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Reference numberEL
LevelSeries
Title'Early letters': letters from correspondents in natural philosophy sent to the Royal Society and its Fellows
Date1651-1740
1642
1613
DescriptionIncoming letters to the Royal Society via its secretaries, officers and Fellows, on natural philosophy topics. Generally from the period 1660-1740, but with smaller collections of earlier material These papers form the raw material from which the Royal Society's Letter Books and Register Books were compiled and many were published in the 'Philosophical Transactions' of the Royal Society. The series also contains English translations of foreign language letters, for example from the Dutch of Antoni van Leeuewenhoek. Other document formats, including printed material, have been preserved within this sequence.
LanguageEnglish
French
Latin
Dutch
Extent38 volumes containing 4,390 items
Physical descriptionBound volumes
ArrangementVolumes are arranged alphabetically by author, and chronologically within author letter groups, with a single supplementary volume of letters essentially to Robert Boyle from Henry Oldenburg and John Beale. This order was published in 1840 by Shuckard, who numbered each letter sequentially in his catalogue. The numbering system used here is the item number assigned to individual letters within each volume and not Shuckard's system. A few letters were added after 1840.
Finding aidsAlphabetical list of correspondents published in W E Shuckard, 'Catalogues of the miscellaneous manuscripts and of the manuscript letters in the possession of the Royal Society' (London: Royal Society, 1840), with dates.
Access statusOpen
Access conditionsNo photocopying
Related materialRoyal Society Letter Books, Register Books and Classified Papers.
CopiesLetters have been microfilmed by University Publications of America (UPA)
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'Early letters': letters from correspondents in natural philosophy sent to the Royal Society and its Fellows

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    Browse the records of some of our collections, which cover all branches of science and date from the 12th century onwards. These include the published works of Fellows of the Royal Society, personal papers of eminent scientists, letters and manuscripts sent to the Society or presented at meetings, and administrative records documenting the Society's activities since our foundation in 1660.

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