The majority (824) of the letters to Hugo were bought in a single purchase to Jean Gaudon, on 1 September 1965, for 4,000 francs. However, some letters from prestigious correspondents such as Sainte-Beuve or Alfred de Vigny were bought separately on the autograph market. Unless stated otherwise, provenance of the letters to Hugo will not be indicated.
The purchase details of the letters from Hugo have been found in the University's acquisition catalogues, which contain some mistakes; the information should therefore be considered with caution.
There are 159 letters from Hugo in this series. Six letters and two page-proofs of newspapers have been stuck on two cardboard sheets and counted as two items (MH/1/277/1-2). 15 poems by Alphonse Petit have also been counted as a single item (VMH/1/439/26).