Search the database

The results of a search will be summarized in a list with links to the full records.

Texts of over 1,300 letters are available for public searching in BRACERS. For more on the project see The Collected Letters of Bertrand Russell at the Russell Research Centre.

For a full, up-to-date and quantified list of Russell's correspondents, consult this page. Check the BRACERS (II) article for still-growing tables of Russell's addresses while he corresponded. For printouts and enhanced searching, contact russarch@mcmaster.ca.

Abbreviations of document formats in the Form field

The Form field's abbreviations for letters and other documents are composites of the following common elements:

  • A autograph (i.e. handwritten)
  • C card
  • (CAR) carbon copy
  • D dictated
  • (DX) digital image (i.e. a scan)
  • E envelope
  • GC greeting or birthday card
  • L letter
  • (M) microfilm
  • (MIM) mimeograph
  • MS manuscript
  • N note
  • PD printed document
  • REC receipt
  • S signed
  • T typed
  • (TC) typed copy
  • TEL telegram
  • TS typescript
  • (X) photocopy

Frequent combinations of these elements are:

  • AC Autograph Card
  • ALS Autograph Letter Signed
  • ALD Autograph Letter Dictated
  • MS(X) Manuscript (Photocopy)
  • TL(CAR,X) Typed Letter (Carbon Copy, Photocopy)
  • TLS Typed Letter Signed
  • TLS(DX) Typed Letter Signed (Digital Copy)
  • TEL(TC) Telegram (Typed Copy)

Abbreviated publication titles

The Published field uses the following abbreviations for book and periodical publications.

By Bertrand Russell

  • Auto.: The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell. 3 vols. London: Allen & Unwin, 1967–69.
  • Basic Writings: The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell. Ed. L.E. Denonn and R.E. Egner. London: Allen & Unwin, 1963.
  • BR's America: Barry Feinberg and Ronald Kasrils. Bertrand Russell's America. Vol. 1, 1896–1945: London: Allen & Unwin, 1973. Vol. 2, 1945–1970: Boston: South End Press, 1983.
  • BR's Best: R.E. Egner, ed. Bertrand Russell's Best. 3rd ed. London: Allen & Unwin, 1975.
  • Brixton: B. Russell. The Brixton Letters. Hamilton, ON: Bertrand Russell Research Centre, 2018.
  • Collected Stories: Barry Feinberg, ed. The Collected Stories of Bertrand Russell. London: Allen & Unwin, 1972.
  • Dear BR: Barry Feinberg and Ronald Kasrils, eds. Dear Bertrand Russell: a Selection of His Correspondence with the General Public, 1950–68. London: Allen & Unwin, 1969.
  • Grattan-Guinness, Dear Russell—Dear Jourdain: I. Grattan-Guinness. Dear Russell—Dear Jourdain: a Commentary on Russell's Logic, Based on His Correspondence with Philip Jourdain. London: Duckworth, 1977.
  • HWP: History of Western Philosophy. 2nd UK ed. London: Allen & Unwin, 1961.
  • IMP: Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy. London: Allen & Unwin, 1919.
  • Inquiry: An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth. New York: Norton, 1940.
  • Outline of Philosophy: An Outline of Philosophy. London: Allen & Unwin, 1927.
  • P.China: The Problem of China. London: Allen & Unwin, 1922.
  • Papers: The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell. 19 vols. to date. London: Allen & Unwin / Unwin Hyman / Routledge, 1983–
  • PP: The Problems of Philosophy. London: Williams and Norgate, 1912.
  • Principles of Mathematics: The Principles of Mathematics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1903.
  • PSR: Principles of Social Reconstruction. London: Allen & Unwin, 1916.
  • SLBR: The Selected Letters of Bertrand Russell. 2 vols. Ed. Nicholas Griffin. Vol. 1, London: Penguin Books, 1992; Vol. 2 (assisted by A.R. Miculan), London: Routledge, 2001. References are by letter number.
  • Schmid, Russell—Couturat: B. Russell. Correspondence sur la philosophie, la logique et la politique avec Louis Couturat (1897–1913). Ed. A.-F. Schmid. 2 vols. Paris: Kimé, 2001.
  • Unarmed Victory: Unarmed Victory. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books, 1963.
  • Yours Faithfully, BR: R. Perkins, ed. Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell. Chicago: Open Court, 2002.
  • B&R: Kenneth Blackwell and Harry Ruja, A Bibliography of Bertrand Russell. 3 vols. London: Routledge, 1994. Updates: "New Periodical Articles by Russell" and "New Periodical Articles by Russell (II)".
  • Berlin, Letters: Isaiah Berlin. Letters, 1928–1946. Ed. Henry Hardy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
  • Bradley, Correspondence: Carol A. Keene, ed. Collected Works of F.H. Bradley, Vols. 4–5: Selected Correspondence. Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 1999.
  • Burn, Turned towards the Sun: Michael Burn. Turned towards the Sun: an Autobiography. Norwich: Michael Russell Publishing, 2003.
  • Chowdhury and Dasgupta, Masterful Spirit: I. Chowdhury and A. Dasgupta. A Masterful Spirit: Homi J. Bhabha, 1909–1966. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2010.
  • Clark, Life of BR: Ronald W. Clark, The Life of Bertrand Russell. London: Jonathan Cape / Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1975.
  • Conrad, Letters: Frederick R. Karl et al., eds. The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad. 9 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989–2007.
  • Dear Bertie: Rick Stapleton, ed. Dear Bertie: a Selection of Letters to Bertrand Russell. Hamilton, ON: McMaster University Library, 2018–19.
  • Denonn 1941: L.E. Denonn. "Bibliography of the Writings of Bertrand Russell". In P.A. Schilpp, ed. The Philosophy of Bertrand Russell. 4th ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1963. Vol. 2: 743–828.
  • Eliot, Letters: V. Eliot et al., eds. The Letters of T.S. Eliot. Vols. 1–3 (1898–1927). London: Faber and Faber. 1988–2012.
  • G. Eliot: Gordon S. Haight, ed. The George Eliot Letters. 9 vols. London: Oxford University Press, 1954–78.
  • James, Letters: Ignas Skrupskelis et al., eds. The Correspondence of William James. 12 vols. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1992–2004
  • Lawrence, Letters: James T. Boulton et al., eds. The Letters of D. H. Lawrence. 8 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979–2001.
  • Leggett: H.W. Leggett. Bertrand Russell O.M. London: Lincolns Praeger, 1949.
  • Letters of Leonard Woolf: Frederic Spotts, ed. Letters of Leonard Woolf. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1990.
  • Linsky, Evolution of PM: Bernard Linsky. The Evolution of Principia Mathematica: Bertrand Russell's Manuscripts and Notes for the Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
  • Malleson, After Ten Years: Constance Malleson. After Ten Years: a Personal Record. London: Cape, 1931.
  • Malleson, In the North: Constance Malleson, In the North: Autobiographical Fragments in Norway, Sweden, Finland: 1936–1946. London: Gollancz, 1946.
  • McGuinness, W. in Cambridge: B.F. McGuinness, ed. Wittgenstein in Cambridge: Letters and Documents 1911–1951. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
  • Mróz 2008: Tomasz Mróz. "Bertrand Russella Spotkanie z Wincentym Lutosławskim". Przeglad Filozoficny, n.s. 17 (2008): 83–100.
  • Nehru: Jawaharlal Nehru. A Bunch of Old Letters. New Delhi: Asia Publishing House, 1958.
  • Nordin: Svante Nordin. Ingemar Hedenius: en filosof och hans tid. Stockholm: Natur och Kultur, 2004.
  • Reichenbach: Hans Reichenbach. Selected Writings. Ed. Maria Reichenbach and R.S. Cohen. Vol. 1: 1909–1953. Boston: Reidel, 1978.
  • Royce, Letters: John Clendenning, ed. The Letters of Josiah Royce. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
  • Santayana, Letters: William G. Holzberger, ed. The Letters of George Santayana. 8 vols. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001–08.
  • Sulek: Antoni Sulek. Stanisław Ossowski w pełnym blasku. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar, 2016.
  • Turcon, Homes: S. Turcon, The Homes of Bertrand Russell. Hamilton, ON: Bertrand Russell Research Centre, 2020–
  • Turcon, "Sold Up": S. Turcon, "Russell Sold Up". Russell 6 (1986): 77-8.
  • Utley: Freda Utley. Odyssey of a Liberal: Memoirs. Washington, DC: Washington National Press, 1970.
  • Vellacott: Jo Vellacott. Bertrand Russell and the Pacifists in the First World War. Brighton: Harvester Press, 1980.
  • Wells, Correspondence: David C. Smith, ed. The Correspondence of H.G. Wells. 4 vols. London: Pickering & Chatto, 1998.
  • Wood: Alan Wood. Bertrand Russell, the Passionate Sceptic. London: Allen & Unwin, 1956.

System background

Acknowledgements

  • McMaster Library
    • Debbie Lawlor
    • David Kemper
    • Bridget Whittle
  • Bertrand Russell Research Centre
    • Arlene Duncan
  • Volunteers
    • David Blitz
    • Daniel O'Leary
    • Sheila Turcon

Maintained by K.Blackwell 16.3.24