The bulk of the collection consists of thirty-four letters written by James Merrill to William S. Burford while they were Amherst College undergraduates. Also, six pen and ink sketches from Merrill's student days at Amherst; and two copies of the final publication of (as well as a draft of credits for) the literary journal The Medusa, which Merrill and Burford co-founded.

Terms of Access and Use:

Restrictions on use:

Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections in the first instance. Washington University retains ownership of all copyrights to the letters written by James Merrill. All requests for permission and consent for use of the letters must be agreed to by the owners and the holders of copyrights to the materials that are the subject of such requests, including Amherst, as the physical owner of the original letters written by Merrill; Washington University as the holder of the Merrill copyrights; Merrill's literary executors as necessary; and the holders of the Burford copyrights, as appropriate. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.