Milcah Martha Moore’s Commonplace Book and the Early American Editorial Function

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Notes

¹ Moore’s name is becoming more widely known in American literary and historical studies, thanks to Karin Wulf and Catherine La Courreye Blecki’s editorial work on their 1997 edition of Moore’s book.

² For example, authorial identity is a problem when tracing Esther Edward Burr and Sarah Prince’s entire correspondence. Burr’s letter-book and Prince’s request for Burr to discard her letters present scholars with issues of authoritative claims over the possession of the letters as well as questions of authorship, for Prince’s voice is heard only through Burr (Karlsen and Crumpacker).

³ In footnote number 7 on page 122 titled “Letter,” Blecki and Wulf note that in a June 5, 1712 issues of Joseph Addison’s The Spectator “reprinted a letter written by Anne Boleyn to Henry VIII. A quote from Wright’s poem was later copied by Hannah Calender in her diary where she wrote “read in the Spectator Ann Bullen’s letter to Harry 8^th, who I make no doubt will in her own words be confinced of his mistake.”