Guide to the Louis Mertins Papers, 1912-1984
Processed by Terry Boom; completed by Mary Morganti
The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu
© 1998
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Note
Arts and Humanities --Literature --American Literature
Guide to the Louis Mertins Papers, 1912-1984
Collection number: BANC MSS 84/151 c
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Contact Information:
- Processed by:
- Terry Boom
- Completed by:
- Mary Morganti
- Date completed:
- July 1985; August 1997
- Encoded by:
- Michael C. Conkin
© 1998 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Louis Mertins Papers, 1912-1984
Collection Number: BANC MSS 84/151 c
Creator:
Mertins, Louis, 1885-
Extent:
Number of containers: 7 boxes, 1 carton, 1 volume, 1 oversize folder
Linear feet: 4.25
Repository: The
Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Abstract: Papers are devoted to Mertins' study of Robert Frost and his life. The collection includes correspondence, chiefly letters
from friends and associates concerning Robert Frost and the writing of Mertins' books on Frost, as well as his original manuscripts.
Other than a scrapbook containing reviews of Mertins' book, Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking, and newspaper articles relating
to its publication, the remainder of the collection consists of materials gathered in the course of Mertin's research, and
his extensive clipping files on Frost. Of particular note is a copy of Frost's will and a genealogy of his family, along with
newspaper articles recounting many important events in Frost's life. Also of interest are references to the work of Lawrance
Thompson, Frost's "official" biographer, in the letters of Daniel Smythe.
Languages Represented:
English
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research, with the following exceptions:
Manuscripts of
Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking, in Boxes 6-7 and Carton 1 RESTRICTED until January 1, 2000.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Louis Mertins Papers, BANC MSS 84/151 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Related Collections
Robert Frost letters and telegrams ... to Louis Mertins, 1932-1960, BANC MSS 73/56 z
Louis Mertins drafts, printed copies of poems, etc., [ca. 1938-1943], BANC MSS C-H 1
Mertins Collection of Robert Frost [book collection, various call numbers]
Materials Cataloged Separately
Photographs have been transferred to Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Louis Mertins Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Esther Mertins in June 1984.
Biography
Louis Mertins was a man of great diversity. He attended the William Jewell College from 1905 to 1910, while simultaneously
attending the Kansas City Seminary in 1906 and 1907. From 1911 to 1916, Mertins served as a Baptist minister in Missouri,
and in the years following, was a poet, lecturer on Western literature, columnist, and radio commentator.
In 1939, Mertins and his wife, Esther Pedersen Erickson, began compiling a critical bibliography of the work of Robert Frost,
a personal friend of the Mertins, a project which would occupy much of the rest of their lives. Published in 1947 as
The Intervals of Robert Frost, the bibliography was highly praised for its personable, intimate approach to Frost and his work.
Following publication of the bibliography, Mertins began gathering material for a biography on Frost,
Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking, which was published in 1965. The title refers to the numerous walks Frost and Mertins enjoyed during Frost's visits to the
Mertins' home in Redlands, California. The book was much more than the usual biography with its reminiscences on a friendship
that lasted many years.
The Mertins were also avid collectors of "Frostana," including letters, books, and other memorabilia of Robert Frost. Much
of their collection has been donated to the University of California, Berkeley.
Scope and Content
The Louis Mertins Papers are almost exclusively devoted to Mertins' study of Robert Frost and his life. The collection includes
correspondence, chiefly letters from friends and associates concerning Robert Frost and the writing of Mertins' books on Frost,
as well as his original manuscripts, including several edited and revised copies and galleys. Other than a scrapbook containing
reviews of Mertins' book,
Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking, and newspaper articles relating to its publication, the remainder of the collection consists of materials gathered in the
course of Mertin's research, and his extensive clipping files on Frost.
Of particular note in Mertins' files on Frost is a copy of Frost's will and a genealogy of his family, along with newspaper
articles recounting many important events in Frost's life. Among these are his 1947 trip to the University of California,
Berkeley where he was awarded an honorary degree, his 1958 visit to the campus which coincided with the arrival of much of
Mertins' Frost material, and President John F. Kennedy's inauguration, at which Frost recited his poem, "The Gift Outright".
Also of interest are the many references to the work of Lawrance Thompson, Frost's "official" biographer, in the letters of
Daniel Smythe.
Boxes 1-2
Series 1: Correspondence, 1935-1984.
Scope and Content Note
Contains letters and telegrams of Louis and Esther Mertins concerning Robert Frost and the writing and publication of Mertins'
books on Frost, including some correspondence with Frost and members of his family
box Box 1, folder 1
Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn, 1857-1948
1947
folder 2
Bernheimer, Earle J.
1942-47
Physical Description: 22
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by L.M.
folder 3
Carter, Harvey Lewis, 1904-
1966-77
Physical Description: 10
Scope and Content Note
4 letters by L. M.; includes copy of R. F.'s will
folder 4
The Christian Science Monitor
1950
folder 5
Christman, Henry
1966
Physical Description: 2
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by. L.M.
folder 7
Culver City, [Calif.], Unified School District
1964
Physical Description: 1
Scope and Content Note
With enclosures relating to dedication of the Robert Lee Frost Auditorium
folder 8
The Current Company
1972
Physical Description: 2
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by L. M.
folder 9
Fisher, Dorothy Canfield
1879-1958
folder 10
Frost, Lillian
1949-76
Physical Description: 17
Scope and Content Note
Includes 13 Christmas cards
folder 11
Frost, Robert, 1874-1963
1935-60
Physical Description: 8
Scope and Content Note
3 letters by R. F., with photograph of a poem in Frost's writing
folder 12
Frost, William P. [and family]
1947-68
Physical Description: 10
Scope and Content Note
Cards, many with poems by R. F
folder 13
Gahagan, George Willian
1964-70
Physical Description: 15
Scope and Content Note
2 letters by E.M.; with enclosures from California Friends of Robert Frost
folder 15
Gethyn-Jones, Eric, 1909-
1965-66
Physical Description: 6
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by L. M.
folder 16
Gould, Jean, 1909-
1966-84
Physical Description: 22
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by L.M.
folder 17
Grade, Arnold E.
1966-68
Physical Description: 8
Scope and Content Note
3 letters by L. M.
folder 18
Green, Charles R.
1947-66
Physical Description: 37
Scope and Content Note
2 letters by L. M.; with enclosures relating to the dedication of the Robert Frost Room in the Jones Library
folder 19
Haines, John Meade, 1924-
1949-65
Physical Description: 8
Scope and Content Note
Includes questionnaire on Frost
folder 20
Henry Holt and Company
1951, 1957
Physical Description: 2
Scope and Content Note
Christmas cards, containing poems by R. F.
folder 24
Lottinville, Savoie,1906-
1958-74
Physical Description: 63
Scope and Content Note
20 letters by L. and/or E. M.
folder 25
Parke-Bernet Galleries
1950-51
Physical Description: 3
Scope and Content Note
With catalog of rare R. F. writings
folder 26
Perry, A. E.
1964-67
Physical Description: 13
Scope and Content Note
6 letters by L. M.; for Univ. of Oklahoma Press
folder 27
Smith, Paul Jordan, 1885-
1942-57
box Box 2, folder 1-2
Smythe, Daniel
1963-75
Physical Description: 93
Scope and Content Note
10 letters by L. and/or E. M.; includes transcripts of letters by Lesley Frost
folder 3
Sproul, Robert Gordon, 1891-1975
1649-58
folder 4
Stanhope, Barbara
1948-50
folder 5
Stegner, Wallace Earle, 1909-
1947-58
folder 6
Stewart, George Rippey, 1895-
1947
folder 7
Sutton, William Alfred, 1915-
1970-77
Physical Description: 10
Scope and Content Note
2 letters by E. M.; with enclosures relating to R. F
folder 8
Thompson, Lawrance Roger, 1906-1973
1947-58
folder 9
Vernon, Ivan
1964-65
Physical Description: 30
Scope and Content Note
13 letters by L. and/or E. M.; for Univ. of Oklahoma Press
folder 10
Warren, Earl
1947
Physical Description: 1
Scope and Content Note
To Robinson Jeffers, regarding a dinner party for R. F.
folder 11
Western College Association
1947
Physical Description: 1
Scope and Content Note
With enclosure relating to R. F.
folder 12
Letters concerning publication and reviews of
The Intervals of Robert Frost
1947-52
Physical Description: 27
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by L. M.
folder 13
Letters concerning Robert Frost's 1947 visit to California and birthday celebration for him at the University of California,
Berkeley
1946-47
Physical Description: 19
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by L. M.; enclosures include copies of speeches given at the presentation
folder 14
Letters concerning Frost's visit to California in 1958, and presentation of Frost collection to the University of California,
Berkeley
1957-58
folder 15
Letters concerning Robert Frost's trip to California
1959-60
folder 16
Requests for permission for use of material in Frost biography
1953,
1964-65
Physical Description: 18
Scope and Content Note
11 letters by L. M.
folder 17
Letters from reviewers
1965
Physical Description: 6
Scope and Content Note
1 letter by L. M.
folder 18-20
Miscellaneous letters to Louis Mertins
1941-73
Physical Description: 58
Scope and Content Note
2 letters by L. M.
Box 3, Vol. 1; and,
Boxes 6-7, Carton 1
[RESTRICTED]
Series 2: Manuscripts, 1947-1965, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Contains original manuscripts, typescripts, carbons, galleys, and reviews of
The Intervals of Robert Frost, and
Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking, including Those Dark Trees; The Life and Conversations of Robert Frost (an early version). Also includes other miscellaneous
writings by Mertins, including a talk, a poem, an article, an essay, and a review .
The Intervals of Robert Frost, A Critical Biography
box Box 3, folder 1-9
Original manuscripts, carbons, revised and edited typescript, galleys and page proofs
1947
Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking
Those Dark Trees; the Life and Conversations of Robert Frost (early version)
Access Information
[RESTRICTED]
box Box 6, folder 1-9
Carbon with annotations, typescript
n.d.
Access Information
[RESTRICTED]
Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking
Access Information
[PARTIALLY RESTRICTED]
box Ctn. 1, folder 1-22
Original manuscript, edited copy, 1964 and edited, annotated, and revised carbons
1964
Access Information
[RESTRICTED]
box Box 7, folder 1-3
Galley and page proofs
1964
Access Information
[RESTRICTED]
folder v. 1
Scrapbook of reviews and articles relating to
Robert Frost Life and Talks-Walking
1964-65
box Box 3, folder 11
“Talks-Walking with Frost in California”
n.d
Scope and Content Note
Typescript of talk given by Mertins
folder 12
"Share Cropper In Memory of Elinor Frost”
n.d
Scope and Content Note
Carbon of poem by Mertins
folder 13
"Robert Frost and His Haystacks”
n.d
Scope and Content Note
Typescript of article by Mertins
folder 14
"Interpreting a Poet to Himself”
n.d
Scope and Content Note
Typescript of letter to Frost
folder 15
Review of
Come In and Other Poems by Robert Frost
n.d
Scope and Content Note
Carbon of review by Mertins
Box 4, folders 1-19; Oversize folder 1
Series 3: Research Files and Memorabilia, 1912-1968, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Contains miscellaneous materials relating to Robert Frost, including programs, invitations, brochures, advertisements, and
other memorabilia, as well as autographs and a facsimile of a handwritten poem by Frost.
The Intervals of Robert Frost, A Critical Biography
box Box 4, folder 1
Source material for Frost biography
1912-65
Scope and Content Note
Includes genealogy of Frost family
folder 2
Grocery list of Robert Frost
1932
folder 3
Will of Louis Mertins, witnessed by Robert Frost
1941
folder 4
Notes of Louis Mertins, Master of Ceremonies at Frost birthday dinner
1947
folder 5
Program of 79th Annual Charter Banquet at 1947 University of California, Berkeley, and invitation to Frost birthday celebration
1947
folder 6
"Mountain Interval Robert Frost”
1949
Scope and Content Note
Paper by college student, Sharon R. Bruns
oversize Oversize, folder 1 A
Amherst Massachusetts Guide Map
1953
Scope and Content Note
Featuring the Frost home
box Box 4, folder 7
Guest list of Frost Dinner in Amherst, Mass.
March 26, 1954
folder 8
Transcript of "Meet the Press" with Frost as guest
Dec. 25, 1955
folder 9
Programs, announcements, other items from the Amherst Bicentennial
1959
Scope and Content Note
Some signed by Frost
folder 10
Notes taken by Esther Mertins at Amherst Bicentennial
1959
folder 11
John F. Kennedy's Official Inaugural Program
1961
Scope and Content Note
Contains poem by Frost
folder 12
Robert Frost Memorial Service
1963
Scope and Content Note
Programs, addresses, invitations
folder 13
The Robert Frost Library brochure
n.d.
folder 14
Programs of plays
1968, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Promises to Keep and
An Evening's Frost
folder 15
Advertisements, announcements for books on Frost
n.d.
folder 16
Programs, sermons, etc. featuring work of Robert Frost
n.d.
folder 17
Programs, tickets, etc. to lectures on or by Robert Frost
n.d.
folder 18
Catalog of first and rare editions of Frost
n.d.
folder 19
Envelopes and mailing wrappers with Frost's signature
n.d.
oversize Oversize, folder 1 A
"My Butterfly" by Robert Frost
n.d
Scope and Content Note
Facsimile of handwritten copy
Box 4, folders 20-27; Box 5; Oversize folder 1
Series 4: Clippings, 1932-1978, n.d.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of newspaper clippings and periodical articles about Robert Frost.
box Box 4, folder 20
Newspaper clippings on Robert Frost
n.d
folder 21-27
Newspaper clippings on Robert Frost
n.d
box Box 5, folder 1-13
Newspaper clippings on Robert Frost
1955-78
folder 14
Periodical articles on Robert Frost
1954-74
othercontainertype Oversize, folder 1 A
Clippings and periodical article on Frost
1950-63
Scope and Content Note
Some initialled or signed by Frost
