James Thomas Fields papers, 1767-1914, bulk 1850-1914

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Summary

Creators:
Fields, James Thomas
Abstract:
The collections consist primarily of letters, as well as poems and manuscripts, from various American and British authors to American editor, publisher, and poet James Thomas Fields (1817-1881), mostly relating to publication of their manuscripts by his firm Ticknor and Fields and in The Atlantic Monthly. The collection also includes letters to Fields's wife Annie Fields (1834-1915) concerning literary matters.
Extent:
70 Linear Feet (74 boxes, 1 envelope, 1 oversize folder, 1 volume)
Language:
The materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. James Thomas Fields papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collections consist primarily of letters from various American and British authors to James Fields, mostly relating to publication of their manuscripts by his firm Ticknor and Fields and in The Atlantic Monthly. The collection also includes letters to Annie (Adams) Fields concerning literary matters. There are also poems, manuscripts, and correspondence by and about the following individuals: Thomas Aldrich, Charlotte Cushman, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Jessie Benton Frémont, Edward Everett Hale, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Julia Ward Howe, Helen Hunt Jackson, Sarah Orne Jewett, Lucy Larcom, Sara Jane Clarke Lippincott (better known by her pen name Grace Greenwood), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Helena Modjeska, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Celia Thaxter, Booker T. Washington and John Greenleaf Whittier. The collection also contains essays, notes, speeches, notebooks, photographs, and articles. The collections chiefly deal with the activities of Ticknor and Fields, as well as Fields' and his wife's own literary efforts. The following authors are subjects in the collections: Robert Burns, Lord Byron, John Milton and Percy Shelley. Presidential items in this collection include John Adams autograph bill for legal services to Thomas Pratt, 1767 October 14 (FI 5102) and two autograph letters signed from William H. Taft to Annie Adams Fields, 1914 February? and 1914 March 10 (FI 4098, FI 4099).

Biographical / historical:

James Thomas Fields (1817-1881) occupied an important position in the nineteenth century literary scene in his dual role as editor of The Atlantic Monthly and publisher in the Boston firm of Ticknor and Fields. His career as publisher began in 1831, when he became a clerk for the Old Corner Bookstore, which evolved into the firm of William D. Ticknor and Company. During the forties, Ticknor and Co. began its rise to greatness, with extra impetus provided by its publication in 1847 of Longfellow's Evangeline. Soon after, the firm also established relations with other New England writers such as Whittier, Lowell, Hawthorne, and Holmes, each of whom contributed to the increasing prestige of Ticknor and Co. Meanwhile, Fields began a corresponding rise, advancing to a junior partnership in 1843, though the firm retained its title until 1849, when it became Ticknor, Reed and Fields. The title of Ticknor and Fields came into being in June, 1854, and lasted until 1868, when reorganization changed the name to Fields, Osgood and Company, with Fields as senior partner. Throughout his career as a publisher, Fields was extremely successful in establishing good relationships (and in a great many cases, friendships) with a large number of authors, both American and English. Through his fair and generous terms in dealing with them and through his policy of protecting their works against piracy in spite of the absence of any international copyright laws, he was able to attract established, well-known writers to his firm, as well as many who would yet achieve fame. Fields succeeded also in obtaining wide exposure of his firm's books by means of his extensive circle of friends and acquaintances among editors and book reviewers. Chiefly as a result of his promotional talents, Ticknor and Fields were able to develop a national market for their books and hence to make Boston the primary center in the United States for the publication of literary works.

In his capacity as editor of The Atlantic Monthly, Fields was no less successful. Created in May, 1857, the magazine was purchased by Ticknor and Fields two years later. The following year, Fields took over the editorship of the magazine from James Russell Lowell. During Field's tenure as editor, he continued to maintain the magazine's reputation for dignity and integrity which Lowell had established, and his promptness and business acumen provided a marked contrast to Lowell's sometimes casual methods. As in his role of publisher, Fields dealt fairly and generously with Atlantic contributors, inaugurating the practice of paying for articles when accepted rather than when published. Further, he actively sought out new writers in an effort to broaden the appeal of the magazine, also accepting more pieces of light fiction to ease the number of scholarly literary and historical articles. Under his leadership, the Atlantic significantly increased its circulation, becoming widely known throughout much of the United States and England, as well.

On December 31, 1870, Fields retired from business, partly because of health, but was able to continue his writing and lecturing. He also continued to enjoy the many friendships he had formed with authors and other literary figures. The Fields home, with James and his wife, Annie (Adams) Fields (1834-1915) receiving, had become a delightful gathering place for literary people in Boston. There were frequent visits from those in and around Boston, such as Dr. Holmes, who lived just down the street, and there were guests from abroad -- those whom the Fieldses had met on their several trips to England, and many distinguished visitors who were brought to the Fieldses to meet the Boston literary circle. The story of the many hours spent with their literary friends is told in their memoirs: Authors and Friends, by Annie Fields, and Yesterdays with Authors, by James T. Fields.

Following James Fields's death in 1881, Annie continued to receive her many friends, with the frequent companionship of Sarah Orne Jewett, and continued her own literary activities until her death in 1915.

Acquisition information:
The bulk of the collection was purchased from A. S. W. Rosenbach, July 1922. FI 5097-5438 and FAC 1015 were received as the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Bole Jr. (Benjamin Patterson Bole Jr. and Nancy Adams Bole) and Samuel Adams in 1978 and of Mrs. Benjamin P. Bole Jr. (Nancy Adams Bole) in 1986. Boylston Beal, Gift, 1934 and 1936. FI 5447 was purchased from the Autograph Alcove, in May 1989.
Processing information:

The collection was processed and a summary report first created in 1976, and revised in 1983. In March 2000, an initial EAD-encoded finding aid was created and then updated in 2004. In January 2015, Diann Benti created a box list for the collection and this updated version of the finding aid.

This finding aid was updated in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project with enhanced description of the presidential material present.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged alphabetically by author.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. James Thomas Fields papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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