Wason Collection records, 1918-1988.
Collection Number: 13-6-1721

Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Cornell University Library


DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
Wason Collection records, 1918-1988.
Repository:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Collection Number:
13-6-1721
Abstract:
Mostly department correspondence, largely that of Gussie Esther Gaskill, first curator of the Wason Collection (1927-1963); materials concerning trips to China and Japan; projects; bibliographies; acquisitions, cataloging, and other records; accessions list; accounting statistics, and general office files, 1976-1985; annual reports of the East Asian Librarian, 1972-1988. Correspondence relating to Charles Wason's bequest, especially correspondence between Mrs. Charles Wason and the Arthur H. Clark Company, correspondence between Mrs. Wason and Gussie Gaskill, drawing and photographs of the library at the Wason home, and articles, reports and clippings about the collection. Three handwritten notebooks by T.F. Crane listing the Wason Collection, ca. 1922.
Creator:
Cornell University. Library. Wason Collection
Quanitities:
6.4 cubic feet.
Language:
Collection material in English

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The Wason Collection was bequeathed to Cornell University in 1918 by Charles William Wason. It began as a collection of English-language works on China and the Chinese. Its scope and size have since been greatly enlarged, and it is now the only major East Asian collection in the country to include all Western language materials in the areas covered in a special collection together with the materials in the languages of those areas.

INFORMATION FOR USERS

Cite As:

Cornell University Wason Collection records, #13-6-1721. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.

Scope and content

Mostly department correspondence, largely that of Gussie Esther Gaskill, first curator of the Wason Collection (1927-1963); materials concerning trips to China and Japan; projects; bibliographies; acquisitions, cataloging, and other records; accessions list; accounting statistics, and general office files, 1976-1985; annual reports of the East Asian Librarian, 1972-1988. Correspondence relating to Charles Wason's bequest, especially correspondence between Mrs. Charles Wason and the Arthur H. Clark Company, correspondence between Mrs. Wason and Gussie Gaskill, drawing and photographs of the library at the Wason home, and articles, reports and clippings about the collection. Three handwritten notebooks by T.F. Crane listing the Wason Collection, ca. 1922.

Scope and content

Files from Thomas Hahn, Wason Curator until 2006, include materials about the Encyclopedia Maxima, Hu Shih, ships' logs, a portrait of Mao by Andy Warhol, other acquisitions, and exhibitions.

Scope and content

Miscellaneous items relating to the Wason Collection include letters, description, and notes about the Ming Treasure Note, 1934; and letter about and translation of a Boxer Rebellion poster, 1921.
Access Restrictions:

Access to Boxes 2-4 restricted to the permission of the office of origin.

SUBJECTS

Names:
Gaskill, Gussie Esther, 1898-
Wason, Charles William, 1854-1918.
Wason, Charles William, Mrs.
Crane, Thomas Frederick, 1844-1927.
Cornell University -- : Library.
Places:
East Asia.
Japan.
China.
Subjects:
Women librarians.
Librarians.
Libraries -- Special collections -- Chinese literature.

CONTAINER LIST
Container
Description
Date
Series I. Records related to Miss Gaskill's curatorship
General correspondence, filed alphabetically by the name of the correspondent
Box 1
Correspondence
Miscellaneous papers
Box 1 Folder 1
Miss Gaskill and the Far Eastern Bibliography,
1946-1954
Box 1 Folder 2
Miss Gaskill and Far Eastern libraries
Box 1 Folder 3
Miss Gaskill and the ALA-CCS Special Committee on Far Eastern Materials,
1953-1958
Box 1 Folder 4
Miss Gaskill and Cornell University
Box 1 Folder 5
Miss Gaskill and Wason Collection Chinese book orders
Box 1 Folder 6
Miss Gaskill and Japanese book orders
Series II. Wason material sent to Archives
Box 2
AAS Annual Meeting
1980
Box 2
AAS Convention
Box 2
Acquisitions ( 1965-1976)
1965-1976
Box 2
Asian Studies Department
Box 2
Bibliography (Society for the Humanities) (SH 391)
Box 2
CALRFE
Box 2
Cataloging Far Eastern Materials (1959 and 1964)
1959, 1964
Box 2
CEAL
Box 2
China travel - brochures
Box 2
China trip
1979
Box 2
China, Japan, and Taiwan trip
1980
Box 2
China trip - CEAL report
Box 2
Collaborative Studies of China and Japan Newsletter
Box 2
CUL Bulletins
Box 2
East Asian Libraries projects
Box 2
Heydecker ( 1974-1976)
1974-1976
Box 2
LC information
1978
Box 2
Library information - directors, etc. (1970, 1973-1974, 1978-1979)
1970, 1973-1974, 1978-1979
Box 2
Luce Foundation
Box 2
Maryland (University Library) (Gordon Prange - 1979)
1979
Box 2
Missing books - list (1972-1975, 1980)
1972-1975, 1980
Box 2
Newsletters (CUL) ( 1977-1980)
1977-1980
Box 2
Newspaper orders
Box 2
OAKS ( 1978)
1978
Box 2
Wason - Bibliographies (1959-1966)
1959-1966
Box 2
Wason - gift exchange acknowledgments (1963-1976)
1963-1976
Box 2
Wason - Exhibit: "China and the West" (1966); "Asia and the West" ( 1974)
1966, 1974
Box 3
Correspondence ( 1963-1980)
1963-1980
Box 3
Memoranda ( 1961-1963, 1967-1980)
1961-1963, 1967-1980
Box 4
Additions to shelves,
1979
Box 4
Accessions lists ( 1979-1980)
1979-1980
Box 4
Chinese Collection - reports, memos, etc. (1962-1979)
1962-1979
Box 4
Department heads and designated assistants meeting notes ( 1978-1980)
1978-1980
Box 4
Reports from the Director (1968-1980)
1968-1980
Box 4
Reports on various subjects (1970-1971, 1977)
1970-1971, 1977
Box 4
Support Staff Advisory Committee notes (1978-1980)
1978-1980
Box 5
Wason Accessions List,
Jan. 1981-June 1985
Box 5
Wason Additions to Shelves,
Jan. 1982-June 1985
Box 5
Title II-C,
1979-1983
Box 5
Accounting statistics,
July 1981-June 1985
Box 6
AACR2 ( 1979)
1979
Box 6
Annex titles
Box 6
Annual Report (Asian Studies,
1979-1980)
Box 6
Annual Report (Directors,
1978-1979, 1981-1982)
Box 6
Annual Report (Gift & Exchange,
1980-1981)
Box 6
Annual Report (Wason,
1979-1980, 1980-1981, 1981-1982, 1982-1983)
Box 6
Automation ( 1979-1981)
1979-1981
Box 6
Chinese names
Box 6
Correspondence outside Cornell (1981-1984)
1981-1984
Box 6
Development ( 1979-1981)
1979-1981
Box 6
East Asian Librarian (1979-1981)
1979-1981
Box 6
Employment inquiries (1979-1981)
1979-1981
Box 6
Equipment/maintenance (1981)
1981
Box 6
Figures and Fundraising (1979-1980)
1979-1980
Box 6
Gift & Exchange (1980-1981)
1980-1981
Box 6
Japan Foundation ( 1979-1980)
1979-1980
Box 6
Japanese Series
Box 6
Journals ( 1980-1981)
1980-1981
Box 6
Library Committee
Box 6
Mellon Grant
Box 6
Memos received ( 1981)
1981
Box 6
Memos sent ( 1981)
1981
Box 6
Memos (Acquisition, Gift & Exchange), 1982)
1982
Box 6
Memos (Administration, 1981-1982)
1981-1982
Box 6
Memos (Catalog Dept., 1982-1983)
1982-1983
Box 6
Memos (China & Japan Program, 1982-1983)
1982-1983
Box 6
Memos (Circulation, Public Service, 1982)
1982
Box 6
Memos (Mr. Finch, Mr. Oey)
Box 6
Memos (Graduate School - Alison Casarett, 1982)
1982
Box 6
Memos (Mann Library, 1983)
1983
Box 6
Memos (MMN, 1983)
1983
Box 6
Memos (Serials, Binding, 1982-1983)
1982-1983
Box 6
Memos (Outside Library, Cornell U., 1981-1983)
1981-1983
Box 6
Missing books (1982-1983)
1982-1983
Box 6
National Union Catalog
Box 6
National Repository for Chinese Agriculture Publications
Box 6
Pinyin
Box 6
Principles of Managing (1979)
1979
Box 6
Printing
Box 6
Security ( 1979)
1979
Box 6
Selection ( 1979-1981)
1979-1981
Box 6
Serials cancellations (1981)
1981
Box 6
Serials currently received (1979-1981)
1979-1981
Box 6
Statistics reports ( 1979-1982)
1979-1982
Box 6
Syllabi
Box 6
U.S. corporations in China and Japan (1980)
1980
Box 6
Wason budget and fund (1982)
1982
Box 6
Wason selection policy (1977-1981)
1977-1981
Box 6
Wason statistics ( 1981-1982)
1981-1982
Box 6
Xerox word processing
Box 6
Wason staff
Box 7
Annual reports of the East Asian Librarian,
1972-1988
Box 7
Wason miscellany including correspondence about Boxer Rebellion poster; correspondence, etc. about Ming currency; articles from Pacific Affairs (2 folders); "Translation of Euclid's Elements"
Box 8 Folder 1
Correspondence relating to Wason bequest
1918-1920
Box 8 Folder 2
Correspondence with Mrs. Wason (mainly Gussie Gaskill)
1921-1949
Box 8 Folder 3
Correspondence about the Collection,
1942-1975
Box 8 Folder 4
Library Reports
Box 8 Folder 5
Reports and articles
Box 8 Folder 6
Clippings
Box 8 Folder 7
Desciption of Wason's library
Box 8 Folder 8-11
Photographs of Wason's library
Box 8
Chinese dragon flag from Mrs. Wason
Box 8
Note cards
Box 9
Three handwritten notebooks by T.F. Crane listing the Wason Collection, ca.
1922
Box 10 Folder 1
Cornell Rare and Manuscript Collections China related items and correspondence
Box 10 Folder 2
Kumming Hu Album, naval drawings
Box 10 Folder 3
Wason - Warhol, 2001
Box 10 Folder 4
Ship logs transcriptions
Box 10 Folder 5
Materials relating to the Yongle Encyclopedia Maxima
Scope and Contents
Includes mateiar relating to the 600th anniversary symposium.
Mapcase Folder 1
Drawing of the Chinese library of Charles Wason at his residence.