MenuInventory of the David Kelly Jackson Papers, 1850, 1925-1991 and undated
Abstract
Duke University alumnus and independent scholar on Edgar Allan Poe and 19th century American literature.
Correspondence, research, and writings on Edgar Allan Poe and other 19th century American writers, including Hardin E. Taliaferro and Augustin L. Taveau. Prominent correspondents include Clarence Gohdes, Jay B. Hubbell, Thomas Ollive Mabbott, Joel Myerson, Dwight Thomas, and J.H. Whitty. Research notes and writings include material on Jackson's books Poe and the Southern Literary Messenger, and The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1847, as well as articles by Poe scholars Richard Kopley and Benjamin Franklin Fisher. The collection is part of the Jay B. Hubbell Center for American Literary Historiography.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Jackson, David Kelly
- Title
- David Kelly Jackson Papers, 1850, 1925-1991 and undated
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 4.7 Linear Feet, 1860 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
The David Kelly Jackson Papers span the years 1925 to 1991, with one item dating to 1850. The collection contains correspondence, research notes, and writings accumulated during Jackson's lifelong study of Edgar Allan Poe and other 19th century American writers. As documented by the Correspondence Series, Jackson's work in these areas led him to correspond with such literary scholars as Clarence Gohdes, Jay B. Hubbell, Thomas Ollive Mabbott, Joel Myerson, Dwight Thomas, and J.H. Whitty. A number of letters relate specifically to Jackson's research on two books: his first, Poe and the Southern Literary Messenger; and the 1987 book he co-authored with Thomas, The Poe Log. Drafts of the latter book, including a complete draft of Jackson's early, unpublished, solo version of it, comprise the bulk of the Writings Series. There is also a significant amount of his research on the Southern Literary Messenger, a Richmond, Virginia literary periodical that Poe once edited. The SLM files include a June 1850 letter to one of its contributors, Augustin L. Taveau. Finally, the series contains research materials pertaining to Hardin E. Taliaferro, a 19th-century North Carolina humorist whose writings Jackson collected into a book entitled Carolina Humor. The third series, Professional and Personal Activities, consists mainly of research in the form of various printed materials from such scholarly associations as the Poe Museum, the Edgar Allan Poe Society, the Poe Studies Association and the Society for the Study of Southern Literature. Also found here are articles written by Poe scholars Richard Kopley and Benjamin Franklin Fisher.
The David Kelly Jackson Papers are part of the Jay B. Hubbell Center for American Literary Historiography.
Administrative Information
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Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rubenstein Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllOrganized into Alphabetical and Chronological subseries.
Contains correspondence between Jackson and his Duke mentors Clarence Gohdes and Jay B. Hubbell; exchanges with Poe scholars Thomas Ollive Mabbott and J. H. Whitty; and correspondence regarding the Poe Log between Jackson's collaborator Dwight Thomas and Joel Myerson, who suggested the partnership.
Correspondence with various people not represented in the Alphabetical Subseries. Of particular interest are two May, 1939 letters from publisher Alfred A. Knopf, in which he considers (but then declines) Jackson's project on the nineteenth-century writer Philip Pendleton Cooke.
Primarily manuscripts of Jackson's and Thomas's Poe Log, including a complete draft of Jackson's early, unpublished, solo version, entitled In Search of Eldorado, which has a foreword by Jay B. Hubbell. Other significant materials include Jackson's research for Poe and the Southern Literary Messenger (SLM), and for his book on 19th-century humorist Hardin E. Taliaferro. The remainder of the series includes such items as his work as an undergraduate and graduate student at Duke University, a number of books reviews, a draft of an article on Politian, and a listing of Jackson's Poe library. Arrangement is roughly chronological with some overlap, following the sequence of projects on which Jackson worked during the course of his life.
Contains materials derived from Jackson's affiliations with various scholarly associations and institutions, including the Poe Museum, the Poe Society, the Poe Studies Association and the Society for the Study of Southern Literature. The remainder of the series consists of a variety of printed materials: clippings about Poe, the Southern Literary Messenger or Jackson himself; articles by Richard Kopley and Benjamin Franklin Fisher; Observations on Poets and Poetry by Thomas O. Mabbott; Pioneers in English at Trinity and Duke by Clarence Gohdes; publicity materials and reviews concerning The Poe Log; an author's contract for American Studies in Honor of William Kenneth Boyd (Duke University Press, 1940); a royalty report for Carolina Humor; eight issues of The Pleasures of Publishing, printed by Columbia University Press (1941-1946); and a facsimile copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Arranged alphabetically by category.
Historical Note
Chronology List
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1908 | Born in Gastonia, N.C. |
| 1929 | B.A., English, Duke University |
| 1931 | M.A., English, Duke University |
| 1934 | Published Poe and the Southern Literary Messenger |
| 1936 | Published The Contributors and Contributions to the Southern Literary Messenger |
| circa 1936-1944 | Employed by Duke University Press, working mainly on the serial American Literature |
| 1945 | Employed by Home Security Life Insurance Company, Durham, N.C. |
| 1973 | Retired from Home Security Life as Assistant Vice President and renewed Poe research |
| 1987 | Published The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1847, co-authored with Dwight Thomas |
| 2000 | Died in July |
Subject Headings
- Fisher, Benjamin Franklin.
- Gohdes, Clarence Louis Frank, 1901-
- Hubbell, Jay B. (Jay Broadus), 1885-1979.
- Jackson, David Kelly.
- Jackson, David Kelly. Poe log.
- Kopley, Richard.
- Mabbott, Thomas Ollive, 1898-1968.
- Myerson, Joel.
- Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849.
- Taliaferro, Hardin E., 1811-1875.
- Taveau, Augustin L. (Augustin Louis), 1828-1886.
- Thomas, Dwight.
- Whitty, J. H. (James Howard), 1859-1937.
- Duke University--Students.
- Jay B. Hubbell Center for American Literary Historiography.
- Southern literary messenger.
- American literature--19th century.
Related Material
- George William Bagby Letters, 1861-1863
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], David Kelly Jackson Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The David Kelly Jackson Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 1966-1991.
Processing Information
Processed by David G. Mayer, Aug. 2002
Encoded by Michael Shumate, David G. Mayer, Cat Saleeby
Completed Feb. 2006
Accessions 66-194, 9/11/86, 12/29/86, 87-95, and 91-164 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and our local Style Guide.