Collection Summary
Louis Untermeyer Papers
1955-1967
1955-1967
MSS43703
Untermeyer, Louis,
1885-1977
25 items
10 containers
4 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Poet, critic, and
editor. Writings, notebooks, and correspondence, including drafts and proofs of
books of poetry by Untermeyer and notes pertaining to his travels in Europe and
the United States and his tenure as poetry consultant to the Library of
Congress.
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
Bierbaum, Otto Julius, 1865-1910. Irrgarten der Liebe.
Frost, Robert, 1874-1963.
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977, Modern American poetry [and] Modern British poetry. 1950.
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977.
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977. Bygones; the recollections of Louis Untermeyer. 1965.
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977. Labyrinth of love. 1965.
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977. Long feud, selected poems. 1962
Untermeyer, Louis, 1885-1977. World's great stories; fifty-five legends that live forever. 1964.
Organizations
Library of Congress.
Subjects
American poetry--19th century.
American poetry--20th century.
English poetry--19th century.
English poetry--20th century.
Legends.
Poetry.
Poets--Correspondence, reminiscences, etc.
Places
Europe--Description and travel.
United States--Description and travel.
Occupations
Critics.
Editors.
Poets.
Provenance
The papers of Louis Untermeyer, poet, critic, and editor, were given
to the Library of Congress by Untermeyer in 1962-1970 and by Helen-Anne Hilker
in 1964.
Processing History
The papers of Louis Untermeyer were arranged and described in 1989.
The finding aid was revised in 2003 and again in 2011.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Louis
Untermeyer is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Louis Untermeyer 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, Louis Untermeyer Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1865, Oct. 1
Born, New York. N.Y.
1882
1923
Worked in family jewelry business, Untermeyer-Robbins Co. and
Charles Keller & Co.
1923
Resigned from jewelry business to devote full time to studying
and writing
1907
Married Jean Starr (divorced 1926)
1911
Published first book of poems,
First Love
. Boston: Sherman, French & Co.
1926
Married Virginia Moore (divorced 1929)
1929
Reunited in marriage with Jean Starr (divorced 1930)
1933
Married Esther Antin (divorced 1945)
1934
1937
Poetry editor,
American Mercury
1939
1940
Poet in residence, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
Mich.
1948
Married Bryna Ivens
1950
Panelist on television show
What’s My Line?
1955
Published
A Treasury of Great Poems, English and American
. New York: Simon and Schuster
1961
1963
Consultant in poetry, Library of Congress
1965
Published
Bygones; The Recollections of Louis Untermeyer
. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World
1977, Dec. 18
Died, Newtown, Conn.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Louis Untermeyer (1885-1977) span the years 1955-1967
and consist of correspondence, writings, and notebooks.
Included are drafts or proofs of
Modern American Poetry [and] Modern British Poetry
(1962),
Long Feud, Selected Poems
(1962),
The World's Great Stories; Fifty-five Legends That Live Forever
(1964),
Bygones; The Recollections of Louis Untermeyer
(1965), and
Labyrinth of Love
(1965). The notebooks pertain to travels in Europe and within the
United States and to Untermeyer's years as poetry consultant in the Library of
Congress, 1961-1963.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged by type of writing and therein by title or
date.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Books and related matter
1
Author's copies, mounted page
proofs
1
Modern British Poetry
1
Undated
Undated
(4
folders)
2
(1
folders)
2
Modern American Poetry
,
undated
undated
(5
folders)
3
Modern American Poetry [and] Modern British
Poetry
, new and enlarged edition,
undated
undated
(3
folders)
4
Galley proofs
4
Modern British Poetry
4
1961, Nov. 17
1961, Nov. 17
5
1961, Nov. 27, and cover letter from Tina Barland to
Untermeyer
1961, Nov. 27, and cover letter from Tina Barland to
Untermeyer
5
Modern American Poetry
5
Undated
Undated
6
1961, Nov. 2
1961, Nov. 2
6
Modern American Poetry [and] Modern British
Poetry
, new and enlarged edition,
1962, Feb. 12
1962, Feb. 12
6
Printer’s copy and galley
proof
6
Long Feud, Selected Poems
,
1961, undated
1961, undated
7
Manuscript relating to the
Library of Congress,
Mar. 25, 1964
Mar. 25, 1964
7
Letter from Edwin Gilbert to
Untermeyer,
Sept. 1, 1961
Sept. 1, 1961
7
Lots of Limericks
(Garden City: N.Y., Doubleday, 1961)
7
Correspondence relating to
manuscript
7
Newspaper clippings
7
Labyrinth of Love
(New York: Simon and Schuster [1965]), typescript with holograph
emendations and typesetters' marks
8
Bygones; The Recollections of Louis Untermeyer
(New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, [1965]), typewritten corrected
draft and corrected proofs
9
The World's Great Stories
(New York: Published by M. Evans, [1964]), typescript with handwritten
corrections
10
Notebooks
10
1955, article on French writers
and French foods, research in England for lives of the poets, research in
France for European heritage
10
1955, end of trip to England,
and 1959, Feb.-Mar., trip to Italy
10
1956, trip through the South,
Southwest, and Northwest
10
1957, European trip
10
1960, seven-week Mediterranean
cruise
10
1961, Mar. 6-Apr. 4, Sicily,
Southern France, Paris, and London
10
1961-1963, Library of Congress
10
1963, Library of Congress
10
1964, Sept. 2-Oct. 14, France and
Italy; and 1965, June 10-July 1, music festivals and research in Austria,
Switzerland, and Holland
10
1966, Mar. 2-20, Caribbean
cruise; and Apr. 29-May 29, Greece
10
1967, Sept. 13-Oct. 5, England
and Ireland