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Kenneth Silverman Papers

Call Number

MSS.505

Date

1800s-1890s, circa 1980s, inclusive

Creator

Silverman, Kenneth
Silverman, Kenneth

Extent

3.25 Linear Feet in 2 record cartons and 5 card file boxes

Language of Materials

Materials in this collection are in English.

Abstract

Kenneth Eugene Silverman (1936-2017) was a Lithuanian-American magician, biographer and New York University professor who specialized in Colonial American literature. Silverman was the co-director of NYU's American Civilization department and writer of several biographies such as Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance. The Kenneth Silverman Papers mainly consists of photocopies of Silverman's research findings, detailed notes and annotations on notecards for his 1991 biography, Edgar A Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance.

Biographical Note

Kenneth Eugene Silverman (1936-2017) was a Lithuanian-American magician, biographer and New York University professor who specialized in Colonial American literature. After completing his PhD in English at Columbia University in 1964, Silverman taught English at New York University until his retirement in 2001. Silverman was the co-director of NYU's American Civilization department and writer of several biographies such as Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance and The Life and Times of Cotton Mather for which he won a Pulitzer Prize for Biography and a Bancroft Prize in American history in 1985. The Kenneth Silverman Papers mainly consists of photocopies of Silverman's research findings, detailed notes and annotations for his 1991 biography, Edgar A Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance.

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged into two series reflecting the different types of documents in the collection, Silverman's research photocopies and Silverman's research notes. The two series are Series I: Journal of Research Citations and Photocopies of Reasearch Files and Series II: Research Notes and Annotations.

Scope and Contents

This collection mainly consists of photocopies of Silverman's research findings, detailed notes and annotations for his 1991 biography, Edgar A Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance. The photocopied research materials give an overview of Edgar Allan Poe's personal and professional life ranging from his childhood, family history and romantic relationships with alleged fiance Sarah Elmira Royster and wife Virginia Poe. They consist of correspondence and journal entries from various manuscript and archival collections across the United States, maps of Poe's homes in various cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia, newspaper articles and book extractions from about 1800 to the late 1890s. Silverman was also well known for his research intensive writing process. The Kenneth Silverman Papers is a reflection of this process.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact fales.library@nyu.edu at least two business days prior to your research visit to coordinate access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials found in collection; provenance is unknown. The accession number associated with these materials is 2017.231.

Collection processed by

Kristen Owens

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-20 17:04:03 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Materials in this collection were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Original caption information, was transcribed onto archival folders. The collection was arranged into two series based on the original order of the records and original folder titles were retained.

Repository

Fales Library and Special Collections
Fales Library and Special Collections
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012