Abstract
The importance of primary source materials to scholarship is undeniable. Primary source materials can verify or contradict information accepted as true in history books and other secondary sources. They can tell the whole, or at least more complete, story of events. Unlike secondary sources, primary source materials offer first-hand accounts from the past, bringing history closer and making it feel more real. It can even be argued that primary source materials are less susceptible to the loss or misinterpretation of information over time in subsequent edition revisions. In particular among primary source materials, manuscripts such as diaries and letters offer glimpses into history where historic figures are untainted and unskewed by the biographers and scholars who interpret them. Unpublished manuscripts have not usually been censored or edited to reflect modern thoughts, beliefs, or politically correct views the way secondary sources often are. At their best, primary source materials reveal new information about people and events from the past. In the following article, the author will tell the story of how recently-discovered poems found among Amelia Earhart’s personal papers shed new light into the life of the famous, yet elusive aviator.
Keywords
archives, manuscripts, poems, poetry, primary sources, Amelia Earhart
Published in:
Provenance (Journal of the Society of Georgia Archivists) Volume XXIII, 2005, pages 21-38.
Date of this Version
11-7-2006
Comments
Although this issue of Provenance is officially dated 2005, it was not released until 2006.