About Fales Collections

Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, Third Floor
70 Washington Square South
New York, New York 10012

Telephone: 212-998-2596
Fax: 212-995-3835
Email: fales.library@nyu.edu

Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm, Friday 9am-5pm.
Appointments are necessary to consult manuscript and archival materials.

The Fales Library, comprising nearly 200,000 volumes, and over 7,500 linear feet of archive and manuscript materials, houses both the Fales Collection of rare books and manuscripts in English and American literature and the general Special Collections from the NYU Libraries. The Fales Collection was given to NYU in 1957 by DeCoursey Fales in memory of his father, Haliburton Fales. It is especially strong in English literature from the middle of the 18th century to the present, documenting developments in the novel. Other strengths of the collection include the Berol Collection of Lewis Carroll Materials, the Robert Frost Library, the Kaplan and Rosenthal Collections of Judaica and Hebraica and the manuscript collections of Elizabeth Robins and Erich Maria Remarque. Other strengths include the Downtown Collection which documents the downtown New York art, performance, and literary scenes from 1975 to the present and the Food and Cookery Collection. The Fales Library preserves manuscripts and original editions of books that are rare or important not only because of their texts, but also because of their value as artifacts.

Collection Development Policy

Collection Development Policies for the Fales Library and Special Collections can be viewed at this address:

http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/collections/cdps/hum/fales.htm

Access

The Fales Library is open to all NYU students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, researchers, and scholars from other institutions throughout the US and abroad. All patrons must provide a valid photographic identification card to register as readers in the collection. The Fales Library operates on a closed stack system; books, manuscripts and archival materials are retrieved for patrons who read them in the reading room; Fales/Special Collection materials do not circulate. Patrons may bring personal computers into the reading room. Appointments are necessary for consulting all archival and manuscript materials. Please call 212-998-2596 to schedule an appointment or send an email message to fales.library@nyu.edu, and please include a brief description of your research project.

Finding Rare and Special Materials

The holdings of the Fales Library/Special Collections are partially listed in BobCat and the Fales Library card catalog, good places to begin a search for historical texts. Additional materials are listed in the Fales Library Checklist, a published guide to the Fales Collection. Copies of this catalog are available in the Fales Library and the General Humanities Reference Center. If you do not find a title in English or American literature in the various catalogs, please come to the Fales Library and consult with the Library staff who will check the Fales collection checklist and catalog. In addition, finding aids, descriptive inventories of manuscript and archival collections in Fales/Special Collections, are available at the Fales Reference desk and on the web. The Fales Library also maintains a collection of reference works important for the use and study of rare and original materials. Included among these reference materials are a large number of author bibliographies, library catalogs, and descriptive tools for work in analytical bibliography and textual editing. The staff in Fales are available for consultations about research using rare books, manuscripts, and archival materials including referrals to other collections and repositories.

Partial alphabetical list of holdings:

Nelson F. Adkins American Literature Collection: Features 8,000 volumes of American literature from the early eighteenth century to 1940.

African American Avant-Garde Collection: Six hundred books, magazines, and anthologies of African American experimental work from 1950 to 1980.

Robert Alexander Papers: Alexander was a photographer closely connected with performance art and experimental dance during the late seventies and early eighties. The collection contains hundreds of slides and prints of New York street scenes and architecture from the late sixties until just before Alexander’s death in 1989.

Maxwell Aley Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials about the American PEN organization for writers.

Bill Anthony Papers: Drawings and related materials by noted downtown artist Bill Anthony.

Appleton Century Crofts Out-of-Print Library: Holdings include 15,000 out-of-print volumes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries published by Appleton Century Crofts.

Avant-Garde Collection: Comprises 3,000 pamphlets and 500 periodicals, as well as 25 archives of small magazines, including: Caterpillar, Angel Hair, Second Aeon, El Corno Emplumado, C Magazine, Love, Lines, Once, The Origin, and Outburst.

Rev. Charles Washington Baird Collection: Eight volumes of correspondence on Huguenot genealogy (1828-1887).

Henry Barnard Papers: Manuscripts and correspondence about American education in the nineteenth century documenting Barnard's life and career.

Carol Bellamy Papers: Correspondence, clippings, and position statements on issues of concern to the City Council President's Office.

Between C&D Archive: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials about this seminal East Village literary magazine.

Maurice Peloubet William Blake Collection: Copies of William Blake's works in first editions as well as later editions and scholarly commentaries.

Elmer Holmes Bobst Collection: Documents and artifacts about pharmacist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Elmer Holmes Bobst. Collection includes correspondence with Presidents: Eisenhower and Nixon, as well as, Civil War letters written by Bobst’s father.

Brody/Klooster Performance Practice Collection: Piano scores documenting phrasing and fingering for standard repertoire pieces as they have been passed down from Alexander Lipsky, a student of Franz Liszt.

John Canemaker Animation Collection: Books, periodicals, and research files about the development of animation, cartooning, and related arts.

Céline [Louis Ferdinand Destouches] Manuscripts: A small group of manuscripts by the French author.

Jerome Charyn Papers: Manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and other materials about the contemporary novelist, teacher, and commentator.

Morton Cohen Papers: Research materials by the noted Victorianist and Lewis Carroll scholar used in his biography of Lewis Carroll.

Dennis Cooper Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials by the prominent novelist, curator, critic, and poet.

El Corno Emplumado Archive: Archive of the literary magazine and its founder, Margaret Randall, including a complete run of El Corno Emplumado, correspondence, notes, poems, other writings, proofs, and miscellaneous materials.

Tim Dlugos Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials about this downtown poet.

Coleman Dowell Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, original sheet music, published and unpublished novels, stories, and plays.

Downtown New York Collection: Holdings include 15,000 printed books, magazines, 'zines, and other materials documenting the downtown New York arts scene from 1975 to the present. The collection also contains over 4,000 linear feet of manuscripts and archives, including the papers by Ron Kolm, Tim Dlugos, Dennis Cooper, Martin Wong, REPOhistory, David Wojnarowicz and the archives of Between C&D, Redtape magazine, and High Risk Books among many others.

Denise Duhamel Collection: A complete set of publications by downtown poet Denise Duhamel.

Edward Robb Ellis Papers: Bound volumes and typed manuscript pages for Ellis's diary, the longest diary ever kept.

Theodore Enslin Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials by Enslin from the 1960s and 1970s.

Clayton Eshleman Papers: Correspondence with editor/translator Eshleman, including the archives of Caterpillar magazine, which he edited.

Fales Manuscript Collection: Over 60,000 items of correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials by and about literary figures from 1700 to the present.

Fales Family Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials about the Fales family from ca. 1750 to the present.

Fashion Moda Archive: Correspondence, photographs, publicity materials, and other items documenting this important gallery/performance space in the Bronx.

Henry B. Fernald Collection: Early printed books, including our extensive Chaucer collection, which boasts a copy of every collected edition from 1532 to 1911. This collection was acquired through the generosity of Dr. Fernald (Class of 1901), who established an endowment to purchase rare titles.

Robert Frost Library and the Bailey Collection: Books from Frost's library at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, donated to NYU by Leslie Frost Ballantine, Frost's daughter, in 1967. A complete collection of Frost's books in presentation copies was given by Harold J. Bailey and is also held in the library.

Julie Gilbert Papers: Research materials compiled by Gilbert for her biography of Erich Maria Remarque and Paulette Goddard.

Richard Goldstone Collection: Art works, literary manuscripts, correspondence, and first editions relating to Thornton Wilder and Paul Bowles.

Grove Press Collection: A complete set of books published by Grove Press to 1966. English and American fiction titles were merged into the Fales Library.

Robert Hammond Film Script Archives: Film scripts, mostly French but some Spanish and English, including the collection of French scripts collected by M. Marc Maurette.

Frank Harris Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and galleys for My Life and Loves.

Geoffrey Hellman Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, and other materials related to the work of this prominent New Yorker writer.

A. S. Hewitt Collection: Includes 300 Arabic books given to A. S. Hewitt by the Sultan of Turkey in 1884 and presented by Hewitt to NYU.

Serpent's Tail/High Risk Books Archive: Business archive of the publishing house, including correspondence, contracts, and press materials for such authors as Kathy Acker, Gary Indiana, Dennis Cooper, and many others.

Incunabula: NYU holds thirty-one incunabula, including a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible and a copy of the German edition of The Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493.

Robert Jackson Collection: A comprehensive collection of first editions of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West.

Judson Memorial Church Archive. The archive spans the Church’s nearly two centuries (1839-2001) of existence through which it has been a center of worship, the arts and of social activism. These aspects are documented in the papers, photographs, and other materials that comprise the collection.

Mitchell M. Kaplan: Hebraic and Judaic manuscripts and books.

David Kapp Collection: Rare editions of Don Quixote, including the 1605 Valencia edition and the 1607 Brussels edition.

Papers of Alan Klein: Correspondence, clippings, and other media which pertain to Klein and the groups with which he worked, most notably: ACTUP and Queer Nation.

Ron Kolm Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, and other media relating to the downtown New York scene from 1975 to the present.

Richard Kostelanetz Collection: Books, magazines, and other publications by poet, artist, critic, and scholar Richard Kostelanetz.

Paul Anton de Lagarde Collection: Some 5,500 books from the library of Paul Anton de Lagarde, a noted nineteenth-century philologist; a major resource not only for the study of philology, but also for biblical studies and philosophy.

Edward Levy Dime Novel Collection: Over 15,000 dime novels, magazines, and story papers from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including a small collection of manuscript materials related to dime novel publisher William Benners and editor Ralph Adimari.

Newman Levy Papers: Manuscripts, book reviews, drama, fiction, verse, and an unpublished biography of Franklin P. Adams, including some letters written to Levy by people who knew Adams.

Richard Maass Collection of Westchester County and New York State: Over 400 documents relating to early New York history, including Dutch documents and Revolutionary War materials-most notably ten George Washington letters and documents.

Thomas Neumiller Papers: Correspondence and materials related to Friedelind Wagner, granddaughter of composer Richard Wagner, and Margaret Hamilton, who is best known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the film: The Wizard of Oz.

New American Library Archive: The editorial archives for the first fourteen years of the New American Library of World Literature, Inc., including the correspondence, manuscripts, and a complete set of publications.

Jennifer Nostrand Collection: A complete set of publications by downtown poet Jennifer Nostrand.

April Palmieri collection. Palmieri was a member of Pulsallama, one of the groups that played at such venues as the Mudd Club, Danceteria, and Club 57 in the East Village during the 1980s. The collection includes video tapes of John Sex performing, as well as, flyers, posters, and other materials about Palmieri and Sex.

Papyri Collection: Over 500 papyrus fragments, including literary and illustrated papyri.

Arvid Paulsen Strindberg Collection: Autographs, first editions, and printed material about Strindberg and Ibsen.

Joseph Plass Victorian Collection: One thousand volumes of Victorian popular fiction.

Pleiades Club Papers: Correspondence, publications, and memorabilia of this Village writers club.

Provincetown Players Archive: Correspondence, manuscripts, photos, and memorabilia, including Edna Kenton's unpublished history of the group, which staged O'Neill's works in its playhouse near Washington Square.

Jill (Billy) Rainsford Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials about this silent film star who worked with D. W. Griffith.

Redtape Magazine Archive: Manuscripts, productions files, and other materials about this East Village magazine.

Erich Maria Remarque and Paulette Goddard Papers: Extensive collection of correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials about Remarque's life and work, including Paulette Goddard's papers and the Remarque library.

REPOhistory: The group, REPOhistory was an artists collective which sought to bring to light absent historical narratives involving, colonialism, race, gender, and class through public installations, performances, educational activities, printed matter and other visual media. The collection includes operation records, proofs of original artworks, promotional materials, source materials, and files of several founding members.

Elizabeth Robins Papers: Over 100 linear feet of correspondence, manuscripts, photos, and other materials about the noted actress, suffragist, and Ibsenite.

M. L. Rosenthal Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, notes, and biographical materials about twentieth-century American poetry and poets.

William and Ida Rosenthal Collection: Printed Judaica and Hebraica including the Solomon Rosenthal Hebraica Collection, originally housed in the Jewish Cultural Foundation, representing all aspects of Jewish life.

Tom Savage Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials by downtown poet Tom Savage.

Sholom Secunda Music Collection: Music holographs and scores which include: liturgical music, orchestral pieces, and complete scores for many of Secunda's musicals written for the Yiddish theatre.

Al Silverman Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials from the noted author and president of Book of the Month Club.

Isaac Bashevis Singer Papers: Fifty literary manuscripts by the famed Yiddish writer.

Edward Streeter Papers: Correspondence, clippings, first editions, and other materials relating to Streeter who is best known for his novels: Dere Mabel and Father of the Bride.

Karen Swenson Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and a number of books of contemporary poetry.

Theatre and Portrait Collection: Photographs, cartes de visite, theatre playbills, and other general photographic materials about the New York and London stage and literary culture.

Marian Gill Valentine Children's Literature Collection: Over 300 children's books, mostly Victorian.

Giuseppe Verdi Archive: Books, scores, and letters by or about Giuseppe Verdi, including some rare scores and libretti.

John Watts Papers: Extensive collection of correspondence, tapes, scores, and materials about the important electronic composer and conceptual artist.

Theodore Wilentz Collection: A large collection of avant-garde periodicals and little magazines from the 1960s and 1970s.

Elihu Winer Writers Guild Collection: Film and television scripts by American writers as well as those based on American novels.

Aubrey Wisberg Collection: Over thirty linear feet of filmscripts by the American screenwriter.

Bob Witz/Appearances Magazine Papers: Notebooks and other materials about the publication of Appearances magazine.

David Wojnarowicz Papers: Correspondence, journals, photographs, sound recordings, and other materials by this central downtown artist, writer, and performer.

Martin Wong: Correspondence, manuscripts and other materials about this noted Downtown painter, artist and poet.

William Zinsser Papers: Correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials about the famous editor, essayist, teacher, and author of On Writing Well.

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