Collection inventory

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Donald G. Mitchell Correspondence

A description of his correspondence at Syracuse University

Finding aid created by: LMD
Date: 27 October 2009

Revision history:

Biographical History

Donald G. Mitchell (1822-1908) was an American author and essayist. Under the pseudonym Ik Marvel he wrote travel essays, social satire, literary criticism, and reflections on rural life and farming. He was best known for his sentimental explorations of middle-class American life, such as in his books Reveries of a Bachelor and Dream Life: A Fable of the Seasons. Although little read today, he was a well-regarded and popular author in the mid-nineteenth century. He inherited his mother's Connecticut farm after her death in 1839, and developed a lifelong interest in agriculture and gardening. In 1855, he purchased a new farm outside of New Haven, Connecticut, Edgewood, which became the subject of much of his later writings.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Donald G. Mitchell Correspondence contains 19 letters sent by Mitchell to various friends, admirers, and publishers. It spans the years 1852 to 1906. The later letters were all sent from his farm estate of Edgewood, purchased in 1855.

Arrangement of the Collection

The letters are in chronological order.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Marvel, Ik., 1822-1908.
Mitchell, Donald Grant, 1822-1908.

Subjects

Authors, American.

Genres and Forms

Correspondence.

Occupations

Authors.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Donald G. Mitchell Correspondence,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

1892 letter, gift of Howard Applegate, 1964. Others, purchased, 1966.

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Inventory