Correspondence, 1929-1931, bulk 1950-2015
Scope and Contents
Irby received thousands of pieces of correspondence from friends, family, and colleagues. Most of the correspondence Irby received, as well as the correspondence he sent, was very personal and detailed inner thoughts (including depression and sexuality), ideas, music, movies, books, projects, information about other friends, and also daily items like meals, weather, and household tasks.
The correspondence comes in the form of handwritten letters, postcards, emails, and cards. Many of the pieces have decorated or hand-made envelopes. Occasionally, the envelopes or correspondence has Kenneth Irby's doodles or notes. Material such as photographs, event flyers, artwork, and news clippings are often included in the correspondence. Many correspondents also have manuscripts in this collection, available in the "Manuscripts by others" series. This is noted at the individual correspondent's level.
Occasionally, correspondence from Irby to the sender is included and noted in the finding aid. Information regarding numbers of items from each correspondent comes from the bookseller.
Dates
- Creation: 1929-1931, bulk 1950-2015
Full Extent
31.25 Linear Feet (32 boxes)
Arrangement
Correspondence to Irby is arranged alphabetically by sender's last name or by organization name. Oversize materials, removed for their preservation, are also arranged alphabetically by family name or organizational name and are described separately within this series.
When the correspondence from a sender is extensive, it has been organized chronologically by year. However, the correspondence has not been further organized chronologically within each folder.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository