University of Toronto Archives And

University of Toronto Archives

B2003-0009 John Munro Personal Records

University of Toronto Archives and

Records Management Services

John Munro

Personal Records

B2003-0009

Garron Wells

February 2004

© University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services 2004

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Biographical note 3

Scope and Content Note 3

Series 1 Education 5

Series 2 Correspondence 5

Series 3 University of Toronto 6

Series 4 Other activities 7

Series 5 Grant Applications 8

Series 6 Teaching 8

Series 7 Reports and Papers 9

Series 8 Publications 9

Appendix 1 10

Appendix 2 17

Biographical note

John Henry Alexander Munro was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 14, 1938. He received his undergraduate education at the University of British Columbia, graduating with a combined Honours in Economics and History Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960. He enrolled at Yale University to undertake graduate work where he received his Master of Arts in 1961 and his PhD in Economic History in June, 1965. His studies at Yale were supported by research fellowships such as the Canada Council Pre-Doctoral Degree Fellowships (1961-1963), and the Imperial Oil Graduate Research Fellowship. His thesis “Bullionism in Anglo-Burgundian Commercial Relations, 1348-1478” was later published under the title Wool, Cloth and Gold: The struggle for bullion in Anglo-Burgundian Trade ca 1340-1478 in 1973.

Prof. Munro began his teaching career as an Instructor at the University of British Columbia in the Departments of History and Economics in 1964. He was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1965 and continued to teach at UBC until 1968 when he accepted a position at the University of Toronto. He joined the faculty of the Department of Political Economy as Associate Professor in 1968 and was promoted to Professor of Economics in July, 1973. Throughout his career at the University of Toronto, he participated in many committees both within the Department of Political Economy (later Economics) and throughout the University. Since 1976, he has been involved in one capacity or another with the Centre for Medieval Studies in developing curriculum, organizing conferences, and conducting searches for faculty appointments. He has been, and continues to be active in the University of Toronto Faculty Association. Most recently he prepared a report entitled “The Debate about Mandatory Retirement, or Positive Individual Choices in Retirement at 65” for RALUT (Retired Academics and Librarians at the University of Toronto).

During his 35-year career at the University of Toronto, Prof. Munro has become recognized as a leading expert in European economic history from ca.,1250-1600. In addition to producing over 119 scholarly publications including articles (80), book reviews (34) and six books, Prof. Munro also participated as consultant for and/or member of editorial boards for such publications as The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History (2003), The Collected Works of Erasmus, Textile History, Explorations of Economic History, Encyclopedia of Economic History, and The International History Review. He has also been in great demand as a speaker at conferences, workshops and other academic special events, producing more than 69 papers for presentation. He has been involved in the Economic History Association (USA), Economic History Committee of the Canadian Economics Association (1988-1990), the Medieval Academy of America (1990-1993), and the Comitato Scientifico, Instituto Internazionale di Storia Economica Franceso Datini da Prato (from 1999; and appointed to the Giunta or Executive Committee in 2003). In 2000 he was also elected, as a foreign member, to the Royal Flemish Academy ob Belgium for Science and the Arts. He also served as a referee for numerous American, British and European journals and national and international university presses. On the occasion of his retirement, some of his former students and colleagues organized a conference, held on 13 to 14 March 2004 at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, with the title Money, Markets and Trade in late Medieval Europe An International Workshop in Honour of John Munro.

Scope and Content Note

Records, textual; 1956-2003; 8.47 metres

Access: Restricted: Series 2, letters of reference only closed for 30 years.

This accession is the only acquisition of personal records of John Munro, professor of economics at the University of Toronto. The records document Prof. Munro’s academic activities beginning with his university education at the University of British Columbia and Yale University from 1956 to 1965 until his retirement from the University of Toronto in 2003. This is an extensive body of records documenting the contributions of a recognized expert in European economic history from 1200 to 1600.

The accession is arranged in eight series reflecting for the most part the original order of the records as they were received by the University Archives. Among the larger series are Series 2 Correspondence which contains a fairly complete record of his ongoing communications with colleagues, editors, students and former students relating to academic activities as professor, author, advisor and mentor. Almost a third of this series contains letters of reference relating to student performance and professional evaluation required for employment by colleagues and former students. Series 4 is closely related to Series 2 in that it contains subject files relating to activities in associations, conferences and other organizations. Series 5 and 6 document his research activity in the form of grant applications and his teaching activities mainly at the University of Toronto, although there are some materials relating to courses taught at the University of British Columbia in the mid 1960’s. Lectures for many courses are in the form of essay length narratives, rather than point form notes and thus form a very complete record of the content of his courses as delivered to his students.

By far the largest volume of records is contained in Series 7 Reports and Papers and Series 8 Publications. These two series comprise nearly 50% of the accession’s extent, and provide a very complete record of Prof. Munro’s formal literary works from the earliest years of his academic career including various versions of manuscripts, page proofs, corrections and correspondence. In total, they comprise 79% of his scholarly publications and 48% of his papers as recorded on his curriculum vitae as described on the two appendices to this finding aid.

Series 1 Education

.42 metres; textual 1956-1965

This series documents Prof. Munro’s university education at the University of British Columbia where he studied combined honours programme of history and economics from 1956 to 1960. Following graduation he proceeded to Yale University where he received his Master of Arts (1961) and his PhD (1965). Among the records in this series are his undergraduate course notes and essays for courses in history and economics as well as his ‘graduating essay’ entitled “The role of capital formation in the economic development of Jamaica in the post war period 1945-1958”. Course notes for his Masters and Doctoral degrees are confined to three courses in history. Course papers include ones for History 128b with R.S. Lopez entitled “The commercial policy of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, with England, 1419-1467 – ‘Wool, cloth and gold’” (1961). Course papers for History 151 in 1962 have comments by the professor, Mr. Krieger. A bound copy of his dissertation (1965) will be found in Box 003

Box /001 to /003

Series 2 Correspondence

2.34 metres; textual 1962-2003

This is an extensive series of correspondence with friends, colleagues, students and former students, editors and other individuals documenting his many writing, publishing, teaching and research activities. Includes correspondence with his mentor and thesis advisor, Prof. Robert S. Lopez of Yale University as well as early correspondence relating to his employment at UBC and subsequent move to the University of Toronto (1962-1968) (Box013) The alphabetical files contain correspondence with and about individuals as well as organizations. Letters of reference with colleagues and friends relate mainly to employment applications or grant applications and are filed separately from those relating to students. Files relating to students contain information on evaluation of progress on dissertation, dissertation defence and some letters of reference for teaching appointments.

Access: Boxes 014 (10)- (18) to /019 restricted for 30 years.

Series 2 Correspondence (cont’d)

Series 3 University of Toronto

.33 metres; textual 1962-2003

This series contains files relating to Prof. Munro’s administrative and academic activities in the Department of Political Economy, Department of Economics, and the Centre for Medieval Studies. Such files include among others, files on PhD comprehensive examinations (with copies from Yale University), and the Graduate programme in Economics. Also included in this series are Prof. Munro’s annual activity reports submitted to the Chair of the Department. Prof. Munro also undertook appointments to other university bodies such Users’ Committee of the Robart’s Library (1974-1977), the U. of T. Research Board, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, and various search committees. Files relating to these activities contain correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports, and notes.

Arranged alphabetically by file title.

Boxes /020 and /021

Series 4 Other activities

.45 metres; textual 1968-2003

This series contains files relating to Prof. Munro’s activities in conferences, associations, and other external organizations. Some files, therefore, may relate to individuals and organizations documented in Series 2 Correspondence. Files contain correspondence, some manuscripts of papers or presentations, minutes of meetings, notes and reports.

Series 5 Grant Applications

.28 metres; textual 1968-2002

This series consists of files relating to applications for research grants to the Canada Council (and later the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada), the Connaught Research Fellowship, and the Guggenheim Foundation. Files contain correspondence, application form(s) including outline of research project, and financial statements. Also includes correspondence, procedures and applications to Research Office of the University of Toronto.

Boxes /025 and /026

Series 6 Teaching

1.47 metres; textual 1962-2000

This series documents Prof. Munro’s teaching activities as they relate to courses delivered to undergraduate and graduate students during his first teaching appointment at University of British Columbia (1964-1968) and at the University of Toronto (1968- 2000). University of British Columbia courses include History 304 “Economic and social history of the Middle Ages”, Economics 320 “Economic development of Modern Europe” and History 416 “France in the Middle Ages”. UBC files include course outlines, essay topics, examinations and typescripts of lectures.

Files for University of Toronto courses are understandably more extensive and include course outlines, reading lists, examination questions and typescripts of lectures.

Series 6 Teaching (cont’d)

Series 7 Reports and Papers

.71 metres; textual; 1973-2002

This series consists of papers prepared for presentation at conferences, workshops and other invited talks, reports prepared as referee for various scholarly journals, and working papers published on University of Toronto Department of Economics web site. Many of the conference and workshop papers are early versions of later published works (See Series 8). Refereed reports are for such scholarly journals as Journal of Economic History, Explorations in Economic History, Economic History Review, and Medieval Studies, American Historical Review and university presses such as the University of Nebraska and Oxford University Press. Files may contain various versions of the typescript report or paper, the final version and correspondence. See Appendix 1 for list of files of papers, and web papers arranged chronologically by date of final production or presentation. Refereed reports have not been separately listed.