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The University of Iowa Libraries

Guide to the John Hubert Scott Papers

Collection Overview
Date Span:1898-1945
Creator:Scott, John Hubert (1878-1953)
Extent:6.50 linear feet.
Collection Number:MSC0157
Repository:University of Iowa Special Collections
Summary:Scott was the head of the Department of English at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for seven years beginning in 1908. He joined the faculty of the English department at the University of Iowa in 1915. The collection documents Scott's research theories regarding the connections between speech inflections and literary authorship, as well as his book collecting interests which focused on John Henry Ireland.

John Hubert Scott (1878-1953) received his B.A. in 1902, from Boston University and his M.A. from Northwestern in 1907. Scott was the head of the Department of English at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for seven years beginning in 1908. He joined the faculty of the English department at the University of Iowa in 1915. He was appointed associate professor in 1926 and in 1949 was awarded emeritus status.
 
Scott's years at the University of Iowa were spent teaching and researching voice rhythms and phrasing patterns, which he claimed could be used to prove literary authorship. This research utilized principles from both English and engineering and Scott occupied a unique place between the two departments at the University of Iowa. Scott published two papers, Rhythmic Prose (1925) and Rhythmic Verse (1925), and two books on the topic, Engineering English (1928) and Phrasal Patterns in English Prose (1932). Several of his extensive manuscripts survive which never saw publication. Scott was interested in using these theories to study, among other things, William Henry Ireland and the Shakespeare forgeries. In 1934 Scott traveled to England where he lived for one year researching the works of various authors and applying his theories of phrasal patterns. Scott was a serious collector of Irelandiana and belonged to several university and community organizations, including the Humanist Society and the Triangle Club, both of which he was president of for a time.

The papers of John Hubert Scott date from 1898 to 1945 and are arranged into five series: Biographical, Correspondence, Research, Writings, and Sketches. The Writings series is divided into two subseries: Papers, Essays, and Lectures, and Manuscripts. The final series, Sketches, contains ten pencil and ink sketches. The collection documents Scott's research theories regarding the connections between speech inflections and literary authorship, as well as his book collecting interests which focused on John Henry Ireland. The large amount of personal correspondence contained in this collection spans Scott's life as a young man through his retirement and includes letters to and from Scott's family, friends, and rare book dealers. Also included are six years of correspondence between Scott and Edith E. King-Fisher, a student of Scott's who lived in California and completed coursework long-distance.

Alternate Extent Statement: Photographs: Boxes 1 and 2

Access: This collection is open for research.

Use: Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

Acquisition: These papers were donated to the University of Iowa Libraries by John Hubert Scott over a period of years.

Preferred Citation: John Hubert Scott Papers, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

Repository:University of Iowa Special Collections
Address:Special Collections Department
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone:319-335-5921
Curator:Greg Prickman
Email:lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Website:http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/

Browse by Series:
The detailed description has not been entered into the repository.
To view the content list, please follow this link.

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.


Personal Names:
Hartnett, Edith
Scott, John Hubert

Corporate Names:
University of Iowa

Occupations:
College teachers

Genre/Form of Materials:
Photographs
Archives
Manuscripts (Document genre)
Sketches
Correspondence