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TABLE OF CONTENTS


Biographical Sketch

Scope and Contents

Restrictions

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Description of Series

I. Undated Transcripts of Works by Dumas

II. Works about Alexandre Dumas

III. Correspondence

IV. Bibliographical Works about Dumas

V. Works by F. W. Reed not pertaining to Alexandre Dumas

VI. Miscellaneous Items

Index

University of Texas, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center

The I. H. Slater Collection of Alexandre Dumas:

An Inventory of His Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center



Creator: Slater, I. H. (Ivan), 1900-1968.
Title: The I. H. Slater Collection of Alexandre Dumas
Dates: 1918-1968
Abstract: Ivan H. Slater, from Kaeo, Northland, New Zealand, owned possibly the largest private collection of editions of Alexandre Dumas Pere (1802-1870) during the 1930s through the 1960s.His passion for collecting Dumas material lasted until his death in 1968. Slater worked in association with other Dumas collectors in New Zealand and abroad, principally by correspondence, as he never traveled outside of New Zealand.
RLIN Record # TXRC91-A26
Extent: 17 document cases, 82 bound vols.
Repository: Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin

Biographical Sketch

Ivan H. Slater (1900-1968), from Kaeo, Northland, New Zealand, owned possibly the largest private collection of editions of Alexandre Dumas Pere (1802-1870) during the 1930s through the 1960s. Dumas, who began as a clerical worker, is best known for his novels Les Trois Mousquetaires (1844) and Le Comte de Monte Cristo (1844). Dumas used many collaborators in his writing, especially Auguste Maquet, who collected facts for the historical backgrounds of Dumas' novels. Mr. Slater began collecting in 1918 at the age of eighteen when he browsed through Dumas' The Black Tulip. His passion for collecting Dumas material lasted until his death in 1968. Slater worked in association with other Dumas collectors in New Zealand and abroad, principally by correspondence, as he never traveled outside of New Zealand. He corresponded with Frank Wild Reed of Whangarei, a fellow Dumas enthusiast, from 1925 until Reed's death in 1953. Reed bequeathed most of his Dumas notes and material to Slater, which greatly contributed to the Slater Dumas collection.

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Scope and Contents

Holograph manuscripts, notebooks containing manuscript translations, typescripts, bound volumes containing works by Dumas, works about Dumas, as well as bibliographies, correspondence, photographs, and a scrapbook comprise the I. H. Slater collection of Alexandre Dumas Pere. The material is arranged in six series: Undated Typescripts of Works by Dumas, Works about Alexandre Dumas, Correspondence, Bibliographical Works about Dumas, Works by F. W. Reed not pertaining to Dumas, and Miscellaneous Items.

The material in the Slater Dumas collection spans from 1918 to 1968, and includes notebooks that contain partial translations, typescript drafts of transcriptions of Dumas' works, as well as the correspondence between Slater and fellow Dumas collector F. W. Reed. The only materials in the collection in Dumas' hand are the note and the manuscript fragment found in the first series. The remaining materials are handwritten or typed translations of Dumas' works or materials about him. The last series, Miscellaneous Items, contains a hodgepodge of materials including some personal items that belonged to Slater. Photographs, Slater's scrapbook, and F. W. Reed's calling card can be found here.

Most of the materials are presented in one of two formats. The loose items are stored in folders, while some materials were bound together by Slater. Slater assigned a number sequence to some of the bound volumes, which is stamped on the spine. The unnumbered volumes were assigned numbers during cataloging to facilitate use.

The HRHRC holds an extensive collection of Dumas' published works in its library which may serve as a compliment to this vast and detailed Dumas archive.

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Restrictions

Access:

Open for research

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Index Terms

Correspondents
Bell, A. Craig.
Duthie, R.
Davis, N. P.
Feil, M. B.
Munroe, Douglas.
Nielsen, Aksel J.
Reed, Frank Wild, 1874- .
White, Richard, of New Zealand.
Organizations
B.H. Blackwell Ltd.
Subjects
Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition:

Purchase

Processed by:

Wendy Bowersock, 1991

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I. H. Slater Collection of Alexandre Dumas--Folder List

 

I. Undated Transcripts of Works by Dumas

All of Dumas' major works are represented in Slater's collection. Two holograph manuscripts in Dumas' hand begin the first series, followed by translations of various editions of Dumas' works arranged alphabetically. Many of the translations are handwritten in notebooks. Also included in the first series are bound volumes containing typed translations of Dumas' plays, novels, short stories, and poetry. The bound volumes are arranged alphabetically by title, with some volume numbers assigned by Slater and some assigned by the cataloger for organizational purposes.
Box Folder
1 1 Two Dumas holographs, 1 autographed note, 1 page from Neron
2 The Alchemist
3 Aught Save Death or Ruth the Moabit
The Bride of Monte Cristo
Box Folder
1 4 Handwritten manuscript
5 Typescript
Burry d'Amborse and Mine de Montsoreau
Box Folder
1 6 I
7 II
8 III
9 The Cabriolet Driver
10-11 Caligula, 2 typescripts
Box Folder
2 1 Catherine Howard
2 Chicot
3 Le Comte de Mazzara and other items
4 The Comte de Morcerf
5 Don Juan de Maraua, Piquillo
6 Dumas in England
7 L'Ecassais
The End of Chicot
Box Folder
2 8 I
9 II
10 III
11 IV
Isaac Laquedem
Box Folder
2 12 vol. I
Box Folder
3 1 vol. II
2 vol. III
3 vol. IV
4 Jeannic Le Breton
5 Julien
6 The Legend of Cologne Cathedral
7 Madame Chamblay
8 Le Mariage Sons Louis XV
9 Mediterranee
10 Monte Cristo, fragments
Box Folder
4 1 Orestes
2 Paul Jones
3 Personal Recollections of Alexandre Dumas
4 Le Roi Robert et la Belle Edith
5 Souvenirs Dramatiques par Alexandre Dumas
6 The Twenty-fourth of February
7 What's Sauce for the Goose is Sauce for the Gander
The Youth of Louis XV
Box Folder
4 8 Part 1
9 Part 2
10 Various works in a notebook The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, The Corsican Brothers, and others
11 Various works, notebooks The Duke of Ossuna Bauorts, Padre Rocco's Sermon, Seynor Mercurio, and others
12 Various works:
Alexandre's PenCesar, A Chat with My Readers, Comment Je Mis Garibaldi, Dauzats, The Exiles, How a Great Friendship Began, The Lazzarne and the EnglishmanLocmaria/D'Artagnen, Man and the Years of Life, preface to Memoirs of Horace, Memoirs of Horace, Preface in the Form of a Chat, To His Fellow Citizens of the Department of Seine-et-Oise, and other fragments
Bound Plays
Volume
1 Love & the Chase, The Wedding & the Burial, Henri III & His Court, Christine, Napoleon Bonaparte, 1955
Supp. vol. 1 The Son of the Emigre, The Scotsman, Pietro Tasca, 1958
Volume
2 Antony, Charles VII, Richard Darlington, Teresa, 1946
Supp. vol. 2 The Youth of Louis XV, La Bacchante, The Prisoner of the Bastille, Joseph Balsamo, 1958
Volume
3 The Husband of the Widow, The Tower of Nesle, Angele, Catherine Howard, 1947
Supp. vol. 3 Cromwell et Charles, Le Bourgeois de Grand, Leo Burkart, 1960
Volume
4 Don Juan De Marana, Kean, Piquillo, Caligula, 1949
Supp. vol. 4 Bartardi, Perrinet Leclerc, La Venitienne, La Tour de Babel, 1961
Volume
5 Paul Jones, The Alchemist, Mlle. De Belle Isle, A Marriage Under Louis XV, 1949
Supp. vol. 5 Cricri et ses Mutrons, Caligula, Les Trois Gendermes, 1962
Volume
6 Lorinzino, Halifax, The Demoiselles of Saint-Cyr, Louise Bernard, 1950
Supp. vol. 6 Bathilde, Caesar's Will, Le Roi Robert et la Belle Edith, 1962
Volume
7 The Laird of Dumbiky, A Daughter of the Regent, Queen Margot, 1955
Volume
8 Intrigue and Love, Chevalier De Maison Rouge, Hamlet, The Green Cashmere, 1957
Volume
9 Monte Cristo 1 & 2, Comte De Morcerf, Villefort, 1957
Volume
10 The Youth of the Musketeers, The Musketeers, Catilina, 1958
Volume
11 Chevalier D'Harmental, The War of the Women, Count Hermann, 1958
Volume
12 Three Interludes, Urbain Grandier, The 24th February, Chase of the Chastre, Barrier de Clichy, 1958
Volume
13 The Vampire, Romulus, The Youth of Louis XIV, The Marble Mason, Conscience, 1958
Volume
14 Orestes, Tower of St. Jacques, The Queen's Bolt, Invitation to the Waltz, The Foresters, 1958
Volume
15 Honour Is Satisfied, The Romance of Elvire, The other Side of a Conspiracy, The Gentleman of the Mountain, The Lady of Monsoreau, 1958
Volume
16 The Mohicans of Paris, Gabriel Lambert, Madame De Chamblay, The White & the Blues, 1958
Bound Novels
Volume
17 The Bride of Monte Cristo
Volume
18 The Comte de Moret vol. 1
Volume
19 The Comte de Moret vol. 2
Volume
20 The Count of Mazzara
Volume
21 Isaac Laquedem
Volume
22 Melanges Curieux
Volume
23 Monte Cristo's Daughter
Volume
24 Montevideo on une Nouvelle Troie
Volume
25 Parisians and Provincials
Volume
26 The Watchmaker, Herminie
Volume
27 Bound Short Stories
Volume
28 Bound Poetry

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II. Works about Alexandre Dumas

The life of Alexandre Dumas is represented in the second series. The manuscript of Craig Bell's Alexandre Dumas, as well as various other works about Dumas are arranged alphabetically by the author's name. Also included are Charles Robin's and Gustave Simon's texts concerning the collaboration of Alexandre Dumas with Auguste Maquet. The second series includes bound volumes containing works about Dumas.
Bell, Craig. Alexandre Dumas. All revisions by F. W. Reed
Box Folder
5 1 Preface, handwritten and typescript
2 Prologue and forward
3 Acknowledgement
4 Chapters I, II, III, IV
5 Chapters V, X, XI, XII (chapters VI, VII, VIII, and IX are missing)
6 Chapters XIII, XIV, XV, XVI
7 Chapters XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX
8 Chapters XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV
9 Chapters XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII
10 Chapters XXIX, XXX, XXXI, XXXII
11 Chapters XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV
12 Appendix
13 Working drafts--pages 13, 327, and 328
Box Folder
6 1 Bryant, Margaret. Alexandre Dumas, and Lenorte, G. Alexandre Dumas Pere
2 Chincholle, Charles. Dumas Today
3 Cook, Dutton. Nights at the Play"Monte Cristo"
4 Croton-Duvivier. Alexandre Dumas
5 Croton-Duvivier. Voltaire Bantered by Alexandre Dumas
6 D'Almeras, Henri. Alexandre Dumas and the Three Musketeers
7 Dash, Comterre. Memoires des Autres
8 D'Hauterive, Ernest. General Alexandre Dumas
9 Dumas, Marie Alexandre. Prelude to My Life
10 Ferry, Gabriel. The Last Years of Alexandre Dumas, 1864-1870
11 Garnett, R.S. The New Dumas
Box Folder
7 1-3 Glinel, Charles. The Poetical Works of Dumas Pere
4 Janin, Jules. Alexandre Dumas and Dumas' Mme de Chamblay
5 Lecomte, L. Henry. Theatre Historique
6-7 Mahalin, Paul. D'Artagnan
8 Nielsen, Askel J. Bibliographie d'Alexandre Dumas Pere in Danemark, Norvege et Suede
9 Pifteau, Benjamin. Alexandre Dumas in His Shirt Sleeves: An Anecdotal Study
Reed, F. W.
Box Folder
7 10 Captain Marion
11 A Chronology of Alexandre Dumas
12 Dumas and "Captain Marion", Dumas Wins Success
13 Dumas as Dramatist
14 Dumas' First Long Works other than Collected Stories
Box Folder
8 1 The Dumas Museum, The Small Museum of a Great Man, Detached Leaves, The Centenary Festival
2 The French Periodical Press
3 Introducing Alexandre Dumas
4 A Life of Dumas
5 Portraiture of Dumas Pere
6 Storied Romance
7 Telepathy in Books; some bibliographical information on Dumas' plays
8 Les Trois Mousquetaires, articles regarding the text
9 Alexandre Dumas
10-11 Robin, Charles. Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
12 Simon, Gustave. The Story of Collaboration: Dumas and Maquet
Slater, I. H.
Box Folder
9 1 Alexandre Dumas and His Romances
2 Andrens Lang and Harry Spurr Cross Swords
3-4 Notes on Dumas--forward to vol. 13,
5 Motion Pictures of Dumas' Romances
6 A Museum of Essays
7 The Years of Alexandre Dumas Pere
8 Various notes concerning Alexandre Dumas and his works
9 Early book reviews from the British Museum
10 Extracts from British Museum Catalog "Dumas"
11 Extracts from various magazines
Box Folder
10 1 Various articles about Alexandre Dumas
2 Notes on Dumas vol. 13, incomplete
3-4 Notes on Dumas, duplicate
Bound Works about Dumas
Volume
29-41 Notes on Dumas, vols. 1-12
Volume
42 d'Almeras, Henri. The Letters of Van Engelgom
Volume
43 Audebrand, Philibert. Alexandre Dumas at the Maison D'Or, and De Bury, H. Blaze. Alexandre Dumas, His Life, His Times, His Works
Volume
44 Garnett, R.S. The Dumas Notebooks I to IV
Volume
45 Glinel, Charles. Alexandre Dumas and His Work
Volume
46 Lecomte, L. Henry. Alexandre Dumas, His Private Life, His Works; Querard, J.M. Literary Deceits Revealed; Asselineau, Charles. Romantic Bibliography; Parran, A. Romantics; Goizet, J. Anecdotal History of Theatrical Collaboration
Mahalin, Paul.
Volume
47 D'Artagnan
Volume
48 Guise and Valois
Volume
49 Nodier, Charles. Stories
Parigot, Hippolyte.
Volume
50 Alexandre Dumas Pere
Volume
51 The Drama of Alexandre Dumas
Reed, F. W.
Volume
52 Chronological Data Concerning Alexandre Dumas Pere
Volume
53 A Life of Alexandre Dumas Pere
Volume
54 Notes on English and American Translations of Dumas Pere
Volume
55 Storied Romance
Volume
56 Robin, Charles. Alexandre Dumas, Auguste Maquet; Chincholle, Charles. Alexandre Dumas Today; Janin, Jules. Alexandre Dumas; Pifteau, Benjamin. Alexandre Dumas in His Shirt Sleeves; Michaux, M.A. Personal Recollections of Alexandre Dumas; Courmeaux, Eugene. Alexandre Dumas; Gautier, Theophile. The References to Alexandre Dumas in Dramatic Art in France
Volume
57 Slater, I. H. One Hundred Short Biographies of Alexandre Dumas Collaborators, Secretaries, and Other Persons Connected in Some Way or other with Him.

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III. Correspondence

The third series comprises correspondence primarily between F. W. Reed and I. H. Slater from 1925 to 1953, in which they shared bibliographical information about Dumas. This series also includes Slater's correspondence with such figures as A. Craig Bell, Blackwell's, N.P. Davis, Douglas Munroe, as well as many others. There is one folder of unidentified correspondence. There is a complete list of correspondents at the end of the inventory.
Correspondence between F. W. Reed and I. H. Slater
Box Folder
11 1 1925
2 1926
3 1927
4 1934
5 1935
6 1936
7 1937
8 1938
9 1939
10 1940
11 1941
Box Folder
12 1 1942
2 1943
3 1944
4 1945
5 1946
6 1947
7 1948
8 1949
9 1950
10 1951
11 1952-1953
Box Folder
13 1 Correspondence between A. Craig Bell and I. H. Slater, 1951-1953
2 Correspondence between Blackwell's and I. H. Slater, 1964
3 Correspondence between N.P. Davis and I. H. Slater, 1953-1958
4 Correspondence between Douglas Munroe and I. H. Slater, 1940-1965
5 Aksel J. Nielsen and I. H. Slater, 1956-1968
6 Other I. H. Slater correspondence
7 Unidentified correspondence

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IV. Bibliographical Works about Dumas

The fourth series contains bibliographical works about Dumas, compiled predominantly by I. H. Slater and F. W. Reed. The bound bibliographical works are arranged chronologically to reflect the progression of Slater's and Reed's collection.
Box Folder
14 1 Catalogue of the Dorothy H. Knot Dumas Collection
2 Reed, F. W. Catalogue of Dumas Material
3 Reed, F. W. and Slater, I. H. The Length of Dumas' Chief Romances as English Publishers Give Them
Slater, I. H.
Box Folder
14 4 List of Books by Alexandre Dumas
5 Bibliography of Dumas Notes, I and II
6 Bibliography of A. Dumas: First drafts and material
7-10 A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
Box Folder
15 1-2 A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas (Pere) duplicate
3-4 Catalogue of the Slater Dumas Collection 1961
5 Lists of Various Dumas Collections
6-7 Bibliographical Information Regarding Dumas
8-9 Reed, F. W. Notes on English and American Translations of Dumas Pere
Bound volumes
Volume
58 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of the Works of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 1, 1928
Volume
59 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of the Works of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 2, 1928
Volume
60 Slater, I. H. Catalogue of the Slater Dumas Collection, 1941
Volume
61 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of the Romances of Dumas Pere, 1942
Volume
62 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of the Romances of Dumas Pere, 1943
Volume
63 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of Books and Periodical Articles on Alexandre Dumas Pere, 1945
Volume
64 Slater, I. H. Catalogue of the Slater Dumas Collection, 1945
Volume
65 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of the Plays of Alexandre Dumas Pere, part I to 1848, 1946
Volume
66 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of the Plays of Alexandre Dumas Pere, part II from 1849, 1946
Volume
67 Slater, I. H. A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 1, 1949
Volume
68 Slater, I. H. A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 2, 1949
Volume
69 Reed, F. W. A Bibliography of the Miscellaneous Works of Dumas Pere, 1949
Volume
70 Slater, I. H. The Catalogue of the Slater Dumas Collection, 1949,
2 copies
Volume
71 Slater, I. H. A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 1. 1949
Volume
72 Slater, I. H. A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 2, 1949
Volume
73 Slater, I. H. A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 1, 1956
Volume
74 Slater, I. H. A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas Pere, vol. 2, 1956
Volume
75 Slater, I. H. The Catalogue of the Slater Dumas Collection, revised and augmented up to the end of 1968 1961,

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V. Works by F. W. Reed not pertaining to Alexandre Dumas

In the fifth series, works by F. W. Reed that do not pertain to Alexandre Dumas can be found. These plays, novels, and other various works are arranged alphabetically by title, and cover a wide range of subjects. Some of the titles include Early Pharmacy in Whangarei, A Pawn to Play, and Three Playlets.
The final series, Miscellaneous Items, contains a variety of materials collected by Slater. Various works not relating to Dumas, a picture of Dumas, Dumas' coat of arms, printing blocks, photographs, and a scrapbook are some of the items found in this series.
Box Folder
16 1 Aught Save Death or Ruth the Moabites
2 Early Pharmacy in Whangarei
3 In Old Damaseus,
Extent 2 copies
4 Into a Far Country
5 Joseph in Egypt I and II
6 Keep Your Old Bones
7 Laadau the Samaritan
8 Oddsfish! Mistress Nelly
A Pawn To Play
Box Folder
16 9 Chapters I-V
10 Chapters VI-XII
11 Chapters XIII-XVIII
Box Folder
17 1 The Prophecy of Cozette
2 What Shall I Profit a Man?
3 Three Playlets, The Forgetful Angel, The Literary Scarecrow, A Preliminary Note

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VI. Miscellaneous Items

Box Folder
17 4 Various works by authors; not related to A. Dumas: Calamus. A Star To Steer By; Moliere. Three Interludes for "Love the Physician"; Piquello. Giants, Horse Sense,Puns and Maori Bulls, Human Balloons, The Woman in White; Pushkin, Alexander. The Coffin Maker
5 Picture of Dumas, coat of arms, drawing of Quinze Jours a Sinai
6 Mock bookplate of I. H. Slater, printing block of bookplate, printing block of A. Dumas, printing block of a house
7 Prints of Alexandre Dumas and house from blocks
8 Account of the journey of I. H. Slater to Whangarei in 1939, 2 newspaper articles on F. W. Reed
9 Various items belonging to F. W. Reed and I. H. Slater
10 Photographs
* Scrapbook, shelved in oversize

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 I. H. Slater Collection of Alexandre Dumas Papers--Index of Correspondents 

Names in boldappear in the RLIN record

  • Allen, Betty--13.6
  • Banz, J.--13.6
  • Barklock, Professor--13.6
  • Bell, A. Craig--13.1
  • B. H. Blackwell Ltd.--13.2
  • British Museum--13.6
  • Bybee, Medora M.--13.6
  • Campanella, A. P.--13.6
  • Clouston, V. J.--13.6
  • W. M. Collins Sons and Co.--13.6
  • Cunard, Douglas--13.6
  • Davis, N. P.--13.3
  • Dingwall, E. J.--13.6
  • Dunthie, R.--13.6
  • Feil, M. B.--13.6
  • The Gisborne Herald--13.6
  • Josserand, P.--13.6
  • Knot, Miss--13.6
  • Leeson, Ida--13.6
  • Legation de France en Nouvell Felande--13.6
  • Lough, Mrs.--13.6
  • Louttit, William--13.6
  • Lowe, Marjorie--13.6
  • Muir, Mr.--13.6
  • Munroe, Douglas--13.4
  • Newbold's Bookshop Ltd.--13.6
  • New Zealand Observer--13.6
  • Necolet, A.--13.6
  • Nielsen, Aksel J.--13.5
  • Reed, Frank Wild, 1874- --Boxes 11,12
  • Sania, A.--13.6
  • Scholefield, G. H.--13.6
  • Shelly, James--13.6
  • Tyng, Dorothy--13.6
  • The Weekly News--13.6
  • White, Richard--13.6
  • Withers, H. S.--13.6

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