Joyce Kilmer Letters

Mr. Kenton Kilmer, son of the poet and literary critic Joyce Kilmer, has presented a remarkable series of letters written by his father between 1917 and 1918 while serving with the American forces in France. Kilmer became one of America's heroes after his death in battle, and he is a symbol of soldierly courage and poetic idealism. This correspondence, addressed to Kenton and his mother Aline, is a significant addition to the library's collection of American literary manuscripts.

Chilton-Brent Family Papers

From Henry G. Hunt of New Haven, Connecticut, the library has received papers of the Chilton and Brent families with material dating from 1689 to 1930. This collection, formed by the late William B. Chilton, contains papers of Daniel Brent, diplomat and nephew of Archbishop John Carroll; John Carroll Brent (C'1833), a noted Washington author and lawyer; George Chilton, a prominent New York chemist; and Robert S. Chilton, a poet and diplomat. Included among the manuscripts is an unpublished John Carroll letter to Daniel Brent in 1804, an important speech written and corrected by President James Buchanan in 1858, and a remarkable letter to the American painter John Wesley Jarvis written in 1811, dealing with the production of chrome yellow. There is also correspondence from Lewis Gaylord Clark, Mary Mapes Dodge, John Frederick Kensett, and others.

Hamilton King Papers

From Mrs. Anne L. Stewart the library has received the last portion of the papers of Hamilton King, United States Minister to Siam between 1898 and 1912. This gift contains diplomatic correspondence, both American and Siamese, and an important group of diaries kept by Mrs. King while in the Far East. A Georgetown alumnus, Colonel William Strobridge, aided in the acquisition of this important collection of diplomatic material.

Douglas Woodruff Papers

The library has recently acquired the papers of the noted English author and journalist, Douglas Woodruff (1897-1979). He was a graduate of new College at Oxford, and for more than thirty years edited The Tablet which under his direction became England's foremost Catholic weekly journal. His papers contain important correspondence with many of the leading English writers and intellectuals of the century, including Hilaire Belloc, Roy Harrod, Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Rebecca West.