Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- James A. Healy Collection of Irish literature
- Dates:
- 1870-1976
- Extent:
- 9 Linear Feet (20 boxes)
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item] James A. Healy Collection of Irish literature, M0273, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection of books, letters, and other manuscripts was amassed by James A. Healy from his early days as a bibliophile in the thirties until his death in 1975. Its greatest strengths are in the areas in which he had personal contacts: his friendship with Oliver St. John Gogarty; his extended correspondence with Elizabeth C. Yeats and George Yeats, from whom he obtained all the Dun Emer and Cuala Press books (a great number of which were inscribed by their authors or by W. B. Yeats); a very fine selection of Cuala Press greeting cards and prints; and his contacts with Ernest Boyd, Richard Campbell, and Irene Haugh, which brought him AE's letters to those recipients and some of his unpublished lectures.
The interest of the collection extends further, to figures who were primarily artists rather than writers, such as Paul Henry and W. B. Yeats' father, brother, and two sisters, and entrepreneurs and actors such as the Fay Brothers and Dudley Digges. There is a handful of interesting letters from James Joyce, John M. Synge, Maud Gonne, and George Moore. In addition, from the critic Ernest Boyd's estate Healy obtained letters from Irish writers prompted by Boyd's research for his book, The Irish Literary Renaissance (1916).
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of James A. Healy, 1975, in memory of his wife, Josephine Healy. Works written by James Brendan Connolly, copyright held by Miss Brenda E. Connolly.
- Arrangement:
-
PART ONE
The letters have been arranged alphabetically by writer; within each writer's section they are placed alphabetically by recipient. Any MSS or printed articles by, or clippings about, each individual immediately follow letters by him or her. The numerous less significant letters from libraries, publishers, etc. have been arranged alphabetically in folders labelled A, B, C, and so forth, but are not further itemized. Letters from unknown individuals to significant figures such as AE are, however, itemized separately, as are a few letters from unknown individuals to Healy which contain interesting references.
At the end of the manuscript section of the collection, Box 18 contains the Dun Emer and Cuala Press printed materials (other than books and oversize prints); a folder of Elizabeth C. Yeats' letters and enclosed announcements, the gift of Mr. J. Richard Blanchard; and a copy of the Cuala Press keepsake printed for the opening of a Stanford exhibition in 1976. A Cross-Reference Listing, of significant figures written to or about, is also provided. Only the most important material from the substantial Vertical File of miscellaneous clippings has been catalogued.
Photographs are listed here, but are maintained in a separate departmental Photograph File.
PART TWO
All books in the collection have been separated and are cataloged individually.
This covers all the Dun Emer and Cuala Press books and broadsides, with their inscriptions transcribed at length, and the books of particular interest from other presses more briefly. They are combined in one listing, alphabetized by author. Magazines and auction catalogues are also itemized briefly.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Irish literature
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-01 09:08:59 -0800 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.
- Terms of access:
-
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item] James A. Healy Collection of Irish literature, M0273, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
- Location of this collection:
-
Department of Special Collections, Green Library557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305-6004, US
- Contact:
- (650) 725-1022