Jay Shuler collection

The collections consists primarily of photocopies of all known published and unpublished letters by Bachman and Audubon. Shuler accomplished much of the work which would be necessary to publish the complete papers of either Bachman or Audubon. The unpublished letters are primarily from Audubon collections at Harvard and Yale and secondarily in the Charleston Museum, the American Philosophical Society, the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, and the Stark Museum of Art in Orange, Texas. Shuler made typescripts of the letters which relate to Bachman's contributions to Audubon's "Birds of America (1827-1838)" and to the collaboration by Bachman and Audubon for their "Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1846-1854)." These are filed in chronological order from 1831-1857 (including letters from Audubon's sons). There is a separate chronological file of Bachman family correspondence and other files of Bachman family correspondence collected by Bachman descendants including William C. Coleman and Annie (Mrs. Francis J. H.) Coffin. Shuler annotated photocopies of the three published volumes of Audubon's letters and Audubon's journals: Corning, Howard, ed. Letters of John James Audubon, 1826- 1840. Boston: The Club of Odd Volumes, 1930 and Corning, Howard, ed. Journal of John James Audubon: made while obtaining subscriptions to his "Birds of America," 1840- 1843. Boston: Club of Odd Volumes, 1929. He collected photocopies of all Bachman's articles and pamphlets he was able to locate. He added information from the files of St. John's Lutheran Church, where Bachman was pastor from 1815-1874. He heavily annotated a photocopy of "John Bachman, D.D., LL. D, Ph. D." compiled by Bachman's grandson John Bachman Haskell and edited by C. L. Bachman (1888). The collection also contains three drafts of the text for "Had I the Wings", editorial correspondence, and related materials including a journal Shuler kept while writing the book from 1979-1983.