Finding Aid for the Henry Stevens Papers, ca. 1819-1886 (original) (raw)

Description

Henry Stevens (1819-1886) was a London bookseller, bibliographer, publisher, and an expert on early editions of the English Bible and early voyages and travels to America. He helped build up the collections of John Carter Brown and James Lenox, as well as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress. In 1845, Stevens moved to London and became an agent for the British Museum for procuring books from the Americas. The collection consists of correspondence, personal and business records, manuscripts, catalogs, autobiographical material and memorabilia of Henry Stevens.

Background

Stevens was born on August 24, 1819 in Barnet, Vermont; attended Middlebury College, 1839; BA, Yale University, 1843; attended Harvard Law School, 1844; worked as clerk in the Treasury Department and the U.S. Senate, 1840; helped build up collections of John Carter Brown and James Lenox, as well as the Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress; was early advocate of the use of photography to supplement bibliography; moved to London in 1845, where he became an agent for the British Museum for procuring books from the Americas; became an expert on early editions of the English Bible and early voyages and travels to America; published works include American bibliographer (1854), Catalogue of a Library of works relating to America (1854), Catalogue of American books in the library of the British Museum (1857), Bibliotheca historica (1870), and The Bibles in the Caxton Exhibition (1878); died in South Hampstead, London, England on February 28, 1886.

Extent

71 boxes (35.5 linear ft.)

Restrictions

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Availability

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.