Letters
This section of The Thomas Gray Archive contains a
browsable calendar of the correspondence of Thomas Gray. The correspondence
catalogue lists details for all
646
known original, copied, or published letters written by or to the poet.
The majority of the letters survive in autograph MSS or (near) contemporary
transcripts, only for 136 letters is there no known MS copy, 55 letters are
known to have existed, but have not survived. William Mason,
who was authorized by Gray in
his will
to "preserve or destroy [Gray's papers] at his own discretion", edited many of Gray's letters for his edition of 1775, which
for a number of letters is now the only authority. Today most of
Gray's letters are preserved in libraries, archives, and museums around the
world, a few are still privately owned.
This correspondence catalogue is a standards-based and
up-to-date record of Gray's known correspondence and is intended as a research
tool for Gray scholars. It is work in progress: information on dates, contents,
and contexts of the letters will be added and updated on a regular
basis. Please see this Help Desk section for
more information, and contact
the editor with any queries regarding
this resource, with information to add, or corrections to make.
The letters can be accessed through one of the following categories:
Letters written by Thomas
Gray
Letters addressed to Thomas
Gray
Correspondence between
Thomas Gray and ...
Letters by date of
composition
Letters by place of
composition
Letters by holding
institution
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