INTRODUCTION
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The Duncan E. Osborne Collection of papers and memorabilia pertaining to his
great-great-grandfather, Herman Melville, came to Southwestern University as
a loan in 1984. The University is indebted to Mr. Osborne, of Austin, Texas,
for allowing the documents and mementos in the collection to be housed in the
Special Collections department of the University's A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library
Center.
Among the items in the Osborne Collection, of particular note is a letter from
Melville to his aunt Lucy Melville, written in 1828 when he was 9 years old,
as well as prints and a pocket compass that were among his personal possessions.
The collection also includes manuscripts, published materials, and other items
bearing on the life and work of Melville and his father-in-law Lemuel Shaw.
The entire collection is described in the accompanying
inventory.
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