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H. G. Wells collection. -- [191-?]-1943. -- 92 cm of textual records.

H. G. Wells, novelist, was born in Bromley, Kent on 21 September 1866. After an apprenticeship as a draper, Wells won a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in South Kensington. A prolific novelist, he is perhaps best remembered for his scientific romances beginning with The Time Machine (1895) and followed by The Wars of the Worlds (1898) about the invasion of earth by Martians. In 1934 he published Experiment in Autobiography. He died in London on 13 August 1946.

There have been several accruals. The collection consists of correspondence, mainly to Sir Newman Flower, manuscripts and typescripts. The manuscripts include Mr. Britling Sees It Through, which was published in 1916. There is also correspondence to Seigfried Sassoon. There is a one page memoir of Wells by one of his secretaries, Winnifred Classey. The collection also consists of an extensive holding of periodicals containing articles by and about Wells.

The collection is supplemented by a large number of Wells' books which have been catalogued. See Library Research News 7, no. 2 (Autumn 1983).

Title based on content of collection.
The first accrual of manuscripts and typescripts was purchased in 1968 from Winifred Classey. Correspondence was purchased in 1982 and again twice in 1984. The 1984 purchases were made from Henry Sothern Ltd. Provenance and date of acquisition of the periodicals is unkown. A typed copy of a letter came with the purchase of Maurice Ernest, The Longer Life (Accession 05-1996). An accrual (22-2004) of one letter was purchased from M. Augustine in 2004. A later accrual (33-2006) of one letter was purchased from Frogtown Books, Toledo, Ohio. A further accrual (15-2007) of one letter was purchased on ebay from Candy Safari, Port Colborne, Ont. An additional accrual (34-2007) was purchased from David Mason Books, Toronto in October 2007.
Finding aid available in hard copy and electronically.
There are no access restrictions.
Further accruals are not expected.

Contact: archives@mcmaster.ca
Last Reviewed: February 22, 2010
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