Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Clemens, Cyril, 1902-1999.
Title:	Cyril Clemens Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1927-1982
Quantity:	1.75 linear ft.
Abstract:	Correspondence, writings and memorabilia of the American author and Twain biographer.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Cyril Coniston Clemens was born in in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 14, 1902. After attending Canterbury School in New Milford, Connecticut, he continued his education at St. Louis University High School, attended Georgetown University, and received his B.A.. and M.A. degrees from Washington University (St. Louis). He married Nan B. Shallcross on October 8, 1933. He was a distant cousin of Samuel Langhorn Clemens and spent his life researching, writing about, and otherwise promoting his famous cousin. A family inheritance enabled him to devote time to these pursuits, including offering a life membership in the International Mark Twain Society, which he founded in 1930, to hundreds of important individuals. He also founded and edited the Mark Twain Quarterly, 1936-1982. His writing include biographies of Twain and Truman and short sketches of famous authors and politicians, including George Bernard Shaw, A.E. Housman, Mussolini, Sir Robert Walpole, and John Galsworthy. He died May 16, 1999.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Cyril Clemens Papers contain correspondence, writings, and memorabila.

Correspondence includes incoming and outgoing; correspondents include authors (Willa Cather, Will Cuppy, George Bernard Shaw), governors (J.P. Coleman of Mississippi, Orval E. Faubus of Arkansas, Luther H. Hodges of North Carolina, William G. Stratton of Illinois), congressmen (Harry Byrd, Thomas J. Dodd, Jacob Javits, John F. Kennedy, Herman Talmadge), and foreign dignitaries (David Ben Gurion, Francisco Franco, Feldmarschall Erich von Manstein, Austrian Chancellor Julius Raab, Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia Sir Edgar Whitehead). An alphabetical list of correspondents (incoming only) may be found at the end of this finding aid.

Writings includes typescript manuscripts of articles, books, and essays, many on Mark Twain, as well as diaries and commonplace books covering more than ten years, printed material, and production records for three Twain projects.

Memorabilia contains miscellaneous materials about, Printed material, Scrapbook of newspaper reviews, and Miscellany (Box 4, 4 Folders)

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Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence is divided into incoming and outgoing; incoming correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent (Box 1, Folders 1-4) while outgoing correspondence is arranged alphabetically by recipient (Box 1, Folder 5). Writings: Manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by title Writings: Diaries/Commonplace Books are arranged chronologically. Writings: Printed Materials and Writings: Production Records are arranged alphabetically by title.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Cyril Clemens Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Finding Aid Information

Created by: KL
Date: Feb 2002
Revision history: 18 Jun 2012 - LCSH updates (MRC); 13 Nov 2017 - Adds incorporated (PRB)

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Inventory

	Correspondence
		Incoming
Box 1			A-C
Box 1			D-H
Box 1			J-P
Box 1			R-Y
		Outgoing
Box 1			Bush, — ; Porter, Katherine Anne; Williams, Florence

	Writings
		Manuscripts
Box 1			A-D
				"Albert Einstein and Some Letters," 6p. Typescript "An American Philosopher in Exile: George Santayana," 9p. Typescript "Chapter [?]: The Name and Nature of Poetry,"11p. Typescript "Chapter Nine: Housman and Fellow Authors," 12p. Typescript (incomplete) "Charles Waterton, Neglected Catholic," 8p. Typescript "A Chat with Sir Hugh Walpole," 9p. Typescript (carbon) "Colonel Charles Erskine Scott Wood," 6p. Typescript "Cordell Hull, Great Statesman," 7p. "Cyril Joad: Wisecracking Philosopher," 7p "David R. Atchison: President of the United States," 3p. Typescript
Box 1			E-L
				"Fanny Hurst," 8p. Typescript "George Bernard Shaw," [6]p. Typescript and ms. "George Washington as a Sitter," 5p. Typescript "Granite or Putty: Coolidge's 'I do not choose to run . . .' ", 20p. Typescript. With Athern P. Daggett. "A Half Hour with Giovanni Papini," 9p. Typescript "History of American Literature" 73p. ms "Housman and Fellow Authors." 12p. Typescript (incomplete) "How Mussolini Made His First 'Y'," 5p. Typescript "Impressions of Sinclair Lewis with Some Letters," 5p. Typescript "Letters from Humorists Will Cuppy and Opie Read,' 12p. Typescript (carbon) "Lord Aston's American Visit: June-August, 1853," 7p. Typescript
Box 1			M
				"Mark Twain and Bernard Shaw," 4p. Typescript (carbon) "Mark Twain and His Favorite Authors," 8p. Typescript Mark Twain for Young People, "Chapter Six," 6p. Typescript Mark Twain for Young People, "Chapter Seven," 6p. Typescript "Mark Twain's Private Audience with the Emperor of Austria," 2p. Typescript (carbon) "My Friend Ben Ames Williams," 6p. Typescript, with corrections by Mrs Williams. "My Visit to the Noted Novelist John Galsworthy at Hampstead," 8p. Typescript "My Visit with G.K. Chesterton," 10p. Typescript "My Visit with H.G. Wells," 8p. Typescript
Box 1			N-S
				"Name and Nature of Poetry." 11p. Typescript "The New Shakespeare Discovery,"4p. Typescript "The Prince of French Biographers: Andre Maurois," 8p. Typescript Quotation from Twain's Mark Twain Wit and Wisdom. 1p. Typescript "Raphael Sabatini," 9p. Typescript, with emendations by Sabatini. "Senator's Job Was not for Mark Twain," 3p. Typescript (carbon) "Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins," 7p. Typescript "Some Sigrid Undset Letters," 8p. Typescript (carbon)
Box 1			T-Z
				"Tea with John Drinkwater," 5p. Typesecript "Thomas James Wise; Master Literary Forger," 7p. Typescript "A Visit to Augustine Birrell," 9p. Tyepscript "A Visit to E.F. Benson at Rye," 8p. Typescript "A Visit to Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins," 7p. Typescript "Was Mark Twain a Dramatists?" 9p. Typescript "Young Mark Twain" pp.1-132, 142-144. Typescript
		Diaries/commonplace books
Box 1			2 September 1925 to 2 June 1926 (2 folders)
Box 2			8 November 1927 to 19 August 1939? (7 folders)
Box 3			8 December 1952 – 28 August 1959, 5 July 1962 (2 folders)
		Printed material
Box 3			Articles from Hobbies magazine
Box 3			Articles from newspapers and miscellaneous magazines
		Production records
Box 3			Mark Twain Jest Book - 32p., proofs?
Box 3			Mark Twain, the Letter Writer - galley proofs
Box 3			"Young Sam Clemens" - partial proofs with corrections

	Memorabilia
		Printed material
Box 4			Mark Twain Journal 1954, 1958
			Mark Twain Quarterly 1949
Box 4			Miscellaneous materials about 1936-1979, undated
Box 4			Scrapbook of newspaper reviews 1933-1937
Box 4		Miscellany

	Alphabetical list of correspondents (incoming only)
		* preceding name = respondent is not addressee
		Anonymous. Note and poem about Twain’s trip to Australia. Anslinger, H.J. Armstrong, Terence Ian Fytton - see Gawsworth, John. Aronson, James Badt, Milton B. [3] *Balaguer, Joaquín [President, Dominican Republic] Barclay, Julius P. [Stanford University Libraries] Barr, Stringfellow Batson, Eric J. Beebe, Lucius Bell, Neil Bello, Francisco R. [Argentine Embassy minister] *Ben Gurion, David. [Office of the Prime Minister, Michael Nir, secretary] Benson, George S. Bishop, Jim Blomberg, Louise Martha von, Baroness Boyden, Frank L. Branch, E.M. Briggs, Frank J. Brown, Rollo Walter Brummall, H.H. [partial] Bullitt, William C. Bunche, J. Ralph Byrd, Harry Flood [Senator, VA] Castro, Adolphe de [2] Cather, Willa. 8 letters Chennault, Anna Chevillou, André *Chile. Office of the President. Christopher, George H. Clemens, Erwin Clemens, Henry Clemens, P.L. Coleman, J.P. [Governor of Mississippi] Cornish, Dudley T. Cramer, H. Leslie Cuppy, Will Curtis, Carl T. [Senator, NE] Dahl, Walter M *DeGaulle, Charles Delaplaine, Edward S. Dodd, Thomas J. [Senator, CT] Duke of Somerset Earl of Woolton Faubus, Orval E. [Governor, AK] *Franco, Generalísimo of Spain Fulbright, J.W. [Senator, AK] Garcia, Carlos [President of the Philippines] Gawsworth, John [pseud. of Terence Ian Fytton Armstrong] Gewelt, Oskar Gibbs, Philip Glenn, Frank Green, Howard [Sec. of State for External Affairs, Canada] Gregory, Ralph Hagedorn, Hermann Halleck, Charles A. [Rep., IN] Halliburton, Maurine Handley-Taylor, Geoffrey Harlan, John M. [Supreme Court Justice] Harnsberger, Caroline Thomas Hand, Norma [6] Hazen, David W. Hersey, John [copy] Hill, Mrs. Edith F. [Louisiana State University Library] Hodges, Luther H. [Governor, North Carolina] Housman, Laurence. 23 letters Hummel, Don [Mayor of Tucson] Huxley, Sir Julian Javits, Jacob K. [Senator, NY] Jenkins, Walter Johnson, Edgar Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson, Lyndon B. [Incl. photograph] Kennedy, John F. [While a senator from MA] Kerner, Otto [Governor, IL] Knapp, Paul C. Knecht, Karl Kae. Krauss, Bernard LaFarge, John Lewis, John L. *Lloyd, Selwyn [Chancellor of the Exchequer, UK] Mansfield, Mike [Senator, MT] Manstein, Erich von [Feldmarschall] Marshall, Bruce Martin Luther Universität, Halle Maugham, Robin McAnney, B.O. Melton, John L. Metalious, George Miller, J. Gordon Miller, Paul Moss, John E. [Rep., CA] Mottram, Ralph Murdock, Marcellus M. Newman, Robert P. O’Connor, Richard Paderevski, Serge Paul, W.S. Perrett, C.J. *Portugal. Presidencia do Conselho [2] Purdom, C.B. *Raab, Julius [Chancellor of Austria] Read, Opie - see Cuppy, Will Rogers, Will, Jr. Romulo, Carlos Peña Ross, Isabel. Royce, William Hobart Russell, Walter Sawyer, Grant [Governor, NV] Schaefer, Victor A. [University of Notre Dame] Schock, Mrs. William W. Schwengel, Fred [Rep., IA] Shaw, George Bernard Spaatz, Carl Sparkman, John [Senator, AK] Stratton, Leslie C. Stratton, William G. [Governor, IL] Strauss, Lewis L. [2] Strickler, Davis Stritar, Joze Talmadge, Herman E. [Senator, GA] Teele, Stanley F. Thomas, Lowell Trohan, Walter Uphaus, Willard Welch, Helen M. [University of Illinois] Wendt, Lloyd *Whitehead, Sir Edgar [Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia] Williams, Ethel Carleton Young, Robert H.

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