This series and its subseries consist of letters, manuscripts, and photographs of authors and writers of note collected by Professor Richard Macksey (1931-2019), who worked in what is now the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute and The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University from 1958 until his formal retirement in 2010. Professor Macksey was a noted bibliophile and in addition to collecting rare titles and editions, he also collected correspondence and manuscripts by noted French and English-speaking authors. He had direct ties and relationships with some of the people in this series; others he purchased or obtained third-hand because of his personal interest in their writings.

Some items in the series were obtained directly by Macksey or fellow professor Elliot Coleman (1906-1980), founder of the Writing Seminars. Both men worked at Johns Hopkins for decades and would invite authors and thinkers to campus to lecture. Sometimes these entreaties were declined, but in other cases they would spawn at least a written correspondence. Many documents in the “Hopkins Festival” sub-series were addressed to Coleman directly and likely given to Macksey by Coleman or his family. Other documents addressed to Macksey or Coleman are from former students who had gone on to become published writers and poets.

A significant portion of the French Letters subseries is Structuralist and Post-Structuralist thinkers. Most documents in this sub-series are in French. Some have translations included with them.

The “Hopkins Festival” sub-series is mainly devoted to individuals writing to show their support for The Hopkins Review, the quarterly journal of the Writing Seminar.

Because of this combination of Macksey’s personal interests and his professional work, the time range of the documents is quite wide. The range goes from 1653 to 2009, with most of the dates clustering around the mid to late 20th century.