Levenson (Joseph R.) Papers, [ca. 1954-1969]

Summary

Title:

Joseph Richmond Levenson Papers,

Dates:

[ca. 1954-1969]

Creators:

Levenson, Joseph Richmond, 1920-1969

Abstract:

Correspondence with colleagues, friends, former students, etc.; MSS of his writings (books and articles) primarily on Chinese history and civilization; some related notes; biographical information and personalia; notes for course lectures and seminars.

Extent:

Number of containers: 5 boxes, 2 cartons

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Joseph Richmond Levenson Papers, BANC MSS 71/113 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Joseph R. Levenson was born on June 10, 1920, in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Boston Latin School (1931-1937) and Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in June 1941. In September he became a graduate student in Harvard's History Department, but with U.S. entrance into World War II, Levenson spent the next five years in the Navy. In 1946 he returned to Harvard and was awarded his A.M. in 1947 and his Ph.D. two years later, having written his dissertation on Liang Ch'i-ch'ao under the direction of John K. Fairbank. After spending three years as a Junior Fellow of Harvard's Society of Fellows (1948-1951), he accepted an assistant professorship at the University of California, Berkeley, where he remained the rest of his distinguished career. In 1965 he was appointed Sather Professor of History. Levenson died in a boating accident on April 6, 1969.

During Levenson's lifetime, five of his books were published, including Liang Ch'i-ch'ao and the Mind of Modern China and the three volumes comprising the trilogy, Confucian China and Its Modern Fate. Another four books were published posthumously. In addition he published thirty-six articles and numerous book reviews.

Physical location:

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

The collection of his papers was donated to The Bancroft Library by his widow, Rosemary Sebag-Montefiore Levenson, in 1970, with additions from Professor Frederic Wakeman in 1973. Housed in five boxes and two cartons, the collection includes correspondence, manuscripts of Levenson's articles and books, and course notes which reflect both his teaching career and his research interests.

The Key to Arrangement which follows describes the material in greater detail.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Processed by The Bancroft Library staff

Date Prepared:

© 1997

Date Encoded:

Machine-readable finding aid derived from paper by means of scanning and OCR; OCR file edited for typographical errors before encoding; finding aid encoded by Charlotte Gerstein. Date of source: ca. 1971.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Joseph Richmond Levenson Papers, BANC MSS 71/113 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:

UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library

University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library

Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US

Contact:

510-642-6481

bancref-library@berkeley.edu

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