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The search results will be organized into a list, with each entry summarized. The first column of the entry will have the record number, which links to the full record.

Reliable texts of 2,942 letters by Russell (and a few on his behalf) 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 Russell’s Addresses for a still-growing list of addresses from which he wrote his correspondence. 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, including postcard
  • (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.

By others:

  • 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.
  • Frege: B.F. McGuinness, ed.; Hans Kaal, trans. Philosophical and Mathematical Correspondence of Gottlob Frege. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.
  • Frege: Gottlob Frege, Wissenschaftlicher Briefwechsel. Gottfried Gabriel et al., eds. Hamburg: Meiner, 1976.
  • James, Letters: Ignas Skrupskelis et al., eds. The Correspondence of William James. 12 vols. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1992–2004
  • LDHL: 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
    • Andrew G. Bone
    • Arlene Duncan
  • Volunteers
    • David Blitz
    • Daniel O'Leary
    • Sheila Turcon

Maintained by K.Blackwell 6.12.25