Harry Stone Dickens Collection, 1400-2018

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Summary

Creators:
Stone, Harry
Abstract:
The Harry Stone Dickens Collection contains the scholarly work of Dr. Harry Stone and his collection of Charles Dickens related ephemera and memorabilia.
Extent:
64.09 linear feet and 1.85 Gigabytes
Language:
English , French , Japanese .
Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Background

Scope and content:

The Harry Stone Dickens Collection contains the scholarly work of Dr. Harry Stone and his collection of Charles Dickens related ephemera and memorabilia. The Collection is divided into two series: Series I: Research Papers (1798-2010) and Series II: Ephemera (1400-2018).

Series I, Research Papers, includes the scholarly writing and research products created by Harry Stone in the course of his lifetime, including correspondence with publishers and others related to his academic career. Prominently included are papers related to his publications The Bride's Chamber,Dickens on Dickens: His Comments on His Writings and His Art,Dickens and the Invisible World,Dickens Working Notes for his Novels,The Genesis of Genius: Charles Dickens and His Early Reading, and The Night Side of Dickens: Cannibalism, Passion, Necessity. In addition, there are photographs, slides, research travel ephemera, and an audio recording related to Dr. Stone's 1962 Charles Dickens Exhibit at California State University, Northridge. This series also contains a small number of research papers published by contemporary scholars that may have informed his research and study. Folders are arranged alphabetically by title.

Series II, Ephemera, contains Dickensiana, including games, correspondence, music scores, 3D objects, paintings, photographs, sound recordings, newspaper clippings, playbills, theatrical ephemera and book catalogs. Book catalogues reflect Dr. Stone's active book collecting, as well as the libraries of Dickens collectors at the beginning of the 20th century. There is a small amount of non-scholarly and early published commentary on Dickens' works that is not contemporary to Stone's scholarship. Stone arranged original ephemera directly related to Dickens' life together in a binder. There are also relics attributed to Dickens' sister-in-law, Mary Scott Hogarth. The series includes a number of 19th century theatrical sheets for toy theatres, or juvenile dramas, printed by Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop, as well as earlier sheets by Pollock's father-in-law John Redington who ran the business circa 1850-1879. There are also toy theatre prints by J.K. Green and A. Park. The series also includes many 20th century 3D objects, especially ceramic figurines, plates, mugs, other serving ware, and brass objects including hooks, figurines, and doorstops. 3D materials are grouped by type of material, and when known, the related Dickens work is listed in the folder title. Folders and items are arranged alphabetically by title.

Biographical / historical:

Emeritus English Professor Harry Stone was born on February 1, 1926 in Mt. Vernon, Westchester County, a suburb of New York City. His parents Bernard and Annie (Rappaport) Stone were both born in England to Jewish parents who had fled persecution in Russian-controlled Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

His family moved to Los Angeles in 1938. He attended John Burroughs Junior High School and Fairfax High School before going to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1946 in physics, naval science, and political science. In his second year at UCLA, he became eligible for the draft and decided to enlist in the Navy. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes, and was sent to Navy Pier, Chicago to train in a year-long electronic technician program. While in the program he was selected for officer training and attended Naval Reserve Officers Training Program at UCLA. World War II ended while he was in the training program.

After completing his BA, Stone continued to study at UCLA, earning his master's degree in English literature in 1950 and his doctoral degree in 1955. His dissertation was a two-volume study entitled Dickens's Reading. He began his teaching career at Northwestern University in Illinois, where he worked from 1955 to 1960. He then returned to California, accepting a position as assistant professor of English at California State University, Northridge, then known as San Fernando Valley State College. His career at CSUN spanned 32 years, with Stone becoming an associate professor in 1963, a full professor in 1966, and retiring in 1992.

While at CSUN, Stone taught English literature, focusing on the Victorian period and Charles Dickens. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment of the Humanities Fellowship, and a California State University Fellowship. The awards and a sabbatical enabled Stone to live abroad, primarily in London, to conduct research. He also gave paid lectures in many countries around the world. Over his academic career Stone published nine books and wrote portions of eight other books, as well as a number of articles, essays, and reviews. Stone passed away on December 17, 2021.

Acquisition information:
Jonathan B. Stone and Ann M. Stone, 2022
Processing information:

Mallory Furnier, 2025

Arrangement:

Series I: Research Papers, 1798-2010

Series II: Ephemera, 1400-2018

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual, or see the Citing Archival Materialsguide.

Location of this collection:
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330, US
Contact:
(818) 677-4594
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