Overview
Papers of philosopher, logician, scientist, and the founder of pragmatism, Charles S. Peirce. Also includes Peirce family correspondence.
Dates
- 1787-1951
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Restricted: closed for digitization.
Boxes 20-21 (Items 301-316)
Boxes 43-45 (Items 694-693)
Boxes 33-35 (Items 471-517)
Individual Items:
145
328
507
593
725
797-798
802
841
1355
1363-1364
For all other material, there are no restrictions on physical access. Collection is open for research.
Extent
74 linear feet (157 boxes, 1 volume, 1 bundle)Includes notebooks, lectures, and other compositions on mathematics, pragmatism, metaphysics, logic, linguistics, and the history of science. Also includes correspondence which ranges over much of Peirce’s private and professional life as well as separate files of Peirce family correspondence; and his translations and reviews; and biographical material. Some manuscripts are annotated by early editors, and some have been used as printer’s copy.
Peirce’s correspondents include: Paul Carus, James McKeen Cattell, Wendell Phillips Garrison, William Fearing Gill, George Shattuck Morison, Benjamin Peirce, James Mills Peirce, Albert Stickney and others. Also with correspondence of Juliette Peirce.
Biographical / Historical
Peirce was a philosopher, logician, scientist, and the founder of pragmatism.
Arrangement
Arrangement of collection was determined by Richard Robin's Annotated catalogue of the papers of Charles S. Peirce (Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1967). Robin’s descriptive work, and this finding aid, have been augmented by Christian Kloesel's annotations, which can be found here.
Arranged into the following series:
- I. Manuscripts
- ___A. Mathematics
- ___B. Pragmatism
- ___C. Phenomenology
- ___D. Logic
- ___E. Metaphysics
- ___F. Physics
- ___G. Chemistry
- ___H. Astronomy
- ___I. Geodesy and metrology
- ___J. Psychology
- ___K. Linguistics
- ___L. History
- ___M. Sciences of review
- ___N. Practical science
- ___O. Reviews
- ___P. Translations
- ___Q. Miscellanea
- ___R. Biographical
- II. Correspondence
- ___A. Charles S. Peirce correspondence
- ___B. Juliette Peirce and Peirce family correspondence
- ___C. Family correspondence
- ___D. Miscellaneous correspondence
Physical Location
b
Provenance:
Most material in this collection was given to the Harvard University Philosophy Department by Juliette Peirce, (the widow of Charles S. Peirce), in the winter of 1914-1915. The Harvard University Philosophy Department later deposited the collection with the Harvard University Archives.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
No accession number. Transfer from Harvard University Archives; received: 1960.
Processing Information
Finding aid created by: Emilie Hardman
The finding aid for this collection is based on descriptions in Richard Robin's Annotated catalogue of the papers of Charles S. Peirce (Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1967) and is further informed by Christian Kloesel's annotations, which can be seen here. Kloesel suggests many items in the collection described by Robin have been moved in full or part to different places within the collection. These suggestions have been noted and are indicated with question marks throughout as the information has not been verified.
Data for items (1)-(1644) were extracted from Robin's catalog by John Old.
- Title
- Peirce, Charles S. (Charles Sanders), 1839-1914. Charles S. Peirce papers, 1787-1951: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- hou02614
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.
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