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Peter Taylor Papers
1905-1988

Series I. Correspondence, 1905-1988
Boxes 1-6

The Correspondence Series consists of 2,510 items, 207 of which are letters written by Taylor, primarily to his family or to his close friend Robie Macauley. These outgoing letters span 1939-1987, but the bulk dates are between 1939 and 1949. In his letters, Taylor describes his feelings about such varied topics as education, teaching, writing, reading, religion, the military and wartime experiences, marriage, and relationships with family and friends. Most of the later correspondence has to do with publishing activities or teaching duties, but some are purely personal letters.

The bulk of the Correspondence Series, however, is made up of incoming letters, 2,224 of which are identified, 79 of which are unidentified as yet. These items span the years of 1905 to 1988, with the bulk dating from the 1960s to the 1980s. The letters are from editors and publishers, colleagues, family and friends, students, well-wishers and admirers. Only a relatively small amount of family correspondence (including some letters from Taylor's maternal grandfather, Robert Love Taylor, a former governor of Tennessee) forms a part of this collection.

Prominent correspondents include: Wendell Berry (2), Elizabeth Bishop (2), James Boatwright (6), Cleanth Brooks (2), Erskine Caldwell (1), Brainard Cheney (1), Frances Neel Cheney (2), Eleanor Clark (8), George Core (5), James Dickey (1), Robb Rorman Dew (1), Paul Engle (2), Robert Fitzgerald (35, 1949-1974), James H. Flye (1), Richard Ford (2), Isabella Gardner (2), George Garrett (3), Robert Giroux (49, 1962-1972), Caroline Gordon (32, 1939-1973), Elizabeth Hardwick (38, 1949-1987), John Hersey (2), Mackie Jarrell (17, 1946-1987), Mary Jarrell (35, 1949-1980), Randall Jarrell (42, 1946-1965), Robert Lowell (152, 1941-1976), Andrew Nelson Lytle (11, 1962-1986), Robie Macauley (3), David McDowell (3), James Merrill (3), Sam Monk (1), Merrill Moore (2), Harriet C. Owsley (1), Walker Percy (1), Sylvia Plath (1), Katherine Anne Porter (16, 1951-1977), John Crowe Ransom (28, 1938-1966), Eleanor Ross (28, 1943-1979), Louis Rubin (4), Radcliffe Squires (5), Jean Stafford (205, 1940-1975), Gertrude Stein (1), Walter Sullivan (3), Allen Tate (75, 1939-1977), Robert Love Taylor (8), Jack Thompson (24, 1977-1987), Robert Penn Warren (48, 1936-1987), Eudora Welty (10, 1966-1987) and Nancy Tate Wood (1).

Box 1

Outgoing Correspondence
  1. June 1939 - July 1941, 15 items
  2. August 1941 - Feb. 1943, 19 items
  3. May - June 1943, 10 items
  4. July 1943 - March 1944, 15 items
  5. March - July 1944, 14 items
  6. July - November 1944, 11 items
  7. December 1944 - July 1945, 20 items
  8. August 1945 - Feb. 1946, 12 items
  9. April 1946 - March 1963, 23 items
  10. April 1963 - Feb. 1968, 36 items
  11. March 1968 - Sept. 1976, 24 items
  12. March 1977 - December 1987 + Undated, 19 items
Incoming Correspondence
  1. Abbott - Avett
  2. Bader - Battestin
  3. Baumbach - Berry
  4. Biberman - Boatwright
  5. Boccia - Bowers
  6. Brackin - Browne
  7. Bryant - Burtner
  8. Caldwell - Chappell
Box 2
  1. Cheney - Clark
  2. Clements - Couch
  3. Court - Cushman
  4. D - Davis
  5. Dee - Dickey
  6. Dixon - Dudley
  7. Early - Everett
  8. Farrington - Fitzgerald
  9. Fitzgerald
  10. Fleming - Fryer
  11. G - Gatenby
  12. Gelfman - Giroux
  13. Giroux
  14. Giroux - Glick
  15. Goakes - Gordon
  16. Gordon
  17. Gore - Gwin
  18. H - Hardwick
  19. Hardwick - Harting
  20. Harz - Havird
  21. Hayes - Hill
  22. Hill - Hutchens
Box 3
  1. I
  2. Jackson - Jarrell, Mackie
  3. Jarrell, Mary
  4. Jarrell, Randall
  5. Jenkins - Joughin
  6. K - Kennedy
  7. Kilgo - Kirby-Smith
  8. Kirby-Smith - Kytle
  9. La Borwit - Leary
  10. Ledes - Lowe
  11. Lowell, Charlotte - Lowell, Robert
  12. Lowell, Robert
  13. Lowell, Robert
Box 4
  1. Lowell, Robert - Lowell, Robert, Sr.
  2. Lowry - Lytle
  3. MacShane - Martin
  4. Mason - McDaniel
  5. McDowell - McLaughlin
  6. McNeish - Merrill
  7. Mews - Michael
  8. Milazzo - Moore, Hal
  9. Moore, Merrill - Murrah
  10. Narasin - Norrell
  11. O'Connor - Owsley
  12. Page - Plath
  13. Poirier - Putnam
  14. Quinn
  15. Rabbitt - Ransom
Box 5
  1. Rappaport - Roberts, David
  2. Roberts, Jimm - Rosen
  3. Ross - Ryan
  4. Saal - Shannon
  5. Shapard - Smart
  6. Smith - Speed
  7. Squires - Stafford
  8. Stafford (1 of 5)
  9. Stafford (2 of 5)
  10. Stafford (3 of 5)
  11. Stafford (4 of 5)
  12. Stafford (5 of 5)
  13. Starbuck - Sutton
  14. Taft - Tate
  15. Tate
Box 6
  1. Taylor, Barbara - Taylor, Robert L. Jr.
  2. Taylor, Robert L. - Transue
  3. Underwood - Voight
  4. Wager - Warren
  5. Warren - Watson
  6. Webb - Whelan
  7. Whip - Wile
  8. Wilkins - Wilson, Bob
  9. Wilson, Lucy - Zucker
  10. Unidentified - First Names Only (Andy - Vi) and Illegible (1 of 5)
  11. Unidentified - First Names Only (Andy - Vi) and Illegible (2 of 5)
  12. Unidentified - First Names Only (Andy - Vi) and Illegible (3 of 5)
  13. Unidentified - First Names Only (Andy - Vi) and Illegible (4 of 5)
  14. Unidentified - First Names Only (Andy - Vi) and Illegible (5 of 5)

Overview | Biographical/Historical Note | Complete Finding Aid (pdf)
Series I Listing | Series II Listing | Series III Listing | Series IV Listing
Series V Listing | Series VI Listing | Series VII and Oversize Box Listing

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