American Literary Materials in Special Collections  

There is a long tradition at Duke of pioneering work in the study of American literature.  The holdings of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library reflect this tradition.  Our holdings are especially rich in the following areas:

• Literature of the American South, featuring the primary manuscript collections of some of the best-known writers of the region and an extensive collection of published Southern literature
• One of the most important collections of Walt Whitman materials in the world
• 19th-century humor publications
• Literature of social change, 1944 to the present
• The papers of feminist authors
• Popular and ephemeral literature such as comic books and zines
• Records of organizations and individuals documenting the development of the study of American literature.

Existing Collection Strengths: 19th to early 20th-century authors such as Walt Whitman (manuscripts and early editions), Paul Hamilton Hayne (papers and library), Thomas Nelson Page (papers), William Dean Howells and William Cullen Bryant (books); printed works of 19th-century American humor; personal papers and printed works of contemporary authors, especially Southern authors and feminist authors; works produced by Southern small literary presses from 1945, intensively from 1992, and the records of a number of presses; records related to literary production and reception, such as those of literary agencies and critics; amateur literary productions, such as zines; and comic books.

Current Collecting Focuses: Additional materials to complement the strengths noted above; materials related to Walt Whitman, especially translations and artists' books; works and papers of authors of the literature of social change, 1944 to the present; works of collaborative literature; and materials supporting the work of RBMSCL centers, especially African-American authors and feminist authors.