PITTS THEOLOGY LIBRARY
ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPTS DEPT.
KITTO, JOHN, 1804-1854.
Correspondence, 1840-1850.
MANUSCRIPT NUMBER 270
EXTENT: .02 cubic ft. (2 folders)
ACCESS: Unrestricted
REPRODUCTION: All requests subject to limitations noted in
departmental
policies on reproduction.
COPYRIGHT: Information on copyright (literary rights) available from
repository.
CITATION:
John
Kitto Correspondence,
MSS 270,
Archives and
Manuscripts
Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.
Biographical Note
John
Kitto,
the author of the “Pictorial Bible,” was born in Plymouth on December
4,
1804. As a child, he was often ill and
tended
to be bookish, despite his lacking access to a formal education. At the age of ten, he began working alongside
his
stonemason father. An accident at work
occurred
in 1817 that left Kitto totally deaf. He then served as an apprentice
to
a shoemaker, and later as a dentist’s pupil. During
this period, he experienced a religious conversion. In 1825, Kitto
attended
the Missionary College at Islington to train to be a printer in a
foreign
mission setting. From 1829 to 1832, Kitto
worked
in the missionary field in Baghdad. In
1834,
Kitto began a series of narrative illustrations of the blind, deaf, and
mute,
which was collected and published in 1845 as “The Lost Senses.” He also edited the Cyclopedia of Biblical
Literature,
published in 1845. He was the editor of
the Journal
of Sacred Literature from 1848 to 1853. Kitto
was awarded a D.D. from University of Giessen in 1844, despite his
layman
status. Always given to sickness, Kitto
passed
away in 1854.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of 23 letters written to
or
by John Kitto during the period from 1840 to 1850.
Most
of the letters concern articles to be submitted to Kitto for his
various
publications. The collection includes five
letters
written by Samuel Davidson to John Kitto dating from 1845 to 1854. They discuss Davidson’s articles for the Cyclopedia
of Biblical Literature. Article topics
include
the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Talmud, the Targums,
Polyglots
and Revelation and its authenticity. Two
letters
written by Kitto discuss his presentation to the King of Prussia. Personal matters are also addressed in three
of the
letters.
Box Folder Description Dates
1 Correspondence – Letters from John Kitto 1840-1850
2 Correspondence – Letters to John Kitto
from Samuel Davidson 1845-1854
Last Modified: 01/21/2004