The Paul Murray Kendall Collection

The Paul Murray Kendall Collection contains materials from the life of Paul Murray Kendall during his academic career at Ohio University. This collection is mostly made up of notes, drafts, and research from Kendall's classes and different published works throughout the years. This collection is divided into the topics of Lectures and Talks, Short Stories and Poems, Miscellaneous Works and Projects, Articles and Small Works, Large Works, Reviews by Paul Murray Kendall, Reviews of Paul Murray Kendall's Work, and Honors and Awards. There are also a few miscellaneous items such as a poster for one of Kendall's lectures and a scrapbook of book reviews. This collection is divided up by topic and then chronologically when possible.

Paul Murray Kendall was born on March 1, 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Frankford High School and later University of Virginia. He graduated the University of Virginia in 1932 with a Bachelor of Arts, and then received his Master's degree in 1933 from the University of Virginia as well. His first book published, Swinburne and the French, was published the year he received his Master's, and was the start of his writing career. While studying for his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia, Kendall also took on a job of teaching English at Ohio University. In 1939, Kendall received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia as well as marry his wife, Carol Seeger.

During his time at Ohio University, Dr. Kendall was appointed Distinguished Professor of English in 1959. He also received the Regents professor designation, granted by the Ohio Board of Regents, in 1966, 1967, and 1968. He was named a permanent Regents professor in 1969. Kendall was also awarded to be the honorary doctor of humane letters by Ohio University in 1970. Beyond this, Kendall was also awarded the Guggenheim fellowship in 1957 and 1962 to research and study abroad. In 1970, Dr. Kendall retired from Ohio University, and later died November 21, 1973.

This collection contains research, drafts, and manuscripts of some of Kendall's most famous works, such as "Warwick the Kingmaker" (Ohioana Book Award Winner), "Richard III" (National Book Award runner up), "The Art of Biography" (Pulitzer Prize nominee), and "The Ant Village" (Marburgh Prize winner). Also in this collection, are the manuscripts and reviews of Kendall's book, "My Brother Chilperic", which was published posthumously.