Raymond Ellsworth Larsson letters, poems, and manuscripts

American Catholic poet Raymond Larsson's letters to his friend James Gallagher include handwritten copies and a galley proof of his poems. This small collection of letters reflect the friendship between Larsson and Gallagher, as well as Larsson's encouragement of Gallagher as a poet. Of the eleven pieces of correspondence, only two letters and one postcard have text other than poetry. The other items are poems, usually inscribed, sent by the poet to his friend.

In the 1941 letter, Larsson mentioned a recent move to 22nd Street in New York, discussed the publication of his book by Devin-Adair Company, and responded to the possibility of Gallagher being drafted. Larsson's 1953 letter encouraged Gallagher's poetry writing, asked of his whereabouts, and mentioned his own current writing, including experimenting with Japanese forms. The two Japanese forms were illustrated by the enclosed poem. In this letter he also mentioned that the libraries at the University of Notre Dame and Princeton were collecting his work and encouraged Gallagher to donate any of Larsson's work to these institutions.

Most of what Larsson sent to Gallagher were recently written poems, nine in all. Several of poems were composed to mark Christian Holy Days or seasons, including two each for Christmas Epiphany.