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Ford Madox Ford Collection

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Title: Ford Madox Ford Collection
Inclusive Dates: Undated
Quantity: 1 folder (SC)
Abstract: English novelist and author. Collection contains one letter and one manuscript entitled "Free trade."
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

Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939) was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor. Born into a literary and artistic family, he was christened Ford Hermann Hueffer; he also went by the names H. Ford Hueffer and Ford Madox Hueffer early in his career. His literary periodicals The English Review and The Transatlantic Review were influential in the development of early 20th-century English literature, and Ford himself wrote more than eighty books

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Ford Madox Ford Collection contains one item of correspondence and one manuscript.

The Correspondence consists of one letter, addressed to an unidentified correspondent and signed Ford Madox Hueffer., which relates a story about Dante Gabriel Rossetti's response to receiving a presentation copy of Robert Browning's Fifine at the Fair. Referring to the episode, which took place in the presence of Ford's maternal grandfather, pre-Raphaelite painter Ford Madox Brown, Ford writes:

Reading the inscription he [Rossetti] exclaimed, "This is very handsome of Browning. Very handsome!" & began to walk up and down in the studio reading the poem. But after a time he grew angry & exclaimed: "Why...this is an attack on me!" [Ford] Madox Brown tried in vain to assure him that could not be the case...Rossetti finally proved intractable & threw the volume into the fire. Madox Brown rescued it at once & it remained in his possession until his death.

The Manuscript is a nine-page typescript submitted for publication in Controversy. Entitled "Free Trade," it has pencil corrections and the initials "F.M.F." beneath the typed 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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Related Material

The presentation copy of Fifine at the Fair referred to in the letter, inscribed "To Dante Gabriel Rossetti from his old admirer and appreciative friend. RB June 4 '72", resides in the library's Rare Book collection, call number PR4222. F4.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Browning, Robert, 1812-1889.
Ford, Ford Madox, 1873-1939.
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, 1828-1882.

Subjects

English novelists -- Correspondence.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Manuscripts for publication.

Occupations

Authors.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Ford Madox Ford Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Letter, gift of Mrs. Adrian Van Sinderen, from his personal library.

Manuscript, gift of Martin Kamin, 1952.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: KM
Date: Dec 1996
Revision history: 13 May 2010 - converted to EAD (MRC)

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Inventory

Correspondence
SC 136 Letter, "Dear Robert" - concerns Rossetti and Browning
Manuscripts
SC 136 "Free Trade" - typescript, with pencil corrections

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