"The [Houghton Library] collection contains more than three quarters of Keats' surviving poetry manuscripts and about half of his surviving letters," Morris said. "Harvard has also comprehensively collected editions of Keats and has multiple copies of the books that appeared in Keats' own lifetime as well as all subsequent printings of Keats."

Morris said most of the Keats collection came to Harvard through the generosity of two collectors--President A. Lawrence Lowell's sister Amy, who wrote a biography of Keats and who bequeathed her collection to Harvard in 1925, and Arthur A. Houghton Jr., after whom the library was named, who gave his collection over a number of years between 1940 and 1979.

Exhibitions

Beginning on Thursday, Harvard opened two exhibitions on Keats that will continue to run for at least a month.

One exhibit at Houghton Library, entitled "John Keats and the Exaltation of Genius," includes original manuscripts in Keats' handwriting, such as the manuscripts for "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" and "To Autumn," along with letters written by Keats.

It also features first editions and a plaster life mask of the poet done when he was 19 by painter Benjamin Haydon.

A second exhibition, housed in the Widener Library rotunda, is titled "John Keats: Bright Star." It contains contemporary artwork by Irish artist Ross Wilson.

The Widener Library exhibit runs through October 14, and the Houghton Library exhibit runs through October 28.