Literary Documents

"The quarry is Literary Documents--a generic term which includes all kinds of written records that throw light on some aspect of a literary figure's life and work:  the successive drafts and revisions of his writings; his diaries, letters, and autobiographical fragments; the letters and reminiscences of members of his family and his friends; legal records such as affidavits, deeds, and wills."

The Scholar Adventurers by Richard D. Altick, 1966.