We’re now halfway through 2026 and work continues to hum along on our scoped NEH grant work.

We’ve now managed to locate a pair of excellent editorial assistants to finish up transcription of Whitehead’s correspondence before the end of the year. We’re extremely pleased with their work so far and are confident that they will finish all needed transcription with time to spare.

Editing of both the third volume of Harvard Lectures (HL3) and the “Works” monograph volume containing SMW, RM, and S (W4) continues. HL3 in particular has taken us longer than we would have liked, but both will be completed by the end of the year and submitted to Edinburgh University Press for publication in 2027.

Speaking of W4, we made a fun archival discovery while doing research on SMW. While the book was largely based on Whitehead’s 1925 Lowell lectures, several chapters were either original to SMW or had been previously presented elsewhere. One such chapter was the second one, “Mathematics as an Element in the History of Thought,” which was first delivered as an address to the Mathematics Club of Brown University.

We already knew from Victor Lowe’s biography (vol. 2, p. 164) that this address took place on April 14, 1925. But a helpful university archivist dug up materials that have given us more information and color. For one, the event was originally set to occur on April 3, but was rescheduled. For another, a copy of an invitation to attend the event (see image above) provided some fun details: there were only 150 seats, half of which were filled by Club members; the event was presided over by the Chancellor of the University; and the invitation referred to Whitehead as a “mathematician and philosopher of international reputation and rare personal charm.”

In other news, we have added a new member to the WRP’s Editorial Advisory Board: Maria Regina Brioschi. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Milan and the University of Valle d’Aosta. Her work lies at the intersection of pragmatism and process philosophy, with a particular focus on C.S. Peirce and Whitehead. Among her other accomplishments, she translated Process and Reality into Italian in 2019.

Finally, we should hear back about our recent NEH application soon—by mid-August at the very latest. If funded, the grant would provide about $400,000 over a three-year period from 2027–2029 to edit and publish HL4 and W3 (which would include PNK, CN, and R), as well as transcribe materials for a volume of Collected Papers. This would help a great deal for the project’s financial security and viability. We will make an announcement about the result as soon as we’re able.

If the Whitehead Research Project is to continue, it will be because of the generosity of private donors. With four volumes published and another thirteen still to go, the Critical Edition will still need at least another decade to complete its work.

The work of searching for, transcribing, and editing archival materials is time-consuming and costly. If you are able to support our work with a donation, it would be much appreciated. Just follow this link.