Victor H. Paltsits papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Correspondence, research and subject files, diaries, scrapbooks, and publications of librarian and historian Victor Hugo Paltsits (1867–1952). Dr. Paltsits was associated with the New York Public Library from its inception in 1895 (having been employed by its predecessor, the Lenox Library, since 1888). He served as keeper of manuscripts and chief of NYPL's American History division until his retirement in 1941. A tireless bibliographer, Paltsits was hailed as an "unnamed partner in a thousand works that have advanced the learning of this country and the world." The collection includes a substantial number of his published writings, on topics reflecting a wide interest, such as the founding of New Amsterdam, the history of Pemaquid (now Bristol), Maine, and the early American poet Joseph Rodman Drake (1795–1820). Also documented is Paltsits's tenure as New York State Historian (1907–1911), during when the State Capitol Building at Albany, which then housed the State Library, suffered a devastating fire.
Biographical Note
Librarian, bibliographer, and historian Victor Hugo Paltsits (1867–1952) was born in New York City on 12 July 1867 to William Thomas and Sidonia Ida (Loose) Paltsits. His father, a native of Hungary, was the son of a royal banker and prominent merchant, who owned the largest sugar warehouse in Budapest. Victor Paltsits received his early education at public and private schools in New York, and while in high school studied German, Latin, Greek, French, and Spanish, the latter under Cuban poet José Martí (1853–1895). He later delved into Coptic and Egyptian hieroglyphics at Columbia University, and took a four-year scientific course at Cooper Institute.
In 1888 Paltsits began working as a custodian of the art gallery in the Lenox Library, on Fifth Avenue at 70th Street, where he began making notes on the paintings in his care as a means of personal study, and in order to answer the queries of visitors. Under the tutelage of library head Wilberforce Eames (1855–1937), the "Dean of American Bibliographers," Paltsits made his first attempts at bibliographic description. He was promoted to assistant librarian in the Lenox reading room in 1890, and to sub-librarian in 1893. In 1895 the Lenox Library became part of the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. Paltsits's title once again became assistant librarian, but he had charge of the Lenox reading rooms, where he performed the function of chief reference librarian.
Victor Paltsits served as New York State Historian in 1907–1911, during which time he produced editions of Minutes of the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York (1909–10) and Minutes of the Executive Council of the Province of New York: Administration of Francis Lovelace, 1668-1673(1910). In Albany Paltsits lobbied the State Legislature—unsuccessfully—to create a unified system of archival records retention. In 1911 he began a seventeen-year association with I. N. Phelps Stokes, providing research and advice for his seminal compilation, The Iconography of Manhattan Island.
At the New York Public Library—now in its headquarters at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street—Paltsits took charge of the manuscript division beginning in 1914 (under the title "keeper of manuscripts") and of the American History division in 1916, retaining both positions until his retirement in 1941. Although he controlled millions of manuscripts, Paltsits was never an archivist. Nevertheless, he was a founding member of the Society of American Archivists, and his 1912 paper, "Plan and Scope for a Manual of Archival Economy for the Use of American Archivists," has led some to consider him the father of modern archival practice.
The list of works of bibliography, biography, and scholarship produced by Paltsits during his career, not to mention those to which he contributed in his official capacities, is too long to recount. Of note are his Bibliography of the Separate & Collected Works of Philip Freneau, Together with an Account of His Newspaper (1903), Papers and Proceedings of the Drake Memorial Celebration, May 29, 1915, Together with a Bibliography of the Writings of Dr. Joseph Rodman Drake (1919), and Narrative of American Voyages and Travels of Captain William Owen, R.N., and Settlement of the Island of Campobello in the Bay of Fundy, 1766–1771 (1942).
Victor Paltsits married Anne Müller (1871–1944) in 1891. They had two children: Florence and Victor John Paltsits. Anne Paltsits died, tragically, a few days after the couple moved into a new home. Paltsits died on 3 October 1952, aged eighty-five, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx.
[For more on Paltsits, see his entries in The National Cyclopædia of American Biography, vol. 17, pp. 198–99, and Who Was Who in America, vol. 3, p. 663. Box 63 of the present collection contains some thirty-seven works written or edited by Paltsits. Fuller bibliographies are provided by the aforementioned citations.]
Arrangement
The Victor H. Paltsits Papers are organized in five series:
- Series I.
- Correspondence, 1890s–1952
- Series II.
- Research and subject files, 1888–1952
- Series III.
- Diaries, 1891–1949
- Series IV.
- Scrapbooks, 1894–1944
- Series V.
- Publications, 1825–1951
The collection is in 73 boxes numbered 1 through 25-A and 25-B through 72.
Scope and Contents
The Victor H. Paltsits Papers include a mixture of professional and personal correspondence (1890s–1952) with colleagues such as historian Charles McLean Andrews (1863–1943), librarian and bibliographer George Watson Cole (1850–1939), historian and novelist Edward Eggleston (1837–1902), Canadian historian William Francis Ganong (1864–1941), lawyer and historian William Nelson (1837–1914), Poe biographer Mary E. Phillips (1857–1945), librarian and historical writer Reuben Gold Thwaites (1853–1913), and the publishers Burrows Brothers Co.
The collection also includes research and subject files reflecting Paltsits's various interests and activities, from his earliest days as an employee of the Lenox Library (as documented in a commonplace book of 1888–1889), his work as critical advisor on historical illustration for Elroy M. Avery's "A History of the United States and its People, From Their Earliest Records to the Present Time" (published by Burrows Brothers, 1904–1910), his involvement with the Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association (1908–1924), his tenure as New York State Historian (1907–1911), during when he lobbied the State Legislature unsuccessfully for the creation of a unified archival system.
Paltsits's diaries (1891–1949) record his frequent research trips and accompanying expenditures. His scrapbooks (1894–1944) are largely personal in content, recording the honorary doctorates he received from Brown University (1936) and Rutgers University (1938), his retirement from the New York Public Library (1941), and the sudden death of his wife, Anne (Müller) Paltsits (1944), who passed away a few days after the couple moved into a new home.
Rounding out the collection are (roughly) thirty-seven publications by Paltsits on topics such as Herman Melville, the works of Philip Freneau, and America's first newspaper. These are followed by five boxes of books and periodical offprints by various authors, some kept by Paltsits from his student days, but many of them written by colleagues and research acquaintances who inscribed their works to Paltsits.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Places
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Use Restrictions
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the Victor H. Paltsits Papers, MS 477.1, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Estate of Dr. Victor H. Paltsits, 14 March 1953.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The material in "Series I. Correspondence" (boxes 1–22) and the material in "Subseries II.A. Research and subject files sorted circa 1953" (boxes 23–57), was placed in labeled document boxes sometime after its arrival at the New-York Historical Society in 1953. In preparing the collection for shipment to offsite storage in November-December 2020, archivist Joseph Ditta replaced any deteriorated boxes in Series I and Subseries II.A with stable containers, and also divided into multiple boxes any that had simply been overfilled. The collection remains largely unprocessed, with many boxes containing loose, unfoldered correspondence, tied packets of letters, and bundled research notes.
Repository
Series I. Correspondence, 1890s–1952, inclusive
Arrangement
Boxes are listed in the order they were stored on the shelves. Items lacking dates in the container list were not inspected at the time the collection was prepared for offsite storage (November-December 2020).
Correspondence (individually cataloged)
Correspondence, 1890s–1900s, inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Correspondence, 1890s–1900s, inclusive
Correspondence, 1912, inclusive
Correspondence [box 1 of 2], 1910s–1920s, inclusive
Correspondence [box 2 of 2], 1910s–1920s, inclusive
Correspondence [box 1 of 2], 1920s–1930s, inclusive
Correspondence [box 2 of 2], 1920s–1930s, inclusive
Correspondence [box 1 of 2], 1930s–1940s, inclusive
Correspondence [box 2 of 2], 1930s–1940s, inclusive
Correspondence, 1940s, inclusive
Correspondence, 1940s–1950s, inclusive
Correspondence. Charles McLean Andrews, George Watson Cole, Reuben Gold Thwaites
Correspondence (miscellaneous) [box 1 of 2]
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Correspondence (miscellaneous) [box 2 of 2]
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Correspondence. Various publishers and miscellaneous
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Correspondence. National Progressive Party (1912), National Peace Conference (1909), American Health League (1908), National Archives, 1908–1912, inclusive
Correspondence. Burrows Bros. Co.
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Correspondence. William F. Ganong
Correspondence. Edward Eggleston, William Nelson
Correspondence. H. C. Fitz Randolph, Charlotte Hoadley, Victor Hugo Duras
Correspondence. Poe correspondence with Mary Phillips
Series II. Research and subject files, 1888–1952, inclusive
Subseries II.A. Research and subject files sorted circa 1953
Arrangement
Boxes are listed in the order they were stored on the shelves. Items lacking dates in the container list were not inspected at the time the collection was prepared for offsite storage (November-December 2020).
Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association [box 1 of 4], [1908–1924], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Paltsits was a member of the Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association from 1908 to 1924, and its chairman from 1911 to 1922.
Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association [box 2 of 4], [1908–1924], inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association [box 3 of 4], [1908–1924], inclusive
Public Archives Commission of the American Historical Association [box 4 of 4], [1908–1924], inclusive
Bibliography (French and Indian War)
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Dictionary of American Biography; Avery's "History of the United States"; Stokes's "Iconography of Manhattan Island"
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Personal
National Society of Autograph Collectors
Miscellaneous addresses, monographs, etc.
Miscellaneous addresses
Lenox
Lenox
Champlain
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Champlain
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Bills, etc., from booksellers, publishers, etc. to V. H. Paltsits, before 1908, inclusive
Brick Row Book Shop, Swann's
Poe [crossed out], Bronx-Drake, Edison
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Notes, etc. Henry Hudson, John Boyd Thacher, T. J. Frelinghuysen, Augustus Porter, Nathan Hale, Francis Lewis, Silas Talbot
Scope and Contents
Material likely pertaining to Paltsits's publications "Judge Augustus Porter, Pioneer of Niagara Falls, With an Account of His Business Day Book of 1818 to 1822" (1937) and "The Honorable John Boyd Thacher, Man of Versatility" (1951). For copies, see box 63.
Notes, etc. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Pemaquid, Gyles
Scope and Contents
Material likely pertaining to Paltsits's publications "The Captivity of John Gyles, 1689–1698" (1900) and "The Depredation at Pemaquid in August, 1689, and Events That Led Up To It" (1905). For copies, see box 63.
Notes, etc. Printers and printing
Notes, etc. Books and bibliography
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Notes, etc. New York
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Notes, etc. Bible, Jesuit Relations, etc.
Scope and Contents
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Canada (William F. Ganong) [box 1 of 2]
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Canada (William F. Ganong) [box 2 of 2]
Journal of William Pote
Scope and Contents
Material likely pertaining to Paltsits's edition of "The Journal of Capt. William Pote, Jr. 1745–1747" (1896). Pote was a British surveyor and ship captain who left a narrative of his captivity among the Wabanaki Confederacy during King George's War.
Owen's Journal
Scope and Contents
Material likely pertaining to Paltsits's publication "Narrative of American Voyages and Travels of Captain William Owen, R.N., and Settlement of the Island of Campobello in the Bay of Fundy, 1766–1771" (1942), first serialized in the Bulletin of the New York public Library, February-October 1931. For copies, see box 63.
State Library Fire, 1911, [1911], inclusive
Scope and Contents
On 29 March 1911, during Paltsits's tenure as New York State Historian, the New York State Capitol building, which then housed the State Library, suffered a devastating fire which consumed or damaged countless unique documents.
State Historian [box 1 of 6], [1907–1911], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Material from Paltsits's tenure as New York State Historian during 1907–1911.
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
State Historian [box 2 of 6], [1907–1911], inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
State Historian [box 3 of 6], [1907–1911], inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
State Historian [box 4 of 6], [1907–1911], inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
State Historian [box 5 of 6], [1907–1911], inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
State Historian [box 6 of 6], [1907–1911], inclusive
Conditions Governing Access
The content of this box remains in its original unprocessed state and requires up to two (2) business days for preparation before patron use, in addition to the two (2) to five (5) business days required for offsite delivery. Requests for multiple boxes with this restriction should allow for up to two (2) business days per box.
Subseries II.B. Research and subject files processed 2020
Arrangement
Items are listed alphabetically by title or topic.
American Historical Association, 1949, inclusive
American Library Institute, 1917–1938, inclusive
Ancient writing [1 notebook], undated, inclusive
Appleton's Cyclopædia of American Biography, 1898, 1936, inclusive
Autograph collectors [3 notebooks], undated, inclusive
Avery's "History of the United States." Illustrations, etc. [7 folders], circa 1900–1910, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Paltsits served as critical advisor on historical illustration for Elroy M. Avery's "A history of the United States and its people, from their earliest records to the present time" (1904–1910). Only seven volumes of a projected sixteen were published. As described by Paltsits: "These copy note-books [in folders 6–10] relate to the researches made for illustrating Elroy M. Avery's History of the U.S. published by the Burrows Bros. Co. of Cleveland. Made on tours from original research and valuable data. VHP."
Canada notes, undated, inclusive
Chemical rejuvenation of faded ink, 1932–1935, inclusive
Commonplace book, 1888–1889, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "A commonplace book that I began in 1888, my first year in the Lenox Library, Fifth Avenue and 70th to 71st Streets, New York City. It was at that time that I began my interest in bibliography, in learning to read proof, and in general cultural reading. It was from Dr. S. Austin Allibone, then the Lenox Librarian, that I was lent Theodore L. DeVinne's 'History of the Invention of Printing,' which I read carefully through, and read through again, and partly a third time. I was also during the summer months of 1889, when the Library was closed, sitting beside Wilberforce Eames, in the south reading room, and got from him inspiration to attempt correct bibliographical description, of which the inserted bibliographical descriptions are the evidence. Victo H. Paltsits, Sept. 22, 1945."
Drake, Joseph Rodman, circa 1910–1947, inclusive
Eames, Dr. Wilberforce, 1931, inclusive
Egyptian language (Coptic and hieroglyphics) [5 folders], 1894–1942, inclusive
First Presbyterian Church, Albany, New York, 1909, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "Materials gathered toward a history of the First Presbyterian Church of Albany in May, 1909, by Victor Hugo Paltsits, State Historian."
Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York, 1922–1929, inclusive
Forged Columbus letter, before 1951 August 30, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "Should I not live to work this material into a volume on Forged Columbus Letter of his first voyage, it is my wish that this bundle go to the New-York Historical Society, Central Park West, to be kept there with my other Papers, etc. Victor H. Paltsits, Aug. 30, 1951."
Fort George (New York) [notebook], 1890 May, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "Relation de la prise du Fort Georges, ou Guillaume-Henry. [A Transcript]."
French and Indian War [notebook], undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "The Chalmers Papers. Transcripts of Such Portions as Relate to the French and Indian War. From 'Papers Relating to Virginia.' Lettered 'Vol. II. 1689-1770' in the New York Public Library, Copied by Victor Hugo Paltsits."
Freneau, Philip, 1902–1946, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Material pertaining to Paltsits's "Bibliography of the Separate & Collected Works of Philip Freneau, Together with an Account of His Newspaper" (1903).
Hanna, Charles A. Reviews of "Historical collections of Harrison County, in the state of Ohio", 1901 March 21, inclusive
Hughes, Charles Evans. Funeral and obituary tributes, 1948, inclusive
Illustrations. Military uniforms—Austrian, undated, inclusive
Illustrations. Military uniforms—French [2 folders], undated, inclusive
Illustrations. Military uniforms—Prussian, undated, inclusive
Illustrations. Theatrical, undated, inclusive
Jefferson, Dr. Charles E., 1928–1937, inclusive
Lenox Collection paintings, 1888, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Notebook, as described by Paltsits: "The paintings here described were part of the art in the James Lenox collection, of the Lenox Library, Fifth Ave. 70–71 Sts., New York, in 1888, the year I began service there as a custodian in the art gallery on the second floor, where I remained some two years. These notes were made as a means of personal study, in order to answer public inquiry, or to otherwise interest visitors to the gallery. Victor Hugo Paltsits."
Martí, José [4 folders], 1889–1952, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Paltsits studied high school Spanish under Cuban poet and national hero José Martí (1853–1895), who taught in New York in the early 1890s. See Paltsits's reminiscences of Martí in folder 15.
Martí, José [2 books], 1909, 1942, inclusive
Scope and Contents
• Martí Nuestra América, vol. VII (1909)
• Martí: Prólogo y selección de Mauricio Magdaleno (1942)
Miscellaneous notes, ephemera, etc., circa 1900–1951, inclusive
National Archives, 1935–1944, inclusive
Newspaper clippings, circa 1900–1952, inclusive
Notebooks [3 in 1 folder], undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "These note books contain references to important, mostly unknown, matters in N.Y. 18th century history, on bookbinders, Robert Rogers, early libraries, booksellers, etc., etc. VHP."
Personal library. Short-title list, before 1900, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "This is a short-title list of Books, etc. that I owned about the end of the 19th century. Those relating to the last inter-colonial war, the fourth French and Indian War, ending by the Treaty of 1763, I sold as a lot to the Pequot Library at Southport, Conn., including more than there are here, for $250!"
Personal library. Anderson Galleries, "Catalogue of Books on American Family History, the Fine Arts, Sets of Standard Authors, Rare Pamphlets, etc., etc.", 1908 March 2-3, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "Report of items sold belonging to Victor H. Paltsits. Those priced are the ones. A slaughter!"
Personal library. "Books from library. Auction inventory", 1911, inclusive
Personal library. "My books sold by Anderson Galleries" (3 volumes), 1915, inclusive
Personal library. "My personal record. Books of an Old Librarian. Part 3", 1942, inclusive
Personal library. "Various lists of the sale, deposit, etc. of my books at auction, with Brick Row Book Shop, L. C. Harper, and Queens Borough Public Library", 1945, inclusive
Personal library. Bibliographic entry cards, undated, inclusive
Publick Occurrences, circa 1930, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Manuscript drafts of Paltsits's 1950 article "New Light on 'Publick Occurrences,' America's First Newspaper."
Queens Borough Seal and the Seals of New York, 1948 October 8, inclusive
Sale of Manhattan Island in 1626, 1903–1918, inclusive
Theater, 1916, undated, inclusive
Series III. Diaries, 1891–1949, inclusive
Arrangement
Items are listed chronologically.
Diaries [19 volumes], 1891–1915, inclusive
Diaries [18 volumes], 1916–1936, inclusive
Diaries [13 volumes], 1937–1949, inclusive
Series IV. Scrapbooks, 1894–1944, inclusive
Arrangement
Items are listed chronologically.
George du Maurier, 1894–1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Franco-British cartoonist and author of the Gothic novel "Trilby" (1895), which featured the character Svengali.
New York City 250th anniversary, 1915 June 24, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Envelope of correspondence, programs, invitations, etc. As described by Paltsits: "250th anniversary of the installation of the first Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of New York, on June 24, 1665. And the adoption of the official flag on June 24, 1915."
Honorary Doctor of Letters, Brown University (June 15, 1936), 1935–1936, inclusive
Honorary Doctor of Letters, Rutgers University (June 12, 1938), 1938, inclusive
Rutgers University, 175th Anniversary Commencement, 1941, inclusive
Retirement from New York Public Library, 1937–1941, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "SCRAP BOOK, Giving the history and correspondence, with newspaper and other articles, of the retirement from the New York Public Library, containing some fine autograph letters of distinguished scholars and public men, etc."
Birthday cards, 1941 July 12, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "Greetings on my seventy-fourth birthday, July 12, 1941, my first birthday after retirement from N.Y.P.L."
Golden wedding anniversary [2 folders], 1941 July 21, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "Golden Wedding of Victor Hugo and Anne (Müller) Paltsits, 1891-1941, 50th Anniversary Album of Greetings."
Wife's death, 1944, inclusive
Scope and Contents
As described by Paltsits: "In Memoriam Anne (Müller) Paltsits / b. August 25, 1871; d. June 29, 1944 / Interred July 3, 1944 in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, N.Y."
Series V. Publications, 1825–1951, inclusive
Works by Paltsits, 1900–1951, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed chronologically.
___The Captivity of John Gyles, 1689–1698 (1900)
___A Bibliography of the Separate & Collected Works of Philip Freneau, Together with an Account of His Newspaper (1903)
___New York Considered and Improved, 1695, by John Miller. With Introduction and Notes by Victor Hugo Paltsits (1903) [2 copies]
___The Depredation at Pemaquid in August, 1689, and Events That Led Up To It (1905) [2 copies]
___Scheme for the Conquest of Canada in 1746 (1905) [3 copies]
___Plea for the Nationalization of the Site of Fort Ticonderoga (1908)
___The Function of State Historian of New York (1909) [2 copies]
___The Manuscript Division in the New York Public Library, Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 19, no. 2 (February 1915)
___A Pilgrimage to Salem in 1838 by a Southern Admirer of Nathaniel Hawthorne (1916)
___Cruise of the U.S. Brig Argus in 1813: Journal of Surgeon James Inderwick (1917) [6 copies]
___Letters of American Clergymen, 1711 to 1860 (1917)
___Papers and Proceedings of the Drake Memorial Celebration, May 29, 1915, Together with a Bibliography of the Writings of Dr. Joseph Rodman Drake by Victor Hugo Paltsits (1919) [2 versions]
___John Holt, Public Printer of New York, to the President of the Senate (1922)
___An Exhibition of Bibles of Ancient and Modern Times in Various Languages (1923)
___A Hitherto Unknown Edition of the Jesuit Huron Relation of 1648–1649. A Bibliographical Description (1923) [2 copies]
___Inventory of the Rensselaerswyck Manuscripts (1924)
___Two Important Gifts to the New York Public Library by Mr. George F. Baker, Jr.: Columbus' Letter on the Discovery of America (1493–1497) & Daniel Denton's Description of New York in 1670 (1924)
___The Founding of New Amsterdam in 1626 (1925) [3 copies]
___Wilberforce Eames: A Bio-bibliographical Narrative (1925) [2 copies + galley proofs]
___Libraries as Publishers and Promoters of Scholarship (1926) [7 copies]
___The New York Tercentenary: An Exhibition of the History of New Netherland, 1524–1674 (1926)
___Family Correspondence of Herman Melville, 1830–1904, in the Gansevoort-Lansing Collection, Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 33, no. 7 (July 1929)
___Family Correspondence of Herman Melville, 1830–1904, in the Gansevoort-Lansing Collection (Concluded), Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 33, no. 8 (August 1929) [2 copies]
___Family Correspondence of Herman Melville, 1830–1904, in the Gansevoort-Lansing Collection (1929) [3 copies]
___A Renaissance Illuminated Manuscript of Valerius Maximus, Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 33, no. 12 (December 1929)
___Narrative of American Voyages and Travels of Captain William Owen, R.N., and Settlement of the Island of Campobello in the Bay of Fundy, 1766–1771 in Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 35, nos. 2–3, 5, 9 (February-October 1931) [2 sets]
___Journal of Robert Rogers the Ranger on his Expedition for Receiving the Capitulation of Western French Posts (October 20, 1760 to February 14, 1761), Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 37, no. 4 (April 1933) + offprint
___Judge Augustus Porter, Pioneer of Niagara Falls, With an Account of His Business Day Book of 1818 to 1822 (1937)
___The Miracle of Books and the New York Public Library (1937)
___Bibliography, the Correct Description of Books (1939) [circa 56 copies]
___Dongan Charter to Jamaica of 1686: Its Antecedents and Implications (1940) [2 copies]
___Narrative of American Voyages and Travels of Captain William Owen, R.N., and Settlement of the Island of Campobello in the Bay of Fundy, 1766–1771 (1942) [2 copies]
___The Lenox-Quartich Transactions, 1874–1880, Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vol. 40, 3rd quarter (1946)
___New Light on 'Publick Occurrences,' America's First Newspaper (1950)
___The Honorable John Boyd Thacher, Man of Versatility (1951) [3 copies]
___A Notable Gift of Two American Manuscripts (undated)
___Herman Melville's Background and New Light on the Publication of Typee (undated) [2 copies]
Works by Paltsits, 1919, inclusive
Scope and Contents
___Papers and Proceedings of the Drake Memorial Celebration, May 29, 1915, Together with a Bibliography of the Writings of Dr. Joseph Rodman Drake by Victor Hugo Paltsits (1919)
Works by others (A), 1831–1951, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Adams, John Quincy. Speech of John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts, Upon the Right of the People, Men and Women, to Petition; on the Freedom of Speech and of Debate . . . (1838)
___Adams, Randolph G. The Case of the Columbus Letter (1939)
___Addresses of the Twenty-seventh Synod of the Fifth Province of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (1950)
___American Bible Society. The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments (1921)
___American Book-Prices Current, vol. 54 (1947–48)
___American Library Association. Friends of the Library Groups (1935)
___American Philosophical Society. A Catalogue of Manuscript and Printed Documents, Chiefly Americana, Selected from the Archives and Manuscript Collections (1937)
___American Swedish Historical Museum. A Quarter Century of Progress, 1926–1951 (1951?) [2 copies]
___Anderson Galleries. Historical Relics of George Washington Inherited and Collected by Mr. William Lanier Washington (1917)
___Anderson, John J. A Junior Class History of the United States (1876)
___Andrews, Charles M. "God's Protecting Providence," Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 2 (October 1942)
___Andrews, Charles M. "On the Writing of Colonial History," William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 1, no. 1 (January 1944)
___Andrews, Evangeline Walker and Charles McLean Andrews, eds. Jonathan Dickinson's Journal, or, God's Protecting Providence. Being the Narrative of a Journey from Port Royal in Jamaica to Philadelphia between August 23, 1696 and April 1, 1697 (1945)
___Art Treasures from the Vienna Collections (1949–1950)
___Auditor's Report on the Finances (1831)
___Avery, Elroy McKendree. A History of the United States and its People From Their Earliest Records to the Present Time, vols. 1–3 (1904–10)
Works by others (A, continued), 1948–1951, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Autograph Collectors' Journal
• vol. 1, no. 1 (October 1948) [2]
• vol. 1, no. 2 (January 1949)
• vol. 1, no. 3 (April 1949)
• vol. 1, no. 4 (July 1949) [4]
• vol. 2, no. 1 (October 1949) [5]
• vol. 2, no. 2 (January 1950)
• vol. 2, no. 3 (April 1950)
• vol. 2, no. 4 (July 1950)
• vol. 3, no. 1 (October 1950)
• vol. 3, no. 2 (January 1951) [4]
• vol. 3, no. 3 (April 1951) [4]
Works by others (A-B), 1902–1948, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Avery, Elroy McKendree. A History of the United States and its People From Their Earliest Records to the Present Time, vols. 4–7 (1904–10)
___Bassett, Edward M. The Government of Congregational Churches in the State of New York (1927)
___Beecher, Willis J. Historicity (1902)
___The Bibliographical Society, 1892–1942: Studies in Retrospect (1945)
___Bloch, Joshua. The New Latin Version of the Psalter (1948)
___Botstiber, Hugo. Musicalia in der New York public Library (1903)
___Boyd, Julian P. The Scheide Library (1947)
___Bronx Sunday School Association. Year Book (1906–07)
___Brown, Robert Benaway. The Netherlands and America (1947)
___Burpee, Lawrence J. and Arthur G. Doughty, eds. Index and Dictionary of Canadian History (1911)
Works by others (B), 1945–1950, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Bibliographical Society annual reports, 1945/46–1949/50
Works by others (C), 1904, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Collections of the New Brunswick Historical Society, No. 5 (1904)
Works by others (C-H), 1835–1951, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Cahoon, Herbert. Herman Melville. A Check List of Books and Manuscripts in the Collections of the New York Public Library (1951)
___Christian Faith in Action. The Churches Working Together (undated)
___Cushing, Luther S. Manual of Parliamentary Practice. Rules of Proceeding and Debate in Deliberative Assemblies (1870)
___Denton, Daniel. A Brief Description of New York, Formerly Called New Netherlands, 1670 (1902)
___Die Bermyde Psalms In gebruik by die drie Hollandse (Afrikaanse) kerke in Suid-Afrika . . . (1937)
___Drake, Joseph Rodman. The Culprit Fay and Other Poems (1835)
___Drake, Joseph Rodman. The Culprit Fay and Other Poems (1923)
___Eames, Wilberforce. Description of a Wood Engraving Illustrating the South American Indians (1505) (1922)
___Eberstadt, Lindley. Early Oregon Imprints at Yale (1950)
___Eggleston, Edward. The Transit of Civilization from England to America in the Seventeenth Century (1901)
___Engineers' Club. Annual Report (1937)
___Facsimiles & Forgeries: A Guide to a Timely Exhibition in the William L. Clements Library (1950)
___Favorite Illustrated Dictionary, Containing Over 32,000 Words and Phrases, and Illustrated With 670 Engravings (1882)
___Fox, Dixon Ryan. Herbert Levi Osgood, An American Scholar (1924)
___Fulton, J. F. Humanism in Bibliography: An Appreciation of Leonard Mackall, Georgia Historical Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 1 (March 1938)
___Fulton, Robert I. and Thomas C. Trueblood, compilers. Choice Readings from Standard and Popular Authors (1897)
___Ganong, William Francis. Dochet (St. Croix Island): A Monograph (1902)
___Ganong, William Francis. Ste. Croix (Dochet) Island (1945)
___A General Note of the Prices of Binding all Sorts of Books, 1669 (1951)
___Gray, George W. The Advancing Front of Medicine (1941)
___Guia de personas que cultivan la historia de America (1951)
___Gurley, Fred G. What Do You Want . . . How Do You Expect to Get It? (1949)
___Hall, G. Stanley. Children's Reading: As a Factor in Their Education (1908) [2 copies]
___Harvard University. Bibliographical Contributions (1905)
___[Hell Gate] Notes sur lest travaux de Hell Gate (1877)
___Hossfeld's Dutch Dialogues, and Idiomatic Phrases Indispensable for a Rapid Acquisition and Correct Expression of the Dutch Language (1894)
Works by others (J-M), 1862–1951, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Jameson, J. Franklin. Dictionary of United States History, 1492–1898 (1894–97)
___Jefferson, Charles E. What the War is Teaching (1916)
___Jefferson, Charles E. Five Present-Day Controversies (1924)
___Jefferson, Charles E. Nature Sermons (1925)
___Jefferson, Charles E. Five World Problems (1928)
___Jefferson, Charles E. The Next Step (undated)
___Johnston, John. A History of the Towns of Bristol and Bremen in the State of Maine, Including the Pemaquid Settlement (1873)
___Jones, Joseph. Humor in Moby Dick (1945–46)
___Kellar, Herbert A. Where are the Historical Manuscripts? (1950)
___Kupka, August. History of Flushing, N.Y. The Colonial Period (1948?)
___Kupka, August. History of Flushing, N.Y. During the Nineteenth Century (1949)
___Kupka, August. History of Flushing, N.Y. A Survey of Its Progress During the First Half of the Twentieth Century, 1901–1950 [2 copies] (1950)
___Laćy, Ernest de. Dicther-Perlen (1951)
___Larremore, Thomas A. An American Typographic Tragedy—the Imprints of Frederick Conrad Bursch (1949)
___Larsen, Henry. The North-West Passage, 1940–1942 and 1944 (1948)
___Leary, Lewis, ed. The First Biography of Philip Freneau (1947)
___Leete, Frederick D. Christianity in Science (1928)
___Lockwood, George R. The Art of Elocution as an Essential Part of Rhetoric, 4th edition (1867)
___MacDonald, James M. Two Centuries in the History of the Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, L.I.; The Oldest Existing Church, of the Presbyterian Name, in America (1862)
___Macduff, J. R. The Mind and Words of Jesus; and The Faithful Promiser ([1883])
___Manual for Church Officers and Members of the Government, Discipline, and Worship of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Ninth edition (1939)
___Marsh, Philip M. Freneau and Jefferson: The Poet-Editor Speaks for Himself About the National Gazette Episode (1936)
___Marsh, Philip M. Philip Freneau and His Circle (1939)
___Marsh, Philip M. Philip Freneau's Personal File of the Freeman's Journal (1939)
___Marsh, Philip M. The Griswold Story of Freneau and Jefferson (1945)
___Marsh, Philip M. Jefferson's "Conduct" of the National Gazette (1945)
___Marsh, Philip M. The Vindication of Mr. Jefferson (1946)
___Marsh, Philip M. Was Freneau a Fighter? (undated)
___Marsh, Philip M. and Milton Ellis. Freneau's Last Home (1939)
___Maury, Max. Laird & Lee's Vest-Pocket Littré-Webster English-French Anglais-Francais and French-English Francais-Anglais Dictionary (1918)
___Mayfield, John S. The Luck of an Autograph Collector (1950)
___McAfee, Cleland Boyd. The Ruling Elder: His Duties and His Opportunities (1939)
___McAnear, Beverly. American Imprints Concerning King's College (1950)
___McDonald, Gerald D. William Bradford's Book Trade and John Bowne, Long Island Quaker, as his Book Agent, 1686–1691 (1951)
Works by others (N-S), 1825–1951, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Nelson, Charles Alexander. Selected Poems (undated)
___New Jersey Historical Society. Charter, By-Laws, List of Members (1950)
___The New Life Movement (undated)
___[New York Dry Dock Company] A Statement in Relation to the Concerns of the New-York Dry Dock Company (1825)
___New York Library Club. Manual (1907)
___New York Library Club. Manual of the New York Library Club, 1885–1945 (1946)
___New York Public Library. Bulletin of the New York Public Library, Index to Volumes 41–50 (1948)
___Owen, William. The Journal of Captain William Owen, R. N., During His Residence on Campobello in 1770–1771, Together With Other Documents and Notes on the Historiy of the Island, edited by W. F. Ganong (1897)
___Owen, William. The Journal of Captain William Owen, R. N., During His Residence on Campobello in 1770–1771, edited by W. F. Ganong (1899)
___Pageant of America: A Pictorial History of the Unites States [prospectus] (1925–1926)
___Pargellis, Stanley. The Corporation and The Historian (1944)
___Parker, Donald Dean. Local History: How to Gather It, Write It, and Publish It (1944)
___Penniman, James Hosmer. George Washington at Mount Vernon on the Potomac (1921)
___Pennypacker, Morton. The Duke's Laws: Their Antecedents, Implications and Importance (1944)
___Phillips, Mary E. James Fenimore Cooper (1913)
___Pleadwell, Frank Lester. James Inderwick, Surgeon, United States Navy, 1813–1815 (1922)
___Pleadwell, Frank Lester. The Life and Works of Joseph Rodman Drake (1935)
___Potter, David. "Reviews of Moby-Dick," The Journal of the Rutgers University Library, vol. 3, no. 2 (June 1940)
___Potter, David. "The Brodhead Diaries, 1846–1849," The Journal of the Rutgers University Library, vol. 11, no. 1 (December 1947)
___Queens Golden Anniversary Exhibition of Arts and Crafts (1948)
___Queensboro Society of Arts and Crafts Annual Outdoor Exhibit (1951)
___Raymond, Rossiter W. Peter Cooper (1901)
___Record of the Conference on Law, Medicine and the Unstable Family (1949)
___Report of the Special Committee of the Board of Aldermen on the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Installation of the First Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of New York (1915)
___Representative Reviews of "Church and State in the United States" by Anson Phelps Stokes (1950–1951)
___[Rich, O.] Catalogue of a Collection of Manuscripts Principally in Spanish, Relating to America, in the Possession of O. Rich (1894?)
___Riley, Woodbridge, Frederick W. Peabody, and Charles E. Humiston. The Faith, The Falsity and The Failure of Christian Science (1925)
___Riley, Woodbridge. From Myth to Reason: The Story of the March of Mind in the Interpretation of Nature (1926)
___Rochedieu, Charles Alfred. "Bibliography of French Translations of English Works: 1700–1800," offprint from Romanic Review, vol. 41, no. 2 (April 1950)
___Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences. Annual Report (1948)
___[Rochester.] Looking at Your City . . . (1948)
___Rodgers, Cleveland, and Rebecca B. Rankin. "Greater New York's First Birthday," New-York Historical Society Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 1 (January 1948)
___Rogers, Ernest E. Connecticut's Naval Office at New London During the War of the American Revolution (1933)
___St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai (1950)
___Schellenberg, Theodore R. European Archival Practices in Arranging Records (1939)
___Schindler, Margaret Castle. "Fictitious Biography," Journal of the New York Botanical Garden, vol. 20 (September 1919)
___Schnitzler, J. M. Hossfeld's New Practical Method for Learning the Dutch Language (1902)
___Schuyler, Robert Livingston. The Usefulness of Useless History (1941)
___Schwenke, Paul. Zentralblatt für Bibliothekswesen Begründet von Otto Hartwig (1910)
___Scott, Eleanor Bryce. Early Literary Clubs in New York City (1933)
___Sealts, Merton M. Jr. "Melville's Reading: A Check-List of Books Owned and Borrowed," offprint from Harvard Library Bulletin (1948–1950)
___Serís, Homero. Una Nueva Variedad de la Edición Príncipe del "Quijote" (1918)
Works by others (S), 1905, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___O. G. Sonneck, Francis Hopkinson: The First American Poet-Composer (1737–1791), and James Lyon: Patriot, Preacher, Psalmodist (1735–1794); Two Studies in Early American Music (1905)
Works by others (S-W), 1838–1949, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Simms, P. Marion. The Bible from the Beginning (1929)
___Smith, Wilbur M. Therefore, Stand: A Plea for a Vigorous Apologetic in the Present Crisis of Evangelical Christianity (1945)
___Sonneck, O. G. Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791), The First American Composer (1903)
___Sonneck, O. G. Early American Operas (1904/5)
___The Southern Rose [periodical], vol. 6, no. 4 (14 October 1837)–vol. 6, no. 26 (18 August 1838)
___Stedman, Edmund Clarence. Poems, Lyrical and Idyllic (1860) [2 copies]
___Stokes, I. N. Phelps, New York Past and Present: Its History and Landmarks, 1524–1939 (1939)
___Supplément du cinquième livre de l'histoire de Tacite (undated)
___Taylor, Hugh Stott, Ernest O. Lawrence, and Irving Langmuir. Molecular Films, The Cyclotron and The New Biology (1942, 1946)
___[Thomas, George C.] Autographs, Rare Books and Fine Bindings, the Collection of the Late George C. Thomas (1924)
___Thomas, Isaiah. The History of Printing in America, With a Biography of Printers, and an Account of Newspapers, 2 volumes (1874)
___Tout, T. F. Some Conflicting Tendencies in English Administrative History During the Fourteenth Century (1924)
___Van Hoesen, Henry Bartlett. Brown University Library. The Library of the College or University in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England in America, 1767–1782 (1939)
___Weaks, Mabel. "Long Ago and 'Faraway': Traces of Melville in the Marquesas in the Journal of A. G. Jones, 1854–1855," Bulletin of the New York Public Library, vol. 52, no. 7 (July 1948)
___Weaks, Mabel. "Some Ancestral Lines of Herman Melville as Traced in Funeral and Memorial Spoons," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, vol. 80, no. 4 (October 1949)
___Webster, John Clarence. Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres and the Atlantic Neptune (1927)
___Webster, John Clarence. Catalogue of the John Clarence Webster Canadiana Collection (Pictorial Section), New Brunswick Museum (1939)
___Webster, John Clarence. An Historical Guide to New Brunswick (1944)
___Webster, John Clarence. Those Crowded Years, 1863–1944: An Octogenarian's Record of Work (1944)
___Who's Who in Queens, 1936–1937 (1936)
___Winans, George Woodruff. First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica, New York, 1662–1942. A Narrative History of its Two Hundred and Eighty Years of Continuous Service (1943)
___Wroth, Lawrence C. Some American Contributions to the Art of Navigation, 1519–1802 (1947)
___[Wroth, Lawrence C.] In Retrospect, 1923–1949: An Exhibition commemorating twenty-six years of service to The John Carter Brown Library by Lawrence C. Wroth, Librarian (1949)
Works by others (T), 1906, 1910, 1914, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Listed alphabetically by author or title.
___Transactions of the Bronx Society of Arts and Sciences, vol. 1, parts I-III (1906, 1910, 1914)