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Manuscripts of novels, poems, short stories, plays, and other
writings, correspondence, transcripts of court hearings, and miscellany trace
the writing career and personal life of D. H. Lawrence, 1904-1981 (bulk dates
1904-1935), as well as popular reaction to his work. The collection is
organized into five series, which are generally arranged alphabetically by
author or title: I. Works, 1903-1970 (33.5 boxes), II. Letters, 1904-1930 (5
boxes), III. Recipient, 1912-1929 (.25 boxes), IV. Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Correspondence, 1922-1935 (3.25 boxes), V. Miscellaneous, 1911-1981 (10 boxes).
This collection was previously accessible through a card catalog, but has been
re-cataloged as part of a retrospective conversion project. |
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The Works series contains drafts of many of Lawrence's major works,
including
Sons and Lovers, Aaron's Rod, Women in Love,
and four versions of
Lady Chatterley's Lover. Also included is
a holograph of
"Odour of Chrysanthemums" transcribed
by Louise Burrows, as well as numerous versions of
The Plumed Serpent: Quetzalcoatl and
Mr. Noon. Page proofs and paste ups from
the publishing of
Body of God, a series of poems by Lawrence
produced posthumously, are included. Additionally, a quantity of photocopies of
poems and other writings held at other institutions, including the University
of California and the University of Nottingham, is present in two groupings and
as individual items. They are identifiable by stamps that provide copyright
permission information. The materials in this series are in a variety of
formats including notes and fragments, notebooks, typescripts, galley proofs,
paste ups, and page proofs. Individual titles can be accessed through the Index
of Works at the end of this finding aid. |
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The Letters series is fairly extensive and made up largely of
holograph letters and notes from Lawrence. The series is fairly evenly split
between business and personal matters; several recipients of these letters are
particularly well represented including Lady Cynthia Asquith, Earl and Achsah
Brewster, Curtis Brown, A.W. MacLeod, Knud Merrild, Nancy Pearn, Laurence
Pollinger, and Thomas Seltzer. The Recipient series is made conspicuous by its
small size--a single folder. Very few letters to Lawrence are included and most
of those that are present deal with business. A good example is the group of
five letters from Thomas Seltzer in 1923 which encourage Lawrence to drop
Robert Mountsier as his literary agent and to deal instead directly with
Seltzer's publishing house. Additional authors and recipients of correspondence
can be identified using the Index of Correspondents in this finding aid. |
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The Curtis Brown Ltd. Correspondence Series, organized
chronologically, consists of about 1500 items and includes letters to Lawrence,
booksellers, agents, Curtis Brown's lawyers, and various other people involved
in the publication and sales of Lawrence's writing. Also included are contracts
with Frieda Lawrence for 1933 and 1934, as well as letters, financial
statements, and listings of copyright accounts sent to her after Lawrence's
death. The letters in this series are not listed individually in the Index of
Correspondents. Lawrence's letters to Curtis Brown are in the Letters
Series. |
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The Miscellaneous Series consists of a wide variety of materials
directly and indirectly related to Lawrence. A few personal items belonging to
Lawrence--passports, address books, bank statements,
check stubs--are included. However, the bulk of this
series is made up of correspondence between other parties regarding Lawrence's
works. Communication between Robert Mountsier, Lawrence's literary agent for a
few years around 1920, and publishers, is particularly well represented here.
Also included are transcripts from the American and English obscenity trials
involving
Lady Chatterley's Lover (Regina v. Penguin
Books, Ltd.), and manuscripts of scholarly works about Lawrence. Notable among
the latter are the complete notes and working manuscripts of F. W. Roberts'
book
A Bibliography of D. H. Lawrence (1959).
Letters in this series are listed in the Index of Correspondents. |