Inventory of the George Sterling Papers, 1895-1927

Processed by The Huntington Library staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Brooke Dykman Dockter.

Manuscripts Department

The Huntington Library

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2203

Fax: (626) 449-5720

Email: lgarcia@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=554

Inventory of the George Sterling Papers, 1895-1927

The Huntington Library

San Marino, California

Contact Information

Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: lgarcia@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=554

Processed by:: The Huntington Library staff
Date Completed:: September 1955

Descriptive Summary

Title: George Sterling Papers,

Date (inclusive): 1895-1927

Creator: Sterling, George, 1869-1926

Extent: 666 pieces

Repository: The Huntington Library

San Marino, California 91108

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Provenance

Purchased in 1954 from Thor Liliencrantz, nephew of Sterling.

Access

Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information please go to following URL .

Publication Rights

In order to quote from, publish, or reproduce any of the manuscripts or visual materials, researchers must obtain formal permission from the office of the Library Director. In most instances, permission is given by the Huntington as owner of the physical property rights only, and researchers must also obtain permission from the holder of the literary rights. In some instances, the Huntington owns the literary rights, as well as the physical property rights. Researchers may contact the appropriate curator for further information.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], George Sterling Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Biography

George Sterling (1869-1926), California lyric poet, was born in Sag Harbor, New York. After leaving school he came to California and in 1892 first met Ambrose Bierce, who was to become a major influence in his life. In 1908 Sterling and his wife (Caroline Rand) moved from Oakland to Carmel. Then, after several years in New York, Sterling lived at the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. Thus, most of the years he was writing poetry were spent in the San Francisco-Carmel region. He published ten volumes of verse, five separately published poems, four dramatic poems, and much uncollected magazine prose and verse. Carey MeWilliams writes of Sterling: The remarkable range and the intimate quality of his acquaintance, coupled with his long residence in the West, gave a cultural significance to his career quite apart from his writing.

The present collection of correspondence and poems well illustrates the breadth of Sterling's acquaintance. One of his best friends, of course, was Jack London. A valuable part of the present collection is the fine series of letters from Sterling to London. In addition to the Sterling interest, there is valuable material in the collection for the student of poetry in America for the years 1915-1925.

Subject matter

I. George Sterling, his life and poetry
II. Poetry in America, 1915-1925
III. Ambrose Bierce-frequent references
IV. Prohibition-frequent mention in Mencken's letters
V. European description and travel-Scheffauer's early letters

Persons represented by five or more pieces

BYNNER, Witter: 5 pieces, 1913-24
COBB, Margaret Smith: 34 pieces, 1923-26
COOLBRITH, Ina Donna: 26 pieces, 1907-26
DE CASSERES, Benjamin: 8 pieces, 1926
GREENWOOD, May Snowdrop: 65 poems 1917-26
HOPPER, James: 5 pieces, 1926-28
HUMPHRIES, Rolfe: 6 pieces, 1924-25
JEFFERS, Robinson: 12 pieces, 1924-26
JENNINGS, Leslie Nelson: 45 pieces, 1917-22
LONDON, Jack: 18 pieces, 1902-16
LOVEMAN, Samuel: 19 pieces, 1915-26
MENCKEN, Henry Louis: 63 pieces, 1916-26
NEIHARDT, John Gneisenau: 50 pieces, 1912-25
STERLING, George: Poems: 43 To Miscel. persons: 5 To London: 72 (1910-16)
MIHAN, Leo Bergin: 5 pieces, 1924-26
O'CARROLL, Joseph: 9 pieces, 1923-26
O'HARA, John Myers: 5 pieces, 1911-16
ROBERTSON, Louis Alexander: 7 pieces, 1904-08
SCHEFFAUER, Herman George: 57 pieces, 1904-21
WHITE, Edward Lucas: 5 pieces, 1925
WILCOX, Ella (Wheeler): 5 pieces, 1914-15

Some important or interesting items

BENET, William Rose. 1921, Nov. 17. About Sterling's verse.
COOLBRITH, Ina. 1907, Feb. To Blanche Partington. He is the best boy in the world as well as one of its few great poets...
JEFFERS, Robinson. 12 letters, mostly about poetry. 1924-26
LINDSEY, Vachel. 1913, June 1. Long letter on his own career and poetry.
LONDON, Jack. 1916, Mar. 7. Critique of severl short stories by Sterling.
LONDON, Jack. 1908, Feb. 10. And I speculate and speculate, trying to make you out, trying to lay hands on the inner side of you...
MENCKEN, Henry L. 63 letters, containing numerous references to Prohibition
O'HARA, John Myers. 1911, May 7. Letter of praise and criticism.
OSBOURNE, Lloyd. 1895, Oct. 24. Advising Sterling against a proposed adventure to Samoa.
SCHEFFAUER, Herman George. 1904, June 19. Description of visit to St. Louis fair.
SCHEFFAUER, Herman George. 1904, Sep. 8. Description of trip through Scotland and England
SCHEFFAUER, Herman George. 1904, Dec. 20. Letter of 52 pages, octavo, describing trip through Germany and France. His letters are of above average interest.
STERLING, George. Letters to Jack London. 1910-1916.
STERLING, George. Notebook containing vocabulary aid. c.1915.
STERLING, George. 1919, Apr. 9. To W. S. B. Braithwaite. Draft of a letter of protest over the mis-printing of his poems.

List of Contents

Collection of personal and literary papers belonging to George Sterling purchased by the Huntington Library from his nephew, Thor Liljencrantz, August, 1954.

1. Correspondence

A. Sterling, George to A-Z, 1910-1919

1. To Mr. Brathwaite, 1919 (1 piece)

2. To George Wharton James, 1912 (1 piece)

3. To Jack London, 1910-1916 (67 pieces)

B. A-Z to George Sterling

1. Atherton, Gertrude, 1907-25 (4 pieces)

2. Bender, Albert M., 1926 (2 pieces)

3. Benet, William Rose, 1921 (1 piece)

4. Bierce, Albert S., 1913 (10 pieces)

5. Burbank, Luther, 1926 (1 piece)

6. Burgess, Gelett, 1907 (1 piece)

7. Bynner, Witter, 1903 (4 pieces)

8. Cabell, James Branch, 1920 (1 piece)

9. Coolbrith, Ina, 1907-26 (26 pieces)

10. Cobb, Margaret, 1923-26 (34 pieces)

11. Cullen, Countee, 1926 (1 piece)

12. De Casseres, Benjamin, 1926 (8 pieces)

13. Finger, Charles J., 1925 (1 piece)

14. Flanner, Hildegarde, 1925 (1 piece)

15. Grierson, Francis, 1913 (1 piece)

16. H., E. N., 1915 (1 piece)

17. Humphries, Rolfe, 1924-25 (5 pieces)

18. Jennings, Leslie N., 1917-22 (44 pieces)

19. Larkin, Edgar Lucien, N.D. (2 pieces)

20. Lewis, Sinclair, 1923-26 (2 pieces)

21. Lindsay, Nicholas Vachel, 1913 (3 pieces)

22. London, Charmian, 1926- (3 pieces)

23. London, Jack, 1912-16 (17 pieces)

24. Loveman, Samuel, 1915-26 (19 pieces)

25. Mathews, Albert, 1923 (1 piece)

26. Maugham, William Somerset, 1920 (1 piece)

27. Mencken, Henry L., 1916-26 (64 pieces)

28. Michaels, Aline, 1926 (1 piece)

29. Middleton, Scudder, 1918, 1926 (2 pieces)

30. Mihan, Leo Bergin, 1924-26 (5 pieces)

31. Monroe, Harriet, 1926 (1 piece)

32. Nathan, George Jean, 1920 (1 piece)

33. Neihardt, John, 1912-25 (49 pieces)

34. O'Brien, Frederick, 1926 (2 pieces)

35. O'Carroll, Joe, 1923-26 (24 pieces)

36. O'Hara, John Myers, 1911-16 (6 pieces)

37. Osbourne, Lloyd, 1895 (1 piece)

38. Parker, Gilbert, 1917 (1 piece)

39. Partington, Blanche, 1925 (1 piece)

40. Rihani, Ameen, 1921 (4 pieces)

41. Robertson, Louis A., 1904-8 (7 pieces)

42. Robinson, Edward Arlington, 1920-21 (3 pieces)

43. Rorby, James, 1925-26 (4 pieces)

44. Roosevelt, Theodore, 1914 (2 pieces)

45. Sandburg, Carl, 1916 (1 piece)

46. Schauffler, Robert Haim, 1912-20 (4 pieces)

47. Scheffauer, Herman George, 1904-21 (54 pieces)

48. Stillman, J. M., N.D. (1 piece)

49. Tabbs, John B., 1903 (1 piece)

50. Teasdale, Sara, 1914 (1 piece)

51. Taggard, Genevieve, 1924 (4 pieces)

52. Towne, Charles Hanson, 1925 (1 piece)

53. W., J. F., N.D. (1 piece)

54. Van Doran, Mark, 1926 (2 pieces)

55. Wilcox, Ella Wheeler, 1914 (5 pieces)

56. Welch, Marie De La, 1926 (1 piece)

57. Wells, H. G., 1904 (1 piece)

58. Wheelock, John Hall, 1914 (3 pieces)

59. White, Edward L., 19 (4 pieces)

60. Wilshire, Gaylord, 1926 (1 piece)

61. Wilson, H. L., 1916 (1 piece)

62. Wood, Charles Erskine Scott, 1925 (2 pieces)

63. Wright, Willard, 1919 (3 pieces)

C. Miscellaneous

1. Austin, Mary to Mrs. Liljencranz, 1927 (1 piece)

2. Bierce, Ambrose to Lora (Mrs. C. A. Bierce), 1912 (1 piece)

3. C., Sarah M. to Maria, 1839 (1 piece)

4. Harrison, William Greer to J. Corbett, 1914 (1 piece)

5. Hoppner, James to Mrs. Flora Liljencranz, 1927 (5 pieces)

6. Neale, Walter to Ambrose Bierce, 1906 (1 piece)

7. Rehan, Ada to Mrs. George Sterling, 1897 (1 piece)

8. Rehan, Arnold to Thadora Duncan, 1917 (1 piece)

9. Riplens, Victor Odle Lockwood, 1846 (1 piece)

II. Manuscripts

A. By George Sterling

1. Epigrams (1 piece)

2. Miscellaneous (7 pieces)

3. Poems (37 pieces)

4. Poems (typescripts, signed)(9 pieces)

5. Vocabulary aids(2 pieces)

B. By others

1. Bierce, Ambrose (1 piece)

2. Cooksley, S. Bert, Poems (6 pieces)

3. Greenwood, May Snow, Poems (40 pieces)

4. Sterling, George Ansel, Diary (2 pieces)

5. Wallace, Grace, Poems (5 pieces)

6. Williams, B. W., The Seats of the Mighty(1 piece)

7. Wurdemann, Audrey, Poems (2 pieces)

8. Wurdemann, Meek's Ranch (2 pieces)

9. Wurdemann, Revenge(1 piece)

III. Photographs (3 pieces)

IV. Watercolors (2 pieces)

SUMMARY

I. Correspondence (544 pieces)

II. Manuscripts (116 pieces)

III. Photographs (3 pieces)

IV. Watercolors (2 pieces)

ADDENDA

I. Agreement-- with Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Organization (1 piece)

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