1960-1997; bulk: 1982-1994
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Edward Chalfant research materials on Henry Adams are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Abstract
This collection contains correspondence and research related to Edward Chalfant's three-part biography of Henry Adams and includes two manuscript drafts of the first book, Both Sides of the Ocean.
Biographical Sketch
Edward Alan Chalfant was born 15 August 1921 to Allan B. Chalfant and Ruth Clark of Cleveland, Ohio. He had one brother, Stuart, and two sisters, Virginia and Evelyn. Chalfant graduated from Dartmouth College in 1942 and was a veteran of World War II.
He married Helen (Eleni) Petrou in Hanover, New Hampshire, and taught English at Dartmouth before establishing himself as a long tenured professor at Hofstra University in New York. He was the author of a three-book biography of Henry Adams, the titles of which included Both Sides of the Ocean: A Biography of Henry Adams, His First Life, 1838-1862 (1981); Better in Darkness: A Biography of Henry Adams: His Second Life, 1862-1891 (1993); and Improvement of the World: A Biography of Henry Adams, His Last Life, 1891-1918 (2000). In 2007, he co-edited the MHS edition of The Education of Henry Adams with Conrad Wright. Chalfant died on 19 March 2017.
James (Jim) Ernest Thorpe III was born 10 September 1942 to James and Elizabeth Daniells Thorpe in Augusta, Georgia. He married Diantha Chrystal on 25 October 1969. Thorpe taught English at Hunter College in New York before entering the publishing field. He and Diantha Thorpe were the publishers of Shoe String Press, an imprint of Archon Books, and lived in North Haven, Connecticut. Thorpe died at the age of 52 on 24 October 1994.
Collection Description
This collection contains correspondence between Edward Chalfant and his publisher, James Thorpe III, mostly about the writing and editorial process. Letters also delve into other literary or historical topics, as well as personal ones. Chalfant wrote often of his wife Eleni, who provided guidance on his writing, and the impact of her multiple sclerosis on their lives. Often letters are accompanied by a newspaper clipping or magazine article of interest. The letters chronicle Chalfant and Thorpe's professional relationship, as well as a deepening friendship over the years.
Also included in the collection are two manuscript drafts of Chalfant's first book of Adams's biography, Both Sides of the Ocean: A Biography of Henry Adams, His First Life, 1838-1862 (1981). Chalfant's research is demonstrated by several scrolls that he created to outline specific evidence for the first book and the second book, Better in Darkness: A Biography of Henry Adams: His Second Life, 1862-1891 (1993). Of significance is the scroll labeled "flow chart," in which Chalfant depicted the history of the Trent Affair as it impacted Adams's anonymous Dispatches to the New York Times. An additional 27 scrolls reflect research undertaken for the second book.
Processing Information
This collection has been iteratively processed. Further processing may take place at a later date.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Edward Chalfant, 2002.
Restrictions on Access
The Edward Chalfant research materials on Henry Adams are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Correspondence, 1975-1997
Arranged chronologically.
Largely containing the correspondence between Edward Chalfant and his publisher, James (Jim) Thorpe III of Shoe String Press, the series also contains correspondence to Chalfant from Diantha Thorpe and other publishing staff. Chalfant often sent copies of letters he received from reviewers to Thorpe. Correspondence mostly contains edits and discussions about various aspects of Henry Adams's life, including his relationship with his wife Marion (Clover) Hooper Adams, antisemitic views, political issues, and relationships with his family and friends. The Trent Affair of 1861 and the New York Gold Conspiracy of 1870, two topics Adams wrote about, are also discussed in the correspondence.
Chalfant and Thorpe developed a candid relationship as evidenced in their correspondence. Chalfant frequently touched upon his wife Eleni's multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as his teaching career at Hofstra, from which he retired in 1988. Other topics of discussion include Judaism; literature; physics and science; repositories where Chalfant conducted research, including the Massachusetts Historical Society and the New York Public Library; and other Henry Adams biographers, particularly Ernest Samuels.
Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1975
Correspondence between Edward Chalfant and James Thorpe III, 1980-March 1992
Correspondence between Edward Chalfant and James Thorpe III, April 1992-September 1994
Correspondence to Diantha Thorpe, 1994-1997
II. Manuscripts, 1982
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains two draft versions of the first book of Chalfant's biography of Henry Adams.
Manuscript draft, From Both Sides of the Ocean, 1982
Manuscript master copy, From Both Sides of the Ocean, [1982]
III. Research scrolls, 1960s-1980s
Research scrolls are rolled and tied with archival string and labeled for content. In correspondence to MHS about his collection, Chalfant explained how he relied on the creation of these scrolls to track his evidence for the first and second books. Of significance is the scroll labeled "flow chart." On this scroll, Chalfant tracked the movement of ships across the Atlantic between the United States and London, accounting for the time between news dispatches. The chart also depicts the history of the Trent Affair as it impacted Adams's anonymous Dispatches to the New York Times. There are also 27 scrolls that, while not a perfect match for the 27 chapters of the second book, come close. These numbered scrolls were created by Chalfant to help organize his research.
Flow chart documenting Adams's dispatches to The New York Times, 1960
Rolled timeline scrolls, undated
Preferred Citation
Edward Chalfant research materials on Henry Adams, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Organizations:
Subjects:
Materials Removed from the Collection
Chalfant's transcripts of dispatches written by Henry Adams for the New York Times between 1861-1862 have been removed from this collection. Researchers may reference this list for guidance on finding the articles in the New York Times Historical Newspapers database (ProQuest) or the New York Times microfilm.
1861
"From Boston," 5 April 1861, page 8.
"Important from England," 7 June 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"American Topics in England," 21 June 1861; page 2, columns 2-3.
"Interesting from England," 28 June 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"Affairs at London," 4 July 1861; page 2, columns 2-3.
"From London," 15 July 1861; page 2, columns 2-3.
"Affairs in London," 19 July 1861, page 2, columns 4-5.
"Why Troops were sent to Canada," 26 July 1861, page 5, column 2.
"From London," 2 August 1861, page 2, columns 3-4.
"Affairs in England," 12 August 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"Affairs in England," 15 August 1861; page 2, columns 2-3.
"From London," 24 August 1861; page 1, columns 5-6; and page 8, column 1.
"American Questions in England," 6 September 1861; page 5, columns 1-2.
"From London," 14 September 1861; page 2, columns 2-3.
"From London," 24 September 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"From London," 26 September 1861; page 2, columns 2-3.
"Matters at London," 8 October 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"Affairs in England," 13 October 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"From Glasgow," 20 October 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"From London," 28 October 1861; page 2, columns 3-4.
"Secession Intrigues in England," 2 November 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"Affairs in England," 7 November 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"The Attitude in London," 18 November 1861; page 2, columns 2-3.
"The American Question," 22 November 1861; page 8, columns 2-3.
"The American Question," 22 November 1861; page 8, columns 2-3.
"Important from England," 30 November 1861; page 2, columns 1-2.
"The Affair of the Nashville," 9 December 1861; page 1, column 6; and page 2, columns 1-3.
"England and America," 19 December 1861; page 2, columns 2-4.
"The War Panic in England," 25 December 1861; page 1, column 6, and page 2, columns 1-3.
"The Anglo-American Issue," 30 December 1861; page 1, column 6; page 2, columns 1-3.
1862
"Important from London," 4 January 1862; page 1, column 1.
"The Suspense in England," 11 January 1862; page 1, column 6; and page 2, columns 1-3.
"The Affair of the Trent," 21 January 1862; page 1, column 1; page 2, columns 2-3.