Descriptive Summary
Scope and Contents of Collection
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Theodor and Heinrich Gomperz Collection
Dates: 1851-1934 and undated
Collection number: H.Mss.0335
Creator:
Gomperz, Theodor, 1832-1912
Creator:
Gomperz, Heinrich, 1873-1942
Extent:
0.6 Linear Feet
(1 document box, 1 slim document box)
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, The Claremont
Colleges Library, Claremont, CA 91711.
Abstract: The collection
consists mainly of correspondence of Theodore Gomperz and his son Heinrich Gomperz with
friends and associates including Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Hendrich Jaques, Lily and Heinrich
Braun, Hermann Diels, and Ernst Mach.
Physical Location: Please consult repository.
Language of Material: Languages represented in the
collection: English, French,
German.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish must be submitted in writing to Special
Collections.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Theodore and Heinrich Gomperz Collection (H.Mss.0335). Special
Collections and Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library, The Claremont Colleges Services,
Claremont, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Philip and Franciszka Merlan, 1959.
Accruals
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Processing Information
Arranged and processed by Carrie Marsh in 2007.
Biography / Administrative History
Philosopher and classics scholar Heinrich Gomperz, born in Vienna in 1873, was the son of
philosopher Theodor Gomperz. While living in Vienna, Heinrich Gomperz was on the periphery
of the Schlick Circle, a discussion group organized in 1924 by the physics professor Moritz
Schlick. This discussion circle was pluralistic and committed to the ideals of the
Enlightenment; The Circle sought to make philosophy scientific with the help of modern logic
on the basis of scientific and everyday experience.
Heinrich Gomperz came to Southern California in 1936 as Visiting Professor at the
University of Southern California when his position at the University of Vienna was
eliminated. In 1938, Gomperz, who was Jewish, made the decision to permanently emigrate to
the United States. He died in 1942. His widow, Ada, gave this collection of correspondence
to long-time friends, Claremont Colleges professor Philip Merlan and his wife
Franciszka.
Researchers may be interested in the collection file for these materials, which contains a
1983 article titled "Robert Lytton and Theodor Gomperz and the Gomperz Collections in
Southern California" by Tania Rizzo. Please contact Special Collections to view this
file.
Scope and Contents of Collection
The collection consists mainly of correspondence of Theodore Gomperz and his son Heinrich
Gomperz with friends and associates including Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Hendrich Jaques, Lily
and Heinrich Braun, Hermann Diels, and Ernst Mach.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library’s online public access catalog.
Subject Terms
Classicists -- Austria
Diels, Hermann, 1848-1922
Gomperz, Heinrich, 1873-1942
Gomperz, Theodor, 1832-1912
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron, 1803-1873
Mach, Ernst
Philosophy, Ancient
Genre and Form of Materials
Correspondence