since been arranged in eight series: Subject File, Speaking Engagements, Writings, Press and Reviews, Miscellany, Papers of Others, Digital Files, and Oversize. The Subject File series focuses principally on Wilson’s entomological field studies and curatorship of the entomology collection in Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, controversies surrounding his sociobiology theories, and his academic career at Harvard. Wilson’s scientific work is documented in eleven notebooks containing his early ant records and field notes, many of them from the 1940s and 1950s; lists of entomological terms invented by him and genera and species of ants named for him; and a large file of National Science Foundation grant applications spanning several decades from the 1960s to the 1980s. Also included are notes by Wilson and newspaper accounts detailing the spread of fire ants throughout Alabama and other southern states in the late 1940s. Wilson’s reports on fire ants are preserved among the William Steel Creighton papers in the Papers of Others series. The Subject File series also contains a hand-drawn graph made by Wilson charting the significance of contributions by leading evolutionary biologists. Prominent in the series is a large file created by Wilson’s staff documenting reactions to his sociobiology theories. The file has been kept intact as it was received and includes correspondence, memoranda, conference and discussion papers, interviews, articles, reviews, editorials, letters to the editor, course material, notes, flyers, posters, and news clippings, largely dating from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. The file traces the evolution of sociobiology theory, its various applications, its defense by Wilson and other proponents, criticism by scholars and organizations including the Committee Against Racism and Science for the People, and popular reporting on the topic. The remainder of the Subject File contains Wilson’s teaching and academic files. Included are academic appointments, committee files, historical materials on the Biology Department and Museum of Comparative Zoology, and material from courses taught by Wilson. The amount and type of course material varies considerably and can include syllabi, lecture notes, examinations, and reading lists. Other material relating to Wilson’s academic career can be found in the General Correspondence series filed under “Harvard University” and under the names of faculty members, staff, deans, and university presidents, among them Derek Bok and Neil Rudenstine.
The Speaking Engagements series features lectures and speeches given by Wilson at a wide variety of venues including universities, conferences and symposia, international forums, award ceremonies, learned societies, museums, libraries, government-sponsored events, and local community events. The type of events ranges from distinguished lecture series to local book talks, and topics often relate to the focus of Wilson’s writing at the time. Also found in the series are speeches given by Wilson on receiving major awards, including the Crafoord Prize in Stockholm, Sweden. The series contains invitations to speak, travel and logistical arrangements, programs, publicity, and the texts of his remarks, most often as handwritten drafts with the occasional inclusion of typed or printed versions. Texts of speeches, however, are not available for every speaking engagement. Also included in the series, although it was not from a public speaking event, is a transcript of a conversation between B. F. Skinner and Wilson on behaviorism and sociobiology that took place in Skinner’s Harvard University office in 1987. Many of Wilson’s speaking engagements are also documented in the General Correspondence series, usually under the name of the venue. Drafts of speeches are occasionally included. Press reporting on Wilson’s speaking events can generally be found in the Press and Reviews series.
The Writings series chronicles the drafting of many of Wilson’s books, as well as shorter works including articles and essays, forewords, prefaces, introductions, letters to editors, statements, and joint letters. Topics on which Wilson wrote include the evolution and classification of ants, caste systems in ants, character displacement, the role of pheromones in the communication system of ants, biogeography, evolutionary biology, sociobiology, and the genetic basis of altruism. Other topics include “biophilia,” an innate human attraction to nature; the environmental crisis and loss of biodiversity; consilience and the unity of knowledge; the relationship between religion and science; and an autobiographical recounting of his life as a naturalist. Most of Wilson’s books published before 2010 are represented in the series and include initial handwritten drafts, Wilson’s preferred method of writing, as well as subsequent typescripts with annotations and corrections and galley proofs. Many of the book files also contain correspondence with publishers, editors, coauthors, and, occasionally, outside readers of manuscripts. Additional correspondence with publishers and coauthors can be found in the General Correspondence series. Wilson’s
The Press and Reviews series traces the scholarly and popular reception of Wilson’s work through newspaper and magazine clippings, as well as journals, newsletters, programs, and book excerpts. The chronological file spans the years 1945-2007 and includes articles, book reviews, published interviews, and major features. The series documents Wilson’s extensive publishing, speaking engagements, receipt of awards, environmental advocacy, and teaching, as well as press coverage of the sociobiology controversy.
The Miscellany series consists of awards and honors, biographical material, school and university records, family papers, interview transcripts, military applications, notes, a passport, a proposed weekly schedule, photographs, and ephemera. Files relating to Wilson’s awards and honors contain correspondence, arrangements, programs, and certificates. Material from award ceremonies at which Wilson spoke is principally filed in the Speaking Engagements series. Additional material on awards can be found in the General Correspondence series. Also included in the Miscellany series is material documenting Wilson’s childhood and young adulthood. Included are Boy Scout and Eagle Scout membership cards, a butterfly guide used by Wilson in 1940-1941, and transcripts, written assignments, and notes from elementary and high school through graduate work at the University of Alabama. Military applications, 1946-1960, document Wilson’s efforts to join the military and a passport dates from his fieldwork in South Pacific islands in 1955. Family papers include letters from Wilson’s mother, Inez Linnette Huddleston, and correspondence and a memoir titled "White Sands of Time" by Barbour ("Babs") Wilson Minhinnette, a cousin.
The Papers of Others series consists of the papers of entomologist Arthur C. Cole, myrmecologist William Steel Creighton, and biodiversity advocate Joe D. Pratt, all of which were collected and preserved by Wilson. The series, specifically the papers of Cole and Creighton, illustrate the evolution of myrmecology, the study of ants, in the early to mid-twentieth century. The correspondence documents the interpersonal relationships with the foremost entomologists and myrmecologists of their time as well as their projects and travel. The Arthur C. Cole papers and William Steel Creighton papers span a similar time frame, 1930s-1970s, and the two groups of correspondence give many complete conversations by providing the letters of both sender and receiver. Commentary on Wilson’s graduate education at Harvard and his early career is found frequently in the correspondence and suggests Wilson’s growing reputation in the field. The Joe D. Pratt papers contain a sampling of his work from the late 1980s to early 1990s promoting sociobiology and biodiversity as a program manager with the Illinois Department on the Environment and as an admirer of Wilson. Files from Pratt’s computer at the time of his death in 1992 are preserved in the Digital Files series.
The Digital Files series consists of digital files stored on compact discs, DVDs, and other media found in the collection. The series features a digitized audio recording of a lecture by Wilson during his first year of teaching in 1957 and recordings of interviews by the British Broadcasting Corporation and a Salt Lake City, Utah, public radio station in 2005 and 2007. There are also several video recordings of lectures and book talks by Wilson, including ones at the Université de Montréal, Arizona State University, and the Utah Museum of Natural History, among other places. Wilson’s appearance in 2007 at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference after winning a TED Prize is preserved in the series as well. Additional digital content was sent to Wilson from various sources, including the American Prairie Foundation, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, New York Botanical Garden, Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia, and Barry Bolton who sent Wilson drafts of his keys to world subfamilies and genera of ants in 1991. Analog sound and film recordings of Wilson have been transferred to the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcast, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of this collection.
This collection is arranged in nine series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm90078062
Correspondence with biologists and entomologists, scientists and scholars in other fields and disciplines, coauthors, publishers, editors, public officials, environmentalists, university presidents, journalists, writers, professional and scientific organizations, award committees, conference and event organizers, museums, zoos, botanical gardens, and the public. Related material filed with the correspondence includes drafts of speeches, writings, reports, minutes, photographs, and printed matter. The bulk of the correspondence dates from the mid-1950s to 1997 and relates to most aspects of Wilson’s professional life, including his research and writing. Other topics covered in the series include his speaking engagements, receipt of honors and awards, environmental advocacy, and academic career at Harvard University. Most of the correspondence is filed under the name of the correspondent and occasionally under the person’s organizational or institutional affiliation.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, organization, institution, event, or topic.
Material principally relating to Wilson’s entomological research and curatorship of the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology’s entomology collection, his defense of sociobiology, and his teaching career at Harvard University. Wilson’s research on ants is documented through field notes and other notebooks, lists of entomological terms invented by him and genera and species named for him, and a large file of National Science Foundation grant applications. Comprising a significant portion of the series is a file created by Wilson’s staff that documents controversies surrounding Wilson’s writings on sociobiology through correspondence, memoranda, articles, editorials, letters to editors, reviews, conference and discussion papers, interviews, course material, notes, flyers, posters, and news clippings. Most of this material dates from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. The file focuses on opposition to sociobiology by critics inside and outside academia as well as its defense by Wilson and other leading proponents. The remainder of the series consists of teaching and academic files. Included are academic appointments, committee files, historical materials on the Biology Department and Museum of Comparative Zoology, and course materials consisting of syllabi, reading lists, lecture notes, and examinations. Additional material concerning Wilson’s academic career at Harvard can be found in the General Correspondence series.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material.
Correspondence, speeches, programs, itineraries, awards and certificates, news clippings, and other printed matter from Wilson’s numerous speaking engagements at universities, conferences and symposia, international forums, scholarly organizations, museums, libraries, award ceremonies, government-sponsored events, community-based organizations, and other venues. The files document arrangements, speeches delivered, and event publicity. Handwritten, typed, or published speeches are available for most although not all of the engagements. Additional material on Wilson’s speaking engagements can be found in the General Correspondence series, usually filed under the name of the event or host institution.
Arranged chronologically and alphabetically therein by name of event.
Material relating to Wilson’s prolific publishing of books and articles. Book files typically include initial handwritten drafts, subsequent typescripts with corrections and annotations, and galley proofs. Also available is correspondence with coauthors, publishers, editors, and outside readers; notes and references; permissions; lists of illustrations and figures; dust jackets; promotional material; book notices; and reviews. Additional correspondence with coauthors, publishers, and editors can be found in the General Correspondence series, and reviews of Wilson’s books are also located in the Press and Reviews series. Files relating to Wilson’s articles and essays vary in content. All include drafts, typescripts, or printed copies of the article or essay. Some also include correspondence with coauthors, editors, and outside readers. Also included in the series are other short works by Wilson, including forewords, prefaces, introductions, letters to editors, statements, and joint letters. The series concludes with drafts, reprints, and other copies of works by persons other than Wilson, a few of which include marginal notes or markings by him.
Arranged as books, shorter works, and writings by others. Books are arranged alphabetically by title and alphabetically therein by type of material. Shorter works are organized alphabetically by type of publication and chronologically therein by date of publication. Writings by others are arranged alphabetically by the name of the lead author or by the title of the publiction.
Largely newspaper and magazine clippings, as well as journals, newsletters, catalogs, printed programs, and book excerpts containing references to Wilson, full-length articles about him, published interviews, reviews of his books, book notices, and press reporting on his speaking engagements and receipt of awards. The series traces the evolution of Wilson’s reputation over seven decades as a leading authority on ants, proponent and defender of sociobiology, popular university professor and speaker, best-selling author, and environmental advocate. Additional reviews of his books can be found in the Writings series.
Arranged chronologically by year of publication.
Awards and honors; biographical material; childhood ephemera including Boy Scout and Eagle Scout membership cards and a guide to butterflies; educational records including transcripts, notes, and writings from elementary and high school through graduate school at the University of Alabama; a small amount of family papers consisting largely of letters from Wilson’s mother; interview transcripts; a medical record; military applications; notes; a passport from a 1955 grant-funded trip to the South Pacific; photographs; and a proposed weekly schedule in 1979 that suggests how Wilson structured his days.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material or topic.
Correspondence, research data, writings, reports, memoranda, and printed matter comprising the papers of entomologist Arthur C. Cole, myrmecologist William Steel Creighton, and biodiversity advocate Joe D. Pratt. The series, specifically the papers of Cole and Creighton, illustrates the evolution of myrmecology, the study of ants, in the early to mid-twentieth century. The correspondence documents the interpersonal relationships with the foremost entomologists and myrmecologists of their time as well as their projects and trips. The Arthur C. Cole papers and William Steel Creighton papers span a similar time frame, 1930s-1970s, and the two groups of correspondence give many complete conversations by providing the letters of both sender and receiver. Commentary on Wilson’s graduate education at Harvard and his early career is found frequently in the correspondence and suggests Wilson’s growing reputation in the field. The Joe D. Pratt papers contain a sampling of his work from the late 1980s to early 1990s promoting biodiversity as a close associate of Wilson.
Arranged alphabetically by collection title and alphabetically therein by topic or type of material.
Audio and video files and other digital content stored on compact discs, DVDs, and other media found in the collection. Included are audio recordings of interviews with Wilson as well as a digitized copy of a recording of one of his lectures during his first year of teaching in 1957. Video recordings of Wilson include lectures and book talks at the Université de Montréal, Arizona State University, Utah Museum of Natural History, and other places, as well as his appearance in 2007 at a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference after winning a TED Prize. Other digital content in the series was sent to Wilson from various sources, including the American Prairie Foundation, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, New York Botanical Garden, Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia, and Barry Bolton who sent Wilson drafts of his keys to world subfamilies and genera of ants in 1991. Analog sound recordings and film of Wilson have been transferred to the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcast, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of this collection.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders in which the digital media were found.
Drawings, booklets, brochures, event posters from speaking engagements, promotional posters for books, photographs, a list, and a map. Among these items is a checklist of ants in the United States in 1947, a map showing the spread of fire ants in 1967, a tear sheet from
Listed and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the material was removed. Physically grouped and housed by size of the items, with containers numbered sequentially according to the physical arrangement.