"Letters of a Diplomat's Wife, 1883-1900" by Mary King Waddington, edited by Tompkins McIlvaine, offers a captivating glimpse into the life of a diplomat's wife during a significant period of history. Through Mary King Waddington's letters, readers are transported to the diplomatic circles of the late 19th century, where they witness her observations, experiences, and interactions with notable figures. Tompkins McIlvaine's careful editing ensures that these personal correspondences provide valuable historical and cultural insights.

Mary Alsop King Waddington was born on April 28, 1833 in New York City. The daughter of a prominent academic and politician, Charles King, Mary enjoyed a life of great privilege. It helped that her grandfather, Rufus King, was a US Senator, and a one-time presidential candidate, running as a Federalist. Her family had many ties to Europe, as her father had studied at Harrow, School in England, alongside such figures as Lord Byron. Mary's brother became an American Minister to European missions, operating out of Rome. In 1871, Mary traveled abroad with her family, moving to France and eventually meeting her husband, William Henry Waddington in Paris. Mary wrote extensively, often about her life as the wife of a diplomat. Her husband became the Prime Minister of France in 1879, and served in several other diplomatic positions afterwards. In addition to this work, Letters of a Diplomat's Wife, Mary also penned Italian Letters of a Diplomat's Wife (1905), Chateau and Country Life in France (1909) and My First Years as a Frenchwoman (1914). She also had several articles published in popular magazines, such as Scibner's Magazine. During World War I, she raised funds to helped displaced refugees and soldiers. She passed away in Paris on June 30, 1923.

William Elliot Griffis (1843 – 1928) graduated from Rutgers College in 1869 and taught four years in Fukui and Tokyo. After his return to the United States, he devoted himself to his research and writing on East Asia throughout his life. He authored 20 books about Japan and five books about Korea including, Corea: The Hermit Nation (1882), Corea, Without and Within: Chapters on Corean History, Manners and Religion (1885), The Unmannerly Tiger, and Other Korean Tales (1911), A Modern Pioneer in Korea: The Life Story of Henry G. Appenzeller (1912), and Korean Fairy Tales (1922). In particular, his bestseller, Corea: The Hermit Nation (1882) was reprinted numerous times through nine editions over thirty years. He was not only known as "the foremost interpreter of Japan to the West before World War I but also the American expert on Korea. After his death, his collection of books, documents, photographs and ephemera was donated to Rutgers. The Korean materials in the Griffis Collection at Rutgers University consist of journals, correspondence, articles, maps, prints, photos, postcards, manuscripts, scrapbooks, and ephemera. These papers reflect Griffis's interests and activities in relation to Korea as a historian, scholar, and theologian. They provide a rare window into the turbulent period of late nineteenth- and twentieth-century Korea, witnessed and evaluated by Griffis and early American missionaries in East Asia. The Korea Letters in the William Elliot Griffis Collection are divided into two parts: letters from missionaries and letters from Japanese and Korean political figures. Newly available and accessible through this collection, these letters develop a multifaceted history of early American missionaries in Korea, the Korean independence movement, and Griffis's views on Korean culture.