Table of Contents
- Collection Summary
- Biographical Note
- Scope and Content Note
- Subject Headings
- Related Material
- Administrative Information
- Access and Use
- Encoding Information
- Series List
- Container List
Collection Summary
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
|---|---|
| Creator: | McHenry, Bannon |
| Title: | Bannon McHenry-James Merrill Collection |
| Dates: | circa 1971-2001 |
| Quantity: | 0.6 cubic feet (1 box, 3 oversize portfolios) |
| Abstract: | The Bannon McHenry-James Merrill Collection contains materials pertaining to poet James Merrill, collected by his friend and neighbor, Bannon McHenry (VC 1952). The collection contains correspondence, ephemera, photographs, printed material, and writings of James Merrill. |
Biographical Note
James Merrill was recognized as one of the leading poets of his generation. Born in 1926 in New York City, Merrill won nearly every major literary award in America: two National Book Awards, one for Nights and Days (1966), and one for Mirabell: Books of Numbers (1978); the National Book Critics Circle Award for his Ouija-inspired long poem The Changing Light at Sandover (1982); and the inaugural Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry by the Library of Congress for The Inner Room (1988). He also received both the Bollingen Prize in Poetry and the Pulitzer Prize for Divine Comedies (1976). James Merrill died of a heart attack related to AIDS in 1995 while vacationing in Tucson, Arizona.
Bannon McHenry was born in Baltimore in 1930. She attended the Bryn Mawr School and then Vassar College, graduating from the latter institution in 1952. Bannon McHenry’s intellectual interests focused on art, and she pursued a career as an art historian, teacher, and journalist based in New York. For many years McHenry lived at 164 East 72nd Street, the same building as James Merrill, who had inherited an apartment in the building from his grandmother. McHenry and Merrill became friends, and McHenry collected materials relating to Merrill’s life and work. Merrill gave several of his publications to McHenry, many containing inscriptions to her. McHenry acquired other materials pertaining to Merrill from dealers, bookshops, or other sources.
TopScope and Content Note
The collection includes correspondence, ephemera, photographs, printed material, and writings of James Merrill collected by Merrill's friend and neighbor, Bannon McHenry.
TopAccess and Use
Access
This collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Related Material
TopSubject Headings
Names:
- Hagstrom, Jack
- Hooten, Peter
- Jackson, David, 1922-
- Merrill, James, 1926-1995
- Ray, Kevin
Subjects:
- American literature--20th century
- American poetry--20th century
- Broadsides--United States--20th century
- Ouija boards
Places:
- New York (N.Y.)
- Stonington (Conn.)
Document Types:
- Broadsides
- Ephemera
VCL Categories:
- Literature and Writing
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Bannon McHenry-James Merrill Collection, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Processing Information
Processed by Janine St. Germain, September-October 2019.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Bannon McHenry (VC 1952), 2017.
Series List
Series I. Correspondence, approximately 1980-2001 | |
|---|---|
| This series is divided into three subseries: Letters to Bannon McHenry, Letters from James Merrill, and Letters to James Merrill. Correspondents include Jack Hagstom, Peter Hooton, Robert Hughes, and Kevin Ray. |
Series II. Notes and Ephemera, undated | |
|---|---|
| This series consists of a recipe and other ephemera and handwritten material. |
Series III. Photographs, approximately 1971-2000 | |
|---|---|
| This series consists of publicity and portrait photographs of James Merrill, as well as photos of James Merrill and David Jackson. |
Series IV. Printed Material, approximately 1971-2000 | |
|---|---|
| This series consists of reviews, publicity materials, programs and other printed matter pertaining to James Merrill's works and events in his honor. |
Series V. Writings, 1981-1988 | |
|---|---|
| This series consists of writing by James Merrill, including drafts and copies with annotations by Merrill. |
Container List
Return to the Table of Contents
Details
The Bannon McHenry-James Merrill
Collection contains materials pertaining to poet James Merrill, collected by his
friend and neighbor, Bannon McHenry (VC 1952). The collection contains
correspondence, ephemera, photographs, printed material, and writings of James
Merrill.
