Guide to the Ernest Dilworth and Walter Leuba Correspondence Collection, 1935-1988 SC.1994.01
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Ernest Dilworth and Walter Leuba Correspondence Collection
Creator
Leuba, Walter
Creator
Dilworth, Ernest
Collection Number
SC.1994.01
Extent
3 Linear Feet(13 document boxes)
Date
1935-1988
Date
1941-1966
Abstract
Walter Leuba (1902-1983) and Ernest Dilworth (1911-1996) were lifelong friends and literary collaborators. This collection contains their correspondence between the years 1935 and 1988, and comprises both exchanges that were later developed into published monographs as well as their personal letters.
Language
English
.
Author
Megan Baxendell and Ryan Champagne.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Processing Information
Processing on this collection began in 2004 by Megan Baxendell; processing finished by Ryan Champagne in 2013.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following four series:
Series I. Manuscripts of Published Correspondence, 1941-1948
Series II. Correspondence by Walter Leuba, 1935-1981
Series III. Correspondence by Ernest Dilworth, ca. 1935-1982
Series IV. Correspondence Between Dilworth, Family, Friends, and the Leubas, 1942-1987
Previous Citation
Ernest Dilworth and Walter Leuba Correspondence Collection, 1935-1988, SC.1994.01, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Ernest Dilworth and Walter Leuba Correspondence Collection, 1935-1988, SC.1994.01, University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Biography
Walter Leuba (1902-1983) resided with his wife Martha (1909-1988) in Pittsburgh's North Side neighborhood. The couple avidly collected finely printed and illustrated books, wood block prints and manuscript materials and devoted significant energy to horticulture. Walter was a prolific writer, having published poetry collections (Poems out of a Hat,No Other Mirror, Quips and Cranks), a prose-poem (Crusade), essays (Two Essays on Bach) and in the Twayne Men of Letters series (George Saintsbury). This correspondence provides a valuable insight into Leuba's interests and motivations as an author, scholar, collector, and critic.
Ernest Nevin Dilworth (1911-1996) was born in Pittsburgh, where he attained his Master of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh before departing to pursue his doctorate at Columbia University before joining the American war effort in 1942. Following service in Europe, Dilworth returned to the states and continued his studies at Princeton University before becoming a faculty member first at Hartwick College and then at Lehigh University. During his tenure at Lehigh, Dilworth wrote the volumeWalter Savage Landor as part of the Twayne Men of Letters series andThe Unsentimental Journey of Lawrence Sterne and also edited and translated Voltaire'sPhilosophical Letters and Boileau'sSelected Criticism.
In 1935 Leuba met Dilworth, who proved to be a lifelong friend and literary collaborator. When Dilworth was drafted into the military during WWII, he and Leuba began a correspondence with the express purpose of discussing the shortcomings of modern education. In 1947 the letters were published, in their original dialogue form, by Macmillan as Smith Unbound: a Conversation Piece, and received considerable critical notice. Leuba and Dilworth also collaborated again onTwo Dialogues: Norman Douglas and George Santayana, which they had privately printed in 1974. For almost fifty years, Leuba and Dilworth maintained their friendship almost exclusively through correspondence, seeing each other only once or twice a year. Their letters reflect their common academic interests in literature, criticism, and education, as well as personal and domestic issues such as family, health, gardening and travel.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection of correspondence between Walter Leuba and Ernest Dilworth consists of 13 document boxes of mostly handwritten letters and manuscript materials. Additional materials include postcards, clippings, photographs and assorted ephemera. The collection spans between the date ranges of 1935 and 1988 with a considerable portion of the materials dated between 1941 and 1966.
The manuscript materials in the collection gather the authors' correspondences that were later developed into published monographs. These documents were largely written on note paper and postcards and include items where one author writes his response on the other author's initial communication. These materials can be found in Series I, "Manuscripts of Published Correspondence" and are subdivided into two date ranges, 1941-44 and 1947-48. They relate to the titles Smith Unbound: A Conversation andTwo Dialogues: Norman Douglas and George Santayana respectively.
The personal correspondence between Leuba and Dilworth spans five decades and discusses a variety of topics. The two communicated in a detailed manner on the subject of their published works, both as collaborators and sole authors, including discussions on editing, assigning titles to works, and the publishing process. A significant portion of materials dated between 1942 and 1946 relates to Dilworth's military service in World War II. Other topics cover academic pursuits, literature and book collecting, gardening, family, health and travel. In addition, there are examples of Leuba's poetry and short compositions. Letters from Walter Leuba addressed to Ernest Dilworth can be found in Series II, "Correspondence by Walter Leuba," and letters from Dilworth addressed to Leuba are located in Series III, "Correspondence by Ernest Dilworth."
Series IV "Correspondence Between Ernest Dilworth, Family, Friends, and the Leubas" features exchanges between Dilworth and the Leubas, family members, as well as friends and colleagues. It contains a box of personal correspondence written to Ernest Dilworth by friends and family during his service in World War II. Leuba's wife Martha corresponded with Dilworth across a four decade window with increased frequency following Walter's death. The majority of her correspondence is located in Series IV but some pieces may be found across the collection.
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