University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Milton Society of America.

Records, 1942-[ongoing].

UWM Manuscript Collection 104

2.2 cubic ft. (5 boxes)

ABSTRACT: Records of the Milton Society of America, officially organized in 1948 to promote the advancement of the scholarship on John Milton and his works. A nearly complete sequence of annual dinner and meeting programs, as well as the Milton Evening booklets which preceded them, document the society's main function, which was to bring together and honor scholars in the field, The correspondence primarily relates to the planning of the dinner and the gathering of Milton-related works for the society's library. The annual James Holly Hanford award for the best book and for the best article related to Milton is an ongoing function of the society for which it receives submissions. The collection also includes the Seventeenth Century News, the official organ of the Milton Society of America, from 1942-1988 with only occasional missing issues. This publication highlights recent Milton scholarship and also includes The Neo-Latin News beginning in 1954.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY: The idea of forming the Milton Society of America had been discussed among scholars for several years when, in 1948, Arthur Coon proposed a Milton Dinner as a starting point for a formal organization. The dinner was held December 27, 1948 in New York. The first president, James Holly Hanford, and secretary, Don M. Wolfe, along with an executive committee of six members were elected at the sixth annual dinner in 1953. A Constitution and Bylaws, adopted in 1957, defined the purpose of the organization as "to further the Milton scholarship, not only in this country but also abroad" through annual meetings, awards, and publications. To honor exceptional Milton scholarship, the society, in 1977, began an annual award for the best book and for best article in the field. The award was named in honor of James Holly Hanford, the society's first president.

The Seventeenth Century News was started in May of 1943 (i.e. well before the official formation of the Milton Society of America) by the Seventeenth Century English Literature Group of the Modern Language Association (MLA).By 1950 it was edited by the MLA's English Discussion Group IV: The Period of Milton, but continued to focus on seventeenth century literature in general. J. Max Patrick became the first editor in December of 1950 and still held this position in 1988. Beginning in 1954 the publication also included The Neo-Latin News which is "devoted to Neo-Latin Literature 1400-1950" and serves as the organ of the Neo-Latin Society of the MLA.

ARRANGEMENT: The files are organized alphabetically by personal name, name of office, or by subject, then chronologically. Files can contain a variety of materials, including correspondence, staff memos, and reports.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

The Milton Society of America. Records, 1942-[ongoing]. University Manuscript Collection 104. University Manuscript Collections. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTION:

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Dept. of English. (UWM Manuscript Collection 127)

ACQUISITION: The Milton Society of America Archives came to UWM in 1988 as the result of an initiative by the late Dr. J. Max Patrick, an emeritus faculty member and member of the society. The records were transferred to the Golda Meir Library by Dr. Roger Sundell (UWM Department of English) in June 1996 (accession 1996-012). The Society transferred additional materials in August 1997 (accession 1997-025), January 2001, January 2002, January 2003, January 2005 (accession 2004-044), and January 2007 (accession 2006-029).

PROCESSING: Rhonda Frevert and Leslie Heinrichs processed the collection at the Archives in February 1997. Kathy Koch processed an addition in September 1997. Richard Shay processed an addition in September 2000. Christel Maass added accession 2004-044 to the collection in January 2005. Diana Giordano added the items sent in January 2001, January 2002, and January 2003 to the collection in June 2006. Ryan Claringbole added accession 2006-029 in January 2007.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

Hanford, James Holly, 1882- .
Learned institutions and societies--United States.
Milton, John, 1608-1674--Societies, periodicals, etc.
Milton, John, 1608-1674--Study and teaching.
Modern Language Association of America. English VI--Period of Milton Section.
Neo-Latin news.
Seventeenth century news.

UWM MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 104	BOX	FOLDER
Annual Dinner and Meeting Programs, 1955-1974	1	1
Annual Dinner and Meeting Programs, 1975-1987	1	2
Annual Dinner and Meeting Programs, 1988-1999	1	3
Annual Dinner and Meeting Programs, 2000-2006	5	1
Annual Minutes and Meeting Proceedings, 1966-2006	5	2
Correspondence, 1955-1973	1	4
Correspondence, 1975-1977	1	5
Correspondence, 1978-[ongoing]	1	6
Hanford Award, Correspondence, 1978-1979	1	7
Hanford Award, Plaque, 1979	1	8
Hanford Award, Submissions, 1983-1984	1	9
Hanford Award, Submissions, 1989	1	10
Hanford Award, Submissions, 1990	1	11
Hanford Award, Submissions, 1991-1992	1	12
Hanford Award, Submissions, 1993-1996	1	13
Hanford Award, Submissions, 1997	3	6
"The Hard Season," A Play in Three Acts, undated	1	14
Membership Lists, 1954-1956	1	15
Milton Encyclopedia, Contributes and Correspondence, 1973-1977	1	16
Milton Evening Programs, 1949-1954	1	17
Milton Conference Papers, undated	4	2
Milton Tercentenary Conference, 1974	4	1
Papers on Milton, undated	4	3
Research Notes, James Holly Hanford, 1921	1	18
Seventeenth Century News, 1942-1949	1	19
Seventeenth Century News, 1950-1959	1	20
Seventeenth Century News, 1960-1964	1	21
Seventeenth Century News, 1965-1969	2	1
Seventeenth Century News, 1970-1972	2	2
Seventeenth Century News, 1973-1975	2	3
Seventeenth Century News, 1976-1977	2	4
Seventeenth Century News, 1978-1979	2	5
Seventeenth Century News, 1980-1983	3	1
Seventeenth Century News, 1984-1985	3	2
Seventeenth Century News, 1986-1988	3	3
Speeches, 1954	3	4
"The Tragedy of John Milton," Television Broadcast, 1955-1956	3	5