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Finding Aid for the Henry Stevens Papers, ca. 1819-1886
801
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Description
Henry Stevens (1819-1886) was a London bookseller, bibliographer, publisher, and an expert on early editions of the English
Bible and early voyages and travels to America. He helped build up the collections of John Carter Brown and James Lenox, as
well as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress. In 1845, Stevens moved to London and became an agent for
the British Museum for procuring books from the Americas. The collection consists of correspondence, personal and business
records, manuscripts, catalogs, autobiographical material and memorabilia of Henry Stevens.
Background
Stevens was born on August 24, 1819 in Barnet, Vermont; attended Middlebury College, 1839; BA, Yale University, 1843; attended
Harvard Law School, 1844; worked as clerk in the Treasury Department and the U.S. Senate, 1840; helped build up collections
of John Carter Brown and James Lenox, as well as the Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress; was early advocate of
the use of photography to supplement bibliography; moved to London in 1845, where he became an agent for the British Museum
for procuring books from the Americas; became an expert on early editions of the English Bible and early voyages and travels
to America; published works include American bibliographer (1854), Catalogue of a Library of works relating to America (1854), Catalogue of American books in the library of the British Museum (1857), Bibliotheca historica (1870), and The Bibles in the Caxton Exhibition (1878); died in South Hampstead, London, England on February 28, 1886.
Extent
71 boxes (35.5 linear ft.)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including
copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds
the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.