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Start Over Date range 1901 Subjects Book collecting
West Virginia and Regional History Center

Arthur S. Dayton, Correspondence and Catalogs regarding Purchase of Rare Books

2.1 Linear Feet Summary: 2 ft. 1 in. (5 document cases, 5 in. each)

Correspondence of Arthur Spencer Dayton (1887-1948), prominent Charleston lawyer and avid book collector. The majority of the correspondence is with American and English book dealers and concerns Dayton's purchase of rare books including Shakespeare's four folios as well as other rare Shakespeare volumes; a comprehensive collection of Mark Twain rare editions; Jane Austen rare materials; the 15th century biblical text The Nuremburg Chronicle; and many more rare volumes. Dayton's collection of rare books forms the basis of the West Virginia and Regional History Center's Rare Books Collection. Most correspondence takes the form of copies of business letters, but also includes personal letters to friends and colleagues. The personal letters concern Dayton's view on current politics and the law, health matters, philanthropy, religion, and legal decisions. The content of the boxes of correspondence is as follows: Box 1, ca. 1898-1960; Box 2, 1937-1940; Box 3, 1941-1945; Box 4, 1946-1948; and Box 5, 1949-1952, and undated. The correspondence in Box 5 is mostly from Dayton's wife, Ruth, regarding insuring art and rare materials, as well as the donations of art and rare materials through her charity.

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Arthur S. Dayton, Correspondence and Catalogs regarding Purchase of Rare Books 2.1 Linear Feet Summary: 2 ft. 1 in. (5 document cases, 5 in. each)

Dayton, Arthur Spencer, 1887-1948

Correspondence of Arthur Spencer Dayton (1887-1948), prominent Charleston lawyer and avid book collector. The majority of the correspondence is with American and English book dealers and concerns Dayton's purchase of rare books including Shakespeare's four folios as well as other rare Shakespeare volumes; a comprehensive collection of Mark Twain rare editions; Jane Austen rare materials; the 15th century biblical text The Nuremburg Chronicle; and many more rare volumes. Dayton's collection of rare books forms the basis of the West Virginia and Regional History Center's Rare Books Collection. Most correspondence takes the form of copies of business letters, but also includes personal letters to friends and colleagues. The personal letters concern Dayton's view on current politics and the law, health matters, philanthropy, religion, and legal decisions. The content of the boxes of correspondence is as follows: Box 1, ca. 1898-1960; Box 2, 1937-1940; Box 3, 1941-1945; Box 4, 1946-1948; and Box 5, 1949-1952, and undated. The correspondence in Box 5 is mostly from Dayton's wife, Ruth, regarding insuring art and rare materials, as well as the donations of art and rare materials through her charity.

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