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Emily Dickinson Primary Sources

Historical documents. What clues can you gather about Emily Dickinson, the time, place, players, and culture?

The Complete Poems

Text of the 1924 edition of Dickinson's poetry, with a foreword by her niece.

Dickinson's Obituary

The 1886 obit in the Springfield Republican, written by her sister in law Susan Dickinson.

Emily Dickinson's Letters

An essay Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote about his correspondence with Dickinson, published in 1891 after her death five years earlier.

Letter to a Young Contributor

Higginson's 1862 essay that sparked the correspondence between Higginson and Dickinson.

Higginson Letter

Image of a letter Dickinson wrote to Thomas Wentworth Higginson.

"Wild Nights"

The manuscript of Dickinson's poem in her own handwriting.

"A Route of Evanescence"

The original manuscript of the poem.

"Soul at the White Heat"

A 1987 critical essay on Dickinson by novelist Joyce Carol Oates.