Papers of Philip Hofer, 1987.

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Papers of Philip Hofer, 1987.

Contains transcripts of interviews with Philip Hofer detailing his early interest in book collecting and his career as curator in the Houghton Library.

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SNAC Resource ID: 8185976

Harvard University Archives.

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There are 3 Entities related to this resource.

Harvard University

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64n9x97 (person)

Harvard College was founded by a vote of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts on October 28, 1636 that allocated “400£ towards a schoale or colledge.” Subsequent legislative acts established the Board of Overseers, but it was the Charter of 1650 that created the Harvard Corporation as the College's primary governing board and defined its composition and authority. The College Charter became a contentious target for College officials, the Massachusetts Governor and General C...

Hofer, Philip, 1898-1984

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6md9r1h (person)

Philip Hofer (1898-1984) was a librarian, book collector, and founder and first curator of the Department of Printing and Graphic Arts at Houghton Library at Harvard University. Hofer graduated from Harvard College and spent a few years in business. He began collecting a wide variety of printed books in 1917. By 1933 he focused on illustrated and decorated books, thus entering into a serious study of book arts. He served as curator of the Spencer Collection of the New York Public Library, and in...

Houghton Library

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67f3krh (corporateBody)

In 1938 Keyes D. Metcalf, Librarian of Harvard College and Director of the Harvard University Library (1937-1955), proposed a separate library building for rare books and manuscripts. Through the generosity of Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., Harvard Class of 1929, Harvard became the first American university to construct a separate research facility for the housing and study of rare books and manuscripts. The Houghton Library, dedicated and opened in 1942, won major architectural awards and became a mo...