Edmund Lester Pearson letters to Robert and Mary Finster 1918-1934

ArchivalResource

Edmund Lester Pearson letters to Robert and Mary Finster, 1918-1934

Edmund Lester Pearson letters to Robert and Mary Finster 1918-1934

http://archives.nypl.org/mss/6251

Edmund Lester Pearson (1880-1937) was an American librarian and writer best known for his book Studies in Murder (1924) and other essays in the true crime genre. He was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard in 1902 and the New York State Library School in 1904. Pearson was literary editor of The Outlook and contributed to many magazines and newspapers, including the Boston Evening Transcript for which he wrote a weekly satirical column entitled "The Librarian." Pearson joined the staff of The New York Public Library in 1914, remaining until 1927 when he left his position as Editor of Publications to pursue his writing career. Among Pearson's works were children's books, a study of dime novels, the literary hoax The Old Librarian's Almanack, Queer Books, and The Trial of Lizzie Borden. The collection consists of four letters, three postcards, and a studio portrait photograph of Pearson sent to his New York Public Library colleague and friend, Robert Roland Finster and his wife Mary, 1918-1934. With his typical dry wit, Pearson relates his experiences in Hollywood and London, and while confined to a hospital bed. One photographic postcard, ca. 1918, shows Pearson and other officer candidates in military uniform.

9 items

New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division