The use of manuscripts in literary research

Published in 1974 by the Modern Language Association of America, this volume was crafted as a definitive practical guide for scholars navigating the complexities of archival research. James Ernest Thorpe, a noted scholar of English literature and former director of the Huntington Library, intended the text to demystify the physical interaction between researchers and primary source documents, providing a rigorous framework for textual criticism and scholarly editing.

The book emerged during a period when the MLA sought to formalize standards for literary scholarship and archival engagement. Thorpe's design focuses on the methodology of manuscript study, emphasizing the necessity of understanding the document as a material artifact rather than merely a vehicle for text. Upon its release, it was widely received as an essential pedagogical tool for graduate students and researchers, recognized for its clarity in bridging the gap between theory and the tactile realities of library collections.