1915-1927 Manuscript Poetry Collection of Tufts University Newspaper Editor with Distinct Literary Talent Who Died before She Could Achieve Notoriety

On offer are two volumes of poetry and prose written by a talented young American writer. These two books are soft-cover, lined notebooks. They are in excellent condition. Included with them are a number of loose-leaf pages and a black and white photograph of an unidentified woman. The author of this collection is Elinor Presson Richardson. She lived in Essex, MA. She was born in 1905 and passed away at the young age of 24. Following secondary school, he attended Tufts University and was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority. The book of poetry opens with an entry dated October, 1919, written when she was 14. In it she states: This book is given to the poems and stories written by me! Me is Elinor Presson Richardson. They date from when I was very young (the poems do at least) to when I am quite grown up. I am writing this in my fourteenth year. As I just happened to think I'd like to keep my originals. Signed E. P. Richardson October '19 [p 1]. The first entries were written about 1915 and the last entries in 1927. There are several 3-5 page stories that she submitted to the Boston Traveler writing contest for students. One is set in France during WWI. There are many poems and the breadth of subjects is wide. They range from the whimsical to the serious and sometimes touch on events in the world around her. She writes one poem about the failure of the St. Raphael to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean and the ensuing death of Princess Anne Lwenstein-Wertheim. She has a good sense of humour which is often expressed such as here in Ode To A Curl: O' golden ringlet/Witching curl/Lets hope you never may unfurl/Like shavings from your cobbles shoes/Lets hope your curl you never lose. That's followed immediately by Richardson's Ode to Straight Hair. There is a clipping of and essay she submitted to The Beacon, her high school literary magazine, which she edited in her senior year (1923-4). A rather wry note is jotted in June 1926: And then I went to College - apparently inspiration ceased. Can I recall it? And indeed she did, as this comment is followed by several poems that were published in the Tuftonian, Tufts University literary publication where she served as one of two Jackson editors. The second volume contains poems that date from 1923 to 1928. Some reappear from the first volume, in a more edited form. Several are on types pages inserted into the book, pages that contain her name and address. There is a 4-page, handwritten list of publications that accept poetry and 4 pages of notes on ideas for submitting poems for children. This is a very fine collection of writing from an accomplished young writer. She displays a natural ability with words and a literary scholar would recognize and appreciate her talent. Her early death was a loss to American Literature. Both diaries are softcover and measure 9.75x7.5. The 1919 diary has 74 pages and is 100% complete. The 1923 diary contains 100 pages and is 25% complete. Both diaries are in good condition. ; Manuscripts; 9.75 x 7.5; Signed by Author