Richard B. Harwell collection
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteRichard (Barksdale) Harwell (1915-88) was Bowdoin College's librarian from 1961-68. Before coming to Bowdoin, Harwell was educated in Atlanta Public schools. Born on June 6, 1915 in Washington, Ga., the son of Davis Gray and Helen (Barksdale) Harwell furthered his education at Emory University, where he received his Library of Science degree (1938). For the next two years (1938-40), he was assistant to the director of the George Washington Flowers Memorial Collection of Southern Americana at the Duke University Library. He worked at Emory as cataloger of special collections (1940-43), only leaving to serve his country as lieutenant for the U.S. Navy during World War II (1943-46). He returned to his alma mater and was named assistant librarian in 1948, a position he held until 1954. From 1954-56, he was the director of the Southeastern Interlibrary Research Facility; from 1956-57, he was the director of publications for the Virginia State Library, and from 1957-61, he was the executive secretary of the Association of College and Research Libraries. At Bowdoin (1961-68), he was instrumental in the planning and development of the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. A noted Civil War historian, Harwell was also author of several books, numerous articles and hundreds of reviews. Among his notable books are: Confederate Belles-Lettres (1941), Cornerstones of Confederate Collecting (1952), More Confederate Imprints (1957), The Union Reader (1958), and Gone With the Wind as Book and Film (1983). He died on March 9, 1988. Scope and ContentProcessed materials include printed and manuscript materials that document Richard Harwell's interest in Southern history and the Confederacy. Included are Harwell's notes and revisions for his condensations of Freeman's "George Washington" and "R. E. Lee". Also included are manuscripts, proofs, and correspondence (1960-64) of, and relating to, "The Confederate Hundred", "John Esten Cooke", "Kate", "Outlines from the Outpost", and "Two Views of Gettysburg" (edited by Harwell). Also includes correspondence from Harwell's tenure as assistant librarian at Emory University and librarian at Bowdoin College. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationRichard Harwell collection, UA0084, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Immediate Source of Acquisition noteGift of Richard Harwell, 1968 and 1984. Processing Information noteSeries 1-6 processed. All of series 2.2 (Writings, Library Surveys) and 2.5 (Writings, Exhibits) retained by Bowdoin as materials were created entirely during Harwell's tenure as Bowdoin Librarian; these series have been removed from finding aid, therefore there are gaps in series numbers. Other Bowdoin related materials separated and retained by Bowdoin are from 2.1 (Writings, Articles) and M84.4 (Speeches and Coursework) plus some correspondence and biographical clippings. Original folder numbering has not been changed after removing folders, therefore there are some gaps in folder numbers Related Materials and SubjectsSubject Terms |
Special Collections Libraries
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-1641