A Guide to the Papers of Ezra Pound 1933-1937 Pound, Ezra, Papers of 8207-d

A Guide to the Papers of Ezra Pound 1933-1937

A Collection in
Clifton Waller Barrett Library
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 8207-d

Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
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USA
Phone: (434) 243-1776
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Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Special Collections Department

Repository

Special Collections, University of Virginia Library

Accession number

8207-d

Title

Papers of Ezra Pound 1933-1937

Physical Characteristics

This collection consists of 17 items.

Language

English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Ezra Pound, Accession #8207-d , Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was purchased from Heartwood Books on September 23, 1988.

Scope and Content Information

In a series of letters to Robert England of the Oglethorpe University Press Pound discusses potential reviewers for "A draft of xxx cantos," mentioning Joseph Hergesheimer and William E. Woodward; disparages James Joyce, S[ylvia?] Beach, Oliver Sprague, incompetents in the Roosevelt administration; emphasizes the importance of understanding economic theory; praises Irving Fisher's "Stamp Scrip," Leo Frobenius, texts by William E. Woodward and Christopher Hollis; advocates the printing of affordable books written by the American founders; discusses types of printing presses and the necessity of the New Deal providing presses for writers; advises an edition of Frobenius and other translations of classics with his Guido Cavalcanti as a model. He also mentions McNair Wilson, Random House, "The New English Weekly," John Gould Fletcher, C. H. Douglas's book "Social credit," William Brockman Bankhead, orchestral music and George Anthiel.

There is an additional letter to the editor of "Westminster" asking that an article be corrected and disagreeing with "Bacon".

With these is "A plan for a regional printing press" by England corrected by Pound, written for submission to the Works Progress Administration.

Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

S[ylvia?]

Contents List

"A Plan for a Regional Printing Press" by Robert England, with annotations in the margins by Ezra Pound 1935

7 p., TMs

This proposal for a non-profit-making press, government owned, was submitted to the Works Progress Administration by England.

Ezra Pound to Robert England 1933 Jan 3

1 p., TPCS

Informs England that he is forwarding his letter to McNair Wilson who may quote it without using England's name, and suggests that the newspaper editors missed a very important point in Rosevelt's Atlanta speech.

E.P. to R.E. 1933 May 5

1 p., TPCS

Asks why the magazine editors and the American universities will not make use of the material that he has already written and suggests that England "select as a reviewer ANY author "boomed by [Henry Seidel] Canby and the weekly supplements."

E.P. to R.E. [1933] Jun 6

3 p., TLS

Sends and article to England, and responds to his request of suggestions concerning a possible reviewer for A Draft of XXX Cantos by expressing respect for Joseph Hergesheimer (1880-1954) and suggesting [William E.] Woodward, "Woodward who wrote Washington, Image and Man or any active mind not engaged in producing pseudo literature, or any economist who would detach the underlying economic ideas; would be more interesting than just another blurb or half masted slobber." He also mentions his translation of The Sonnets and Ballate of Guido Cavalcanti .

E.P. to R.E. 1933 Jul 11

2 p., TPCS

Pound agrees to an economist as a reviewer for A Draft of XXX Cantos and tells England to have the reviewer to educate himself on his ABC of Economics . He also asks, "does the Oglethorpe University Press make any effort to print those things which OUGHT to be printed and which the thieves and barrators of the trade NEVER make any effort to print/and which the reviewers don't want?"

E.P. to the Editor of Westminster 1933 Oct 9

2 p., TLS

Asks that a correction be made in his article for the Autumn issue and expresses his disagreement with Mr. Bacon saying "I think I will accuse Mr. B and all his generation, from Nicholas Butler down, with ignoring the present, and with failure to read the facts of contemporary history."

E.P. to R.E. 1933 Nov 13

2 p., TPC

Writes with disdain for James Joyce "wholly unconscious of the past fifteen years of contemporary life" and approval for Leo Victor Frobenius (1873-1938), "an africanologist/ who has a MIND and uses it/also uses Africa as basis for writing with general interest for other intelligent men."

E.P. to R.E. [1933?] Dec 24

2 p., TLS

Depreciates [Oliver Mitchell Wenworth] Sprague of Harvard claiming that he was directly responsible for killing the stamp scrip proposition, refers to the review of his Cavalcanti, informs England that no bibliography of his work exists, and lists his books printed in 1933 and his works still in progress and not yet published.

E.P. to R.E [1934?] Feb 7

2 p., TPC

Writes disparagingly about contemporary writers ignorant of economic theory, S[ylvia?] Beach, [Richard Doddridge?] Blackmore, and Random House. He mentions printing [Robert] McAlmon's "Gerite in Exile."

E.P. to R.E. 1934 Apr 23

1 p., TPC

Betrates England for not understanding the primary inportance of economics in the contemporary world.

E.P. to R.E [1934] Dec 5

TLS

Pound rages against the incompetents in Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, suggest that Rosevelt would benefit from reading [Irving?] Fisher's book Stamp Scrip .

E.P. to R.E 1935 Sep 26

1 p., TLS

Tells England to subscribe to the New English Weekly and to forget reading the New Republic and Nation . He says that J.G. Fletcher will keep him informed of the progess of Social Credit , and asks for news about [William Brockman] Bankhead.

E.P. to R.E 1937 Feb 22

1 p., TLS (EC)

Writes re England's interest in orchestra music, George Antheil, the need for a new line of history textbooks, especially mentioning W.E. Woodward's A New American History and Chris Hollis' Two Nations .

E.P. to R.E 1937 Apr 19

2 p., TLS

Explains "There has always been a perfectly good chance of my coming back to the U.S. whenever there was a chance of my doing anything useful that wouldn't merely break up my own work," and describes in detail what books by American founders should be printed in affordable editions, also the need for an "American monthly or quarterly report on world thought and research."

E.P. to R.E. 1937 Apr 24

1 p., TLS

Discusses the various types of printing presses, encloses a list of awards by the Italian Academy, accuses Nicholas Butler of being ineffectual and preventing the success of Carnegie Endowment of International Peace.

E.P. to R.E [1937?] May 12

1 p., TLS

Talks about the need for the New Deal to provide linotype presses for the writers, one for every region, and the old-fashioned ideas of writer's unions and newspaper guilds.

E.P. to R.E n.y. Aug 10

6 p., TLS

Refers to the Virginia Quarterly as a provincial rag, asks why England doesn't do an edition of Frobenius, and mentions The London Illustrated News coverage of Frobenius' last expedition, Langston Hughes appreciation for his attempts to get Frobenius translated, and his work on Cavalcanti.