Alexander Howland Smith papers regarding his forgery of Robert Burns's The jolly beggars
Scope and Content Note
The collection comprises Smith's sixteen-page forgery of Robert Burns's cantata "The Jolly Beggars," along with documentation attempting to verify its authenticity.
The documentation includes a certificate from John Maitlan[d] stating he received the manuscript from Burns, as well as a dealer's description by James Stillie.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1888-1892
Creator
- Smith, Alexander Howland, 1859- (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Biographical Note
Alexander Howland Smith, also known as "Antique Smith," was a Scottish law clerk known for the literary forgeries he produced circa 1888 to 1892.
Around this time, Smith frequented the bookshops of Edinburgh, collecting books for their contemporary fly leaves on which he would produce his forgeries. Many of Smith's dealings involved Edinburgh bookseller, James Stillie, who may have been complicit in passing the forgeries. Though Smith reproduced an array of literary works, he forged the letters and manuscripts of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns most frequently. Eventually discovered and arrested for the crime of obtaining money by deceit, Smith was sentenced to one year in prison in 1892.
Fergus, David. "Antique Smith: The Affable Forger." http://textualities.net/david-fergus/antique-smith-the-affable-forger/ (accessed March 12, 2014).McDonald, Gerald. "Forgeries in the Library."The New York Public Library Bulletin 41 (1937): 623-628. Additional biographical information derived from collection.
Extent
4 item
Abstract
Alexander Howland Smith, also known as "Antique Smith," was a Scottish law clerk known for the literary forgeries he produced circa 1888 to 1892. Many of Smith's dealings involved Edinburgh bookseller, James Stillie, who may have been complicit in passing the forgeries. The collection comprises Smith's sixteen-page forgery of Robert Burns's cantata The Jolly Beggars, along with documentation attempting to verify its authenticity.
Source
Purchase, May 2013.
Shelving Summary
Box 65, F0945: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes.
Processing
Processed and encoded by Dustin Frohlich, March 2014. Further encoded by George Apodaca, October 2015.
Subject
- Smith, Alexander Howland, 1859- (Person)
- Maitland, John (Person)
- Burns, Robert, 1759-1796 (Person)
- Stillie, James, approximately 1803-1893 (Bookseller, Person)
Genre / Form
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for Alexander Howland Smith papers regarding his forgery of Robert Burns's The jolly beggars
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2014 March 6
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository