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John Camden Hotten Correspondence

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: -
Date: 9 May 1993

Biographical History

John Camden Hotten (1832-1873) was a British bookseller and publisher. Many of the books published under his imprint were written in part or in whole by himself. In 1866 he published Algernon Swinburne's Poems and Ballads after it was withdrawn from circulation by its original publisher for "indecency." He spent several years in American and was the first to introduce a number of American writers to the British public, including James Russell Lowell, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Bret Harte. He was a Fellow of the Ethnological Society and contributed articles on literary topics to the London Review and other periodicals.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The John Camden Hotten Correspondence consists of letters to and from British bookseller, publisher and author John Camden Hotten. Correspondents include poet Algernon Charles Swinburne and publisher Edward Moxon & Co. A number of the letters involved Hotten's decision to publish Swinburne's Poems and Ballads, which had been withdrawn from circulation by its original publisher for "indecency." There are also a few non-letter items such as a list of sales of Swinburne's book.

Arrangement of the Collection

Chronological.

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.

Related Material

See also the Algernon Charles Swinburne Collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Graham, James Lorimer, 1831-1876.
Hotten, John Camden, 1832-1873.
Howell, Charles Augustus, 1840?-1890.
Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 1837-1909.
Thomas, W. Moy (William Moy), 1828-1910.
Timmins, Samuel, 1826-1902.

Corporate Bodies

Edward Moxon & Co.

Subjects

Authors and publishers -- Great Britain.
Authors, English -- 19th century.
Poets, English -- 19th century.
Publishers and publishing -- Great Britain.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.
Financial records.

Occupations

Publishers and publishing.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

John Camden Hotten Correspondence,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

9 letters, purchase, 1955. Additional items, unknown.

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Inventory