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Edward Doro (1908-1987) Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 9/3/3

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The Edward Doro Papers consist of seven boxes spanning the years 1908-1998. The majority of the papers consist of his published works and scripts for his unfinished plays and operas. It also includes the deed of gift and a collection inventory from the previous owners of the collection, the Monterey (CA) History & Art Association (box 1, folder 1).

The Biographical Information contains general material relating to Edward Doro’s life and associates. It includes information about Doro’s life and work; Doro’s correspondence and correspondence mentioning Doro; newspaper clippings and press releases; and reviews of Doro’s work. This section also contains a pencil sketch of Doro made by a classmate at the University of Pennsylvania, photographs and negatives relating to Doro (photographs of Doro himself are in the photo file). The file also has brief biographical information on two of Doro’s associates, Ellis Schuman and Philip van Lidth de Jeude. The records within each file are arranged chronologically when applicable.

Literary Magazines and Anthologies are arranged chronologically. Included are single-page copies of Doro’s poetry, from two issues of The Saturday Review of Literature and one issue of The Commonweal, as well as entire issues of Gamut 4, Theosophia, Opus 1, and Nightsun that include Doro’s work.

The sub-series Books by Doro includes multiple copies and editions of Doro’s published books of poetry (with the exception of Shiloh, which has its own sub-series), arranged by publication date. Two of these, The Boar and Shibboleth and Parisian Interlude, are signed by Doro. The last folder in this section includes photocopies of poems by Doro.

The section on Shiloh contains a copy of the published book and two play scripts, one of which was the director’s copy when Shiloh was performed at Northwestern in Lutkin Hall in 1962. Also included are playbills and an announcement about the play. For posters and the musical score from the play, see the oversized materials box.

The fifth section, Prophet of Izmir/Sabbatai, includes materials relating to Doro’s unfinished opera libretto, The Prophet of Izmir, and its later iteration, Sabbatai: The Prophet from Izmir. Arranged chronologically, it contains the original synopsis and plan of study prepared by Doro and composer Ellis Schuman. The section has the original libretto for The Prophet of Izmir and a revised version from 1963, as well as four copies of the later iteration from 1974. For the musical score, see the oversized materials box.

The sub-series The Spanish Locket has a unbound manuscript from 1975, two scripts, and a combination of The Spanish Locket and Sabbatai (titled here Sabbatai, the Izmiran Prophet).

The materials in Other Works are arranged chronologically, and consists of Doro’s standalone poetry (i.e. poems not published in one of his books), and other works related to Doro. This includes Poems from a Mountain Ghetto, by Russell Marano, for which Doro wrote a review on the back cover; the Monterey “Seaside Oral History Program,” completed while Doro was on the Monterey Historical Commission; Questa and the House of Time, an unpublished work by Doro made of poetry clippings held together in a binder; and From My Creative Life, an essay by Doro about his works.

The Audio Material section of this collection contains audio recordings in various forms of the Shiloh premier and of Doro reading his works.

The last sub-series contains materials too large to be placed in their appropriate box. They are arranged in the order they would be placed, had they fit. This includes Doro’s diploma from Sussex College of Technology (which belongs in the Biographical File) and posters and a musical score for a 1962 performance of Shiloh at Northwestern (which would normally appear in the Shiloh sub-series). Also included are the completed parts of the score to The Prophet of Izmir (just the prologue, epilogue, and one scene); a copy of the epilogue that was printed in reverse; composer Philip van Lidth de Jeude’s notes on Sabbatai; a “fair copy” of the score to Sabbatai; and sheet music from Sabbatai; all of which would have been included with the rest of the Prophet of Izmir and Sabbatai material.

Dates

  • 1908-2013

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations.

Extent

7 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains primary and secondary sources relating to Edward Doro, an American poet and the Curator of Rare Books at Northwestern from 1958-1962. It includes newspaper clippings, correspondence, press releases, books of poetry, and unbound scripts. It also contains photographs, negatives, posters, sheet music, a pencil sketch of Doro, and his diploma from Sussex College of Technology.

Arrangement

The Biographical Information series is arranged chronologically within each file when applicable. Literary Magazines and Anthologies and Books by Doro are arranged chronologically. The Shiloh series is arranged alphabetically. Prophet of Izmir/Sabbatai and The Spanish Locket are arranged chronologically. The materials in Other Works are arranged alphabetically. Audio Material is arranged by format, and Oversized Materials are arranged by size.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Edward Doro papers include materials donated to the Northwestern University Archives from the Monterey Art & History Association (accession no. 13-40), received on February 12, 2013; materials donated by Ellis Schuman (accession nos. 13-41, 13-72, and 13-169) on March 20, March 22, and July 25, 2013; accession no. 13-181, received August 28, 2013; and materials from the biographical file.

Related Materials

Edward Doro’s folder in the Photo Files contains photos of Doro.

Processing Information

John Saylor, February 26, 2013; Rachel Riemenschneider August 2014.

Title
Guide to the Edward Doro (1908-1987) Papers
Author
John Saylor
Date
February 26, 2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
und

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
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Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635