"Keeps its finger on the pulse of the rare book world" - William Reese

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center has acquired Ms. Hepburn’s personal collection of thousands of pages of notes, journals, photographs, cast lists, scripts, contracts, fan letters and other documentation relating to her important but perhaps lesser-known theatrical career. This collection of Katharine Hepburn’s personal papers is being made public for the first time.

The documents reveal new details about Ms. Hepburn’s early performances and include correspondence from such notables as Sir Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland, Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda and Peter O’Toole. The papers contain numerous delightful anecdotes about the legendary star and demonstrate her steadfast commitment to self-improvement, even after her reputation had been cemented as one of the greatest actresses of our time.

“Katharine Hepburn is an icon of American culture,” said Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library. “This extensive collection will help preserve Ms. Hepburn’s theatrical legacy and open new research possibilities to scholars and writers -- indeed to anyone interested in exploring the life of this extraordinary actress.”

“Many people are unaware that Ms. Hepburn's career as an actress really took hold first on the stage,” said Bob Taylor, Curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division. “The stage was not only her training ground, but also the place where she experienced some of her greatest successes. We couldn't feel more privileged to have been selected as the custodians of that portion of her personal papers that covers her stage career.”

The Katharine Hepburn Papers are expected to be fully catalogued and available to the public in February.

For more information see http://www.nypl.org/press/2007/hepburn.cfm