Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Lieberman, Elias, 1883-1969.
Title:	Elias Lieberman Papers
Inclusive Dates:	1916-1966
Quantity:	45 items (ca.) (SC)
Abstract:	Papers of the American poet, educator. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia. Winner of the James Joyce Award, 1966. Biographical material, correspondence (1918-1963), memorabilia, and writings, which includes poems (1916-1966) both by Lieberman and by others. Also included is a manuscript by James Huneker that may be a book review. Correspondents include William S. Braithwaite, the Century Company, Charles Scribner's Sons, Maria Catarina Lombard, James H. McCormick, Piney Woods Country Life School, Karl Schmidt, Samuel Shipman, James S. Taylor, University of Buffalo's Lockwood Memorial Library, University of Kentucky's Margaret I. King Library, and Stephen S. Wise.
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

Elias Lieberman (1883-1969) was an American poet and educator, best known for his poem "I Am An American."

Lieberman was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on October 30, 1883 to Nathan David and Sophia (Elbaum) Lieberman. The family immigrated to America in 1891. Upon graduating from the City College of New York with his A.B. in 1903, Lieberman began working as an English teacher at a public school. Lieberman went on to earn his M.A. (1906) and Ph.D. (1911) from New York University. On July 1, 1913, he married Rose Kiesler with whom he had two children, Amy and James. After years of working as an English teacher and high school principal, Lieberman accepted a position with the New York Board of Education in 1940, as an associate superintendent of schools in charge of the junior high school division.

Lieberman's first major publication was American Short Story, published in 1912, followed by Paved Streets, published in 1918. He was a member of the Poetry Society of America and served as a judge for various national poetry contests. Lieberman also worked as an associate editor for Puck, literary editor for The American Hebrew, and contributing editor for Current Literature. He died on July 13, 1969 in South Richmond Hill, NY.

Selected Works
	1912	American Short Story
	1918	Paved Streets
	1926	Poetry for Junior High Schools
	1930	Ancient Mariner and Poems of the Sea (editor)
		Hand Organ Man
	1931	Poems for Enjoyment
	1940	Man in the Shadows
	1954	To My Brothers Everywhere
	1976	Notation in Haste

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Elias Lieberman Papers contains Biographical material, Correspondence, Memorabilia, and Writings from the American poet.

Biographical material consists of biographical notes on Lieberman, as well as award announcements and reviews of some of Lieberman's works (copies of these reviews are also located in the Writings series).

Most pieces of Correspondence in the collection are incoming letters regarding Lieberman's works, although two of the letters are matched with Lieberman's reply.

Memorabilia consists of a variety of materials related to Lieberman's life and works, such as an advertisement for a recording of Lieberman reading "I Am An American" and "To My Brother's Everywhere," programs for events honoring Lieberman's achievements, and Lieberman's bookplates.

The final series, Writings, consists of both Lieberman's works and works written by others. With the exception of a single newspaper clipping from the New York Times, "School in the Good Old Days," all of Lieberman's works in the collection are pieces of poetry. The Works by others subseries mainly consists of reviews of Lieberman's works produced in pamphlet form (copies of these reviews are also located in the Biographical material series). The subseries also contains a manuscript of James Huneker that may be a book review.

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Arrangement of the Collection

The collection contains four series: Biographical material, Correspondence, Memorabilia, and Writings. The Correspondence is arranged chronologically, while the Memorabilia is arranged alphabetically by type (i.e. advertisements, bookplates, programs, tributes). Writings is divided into two subseries, Works by Lieberman and Works by others, within which materials 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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Related Material

The E. P. Dutton & Company, Inc. Records contains production and publicity materials related to Elias Lieberman's To My Brothers Everywhere, published by E. P. Dutton & Company in 1954.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Elias Lieberman Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Elias Lieberman, 1964 and 1966.

James Gibbons Huneker manuscript gift of Elias Lieberman, 1967.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: LDC
Date: 02 Dec 2008
Revision history:

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Inventory

	Biographical material
SC 7, Folder 1		New York Supervisor 1954
SC 7, Folder 1		Miscellaneous

	Correspondence
SC 7, Folder 2		13 Nov 1918
SC 7, Folder 2		31 Dec 1919
SC 7, Folder 2		24 Oct 1921 (envelope included)
SC 7, Folder 2		31 Dec 1921 (envelope included)
SC 7, Folder 2		23 Jan 1923
SC 7, Folder 2		19 May 1923
SC 7, Folder 2		04 Feb 1926
SC 7, Folder 2		17 May 1926
SC 7, Folder 2		16 Apr 1930
SC 7, Folder 2		27 Jan 1955
SC 7, Folder 2		11 Feb 1955
SC 7, Folder 2		12 Feb 1962 (reply included)
SC 7, Folder 2		22 May 1962
SC 7, Folder 2		12 Mar 1963 (reply included)
SC 7, Folder 2		26 Mar 1963
SC 7, Folder 2		undated

	Memorabilia
SC 7, Folder 3		Advertisement for The Spoken Word's "Contemporary Poetry Series"
SC 7, Folder 3		Bookplates (2 copies)
		Programs
SC 7, Folder 3			Alumni Association of the City College of New York Annual Dinner 10 Nov 1953
SC 7, Folder 3			Youthbuilder Service in New York public schools Tenth Year Dinner 08 Oct 1947
SC 7, Folder 3		"A Tribute to Dr. Elias Lieberman" to be read at the Testimonial Luncheon

	Writings
		Works by Lieberman
SC 7, Folder 4			"The Accent is on Victory"
SC 7, Folder 4			"Ballade of the Heraclitan Flux" - appeared in Spirit in 1966
SC 7, Folder 4			"Credo" - appeared in Paved Streets in 1918
SC 7, Folder 4			"I Am An American" - appeared in Everybody's Magazine in 1916; also appeared in Paved Streets in 1918
SC 7, Folder 4			"Lincoln Was a Tall Man" - appeared in the Herald-Tribune in 1943
SC 7, Folder 4			"Mental Slumming" - appeared in The Hand Organ Man in 1930
SC 7, Folder 4			"Notation in Haste" - appeared in Atlantic Monthly in 1957
SC 7, Folder 4			"Record the Living Word" - Christmas card for 1964
SC 7, Folder 4			"Remembered Teacher" - appeared in the New York Times in 1961
SC 7, Folder 4			"School in the Good Old Days" - appeared in the New York Times on 14 Sep 1964
SC 7, Folder 4			"To My Brothers Everywhere" - appeared in the Saturday Review in 1945; part of To My Brothers Everywhere, published in 1945
SC 7, Folder 4			"Victory" - appeared in The Hand Organ Man in 1930
		Works by others
SC 7, Folder 4			James Gibbons Huneker manuscript (4 pages)
SC 7, Folder 4			Notes on poems presented anonymously at the Poetry Society of America Meeting 28 May 1964
			Reviews of Lieberman's works
SC 7, Folder 4				"Announcing... Man in the Shadows"
SC 7, Folder 4				" Paved Streets"
SC 7, Folder 4				"What Critics Say About To My Brothers Everywhere"

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