Finding Aid
H.G. Wells collection. – [191-?]-1943. – 92 cm of textual records.
Box 1
Manuscripts and Typescripts
F.1 The Mind of the Race. Ms. Holograph and annotated typescript. 73 pages.
F.2. Mr. Britling Sees It Through. Ms. Holograph. 52 pages.
F.3 The Two Ways. Ms. Holograph. 10 pages.
F.4 The Two Ways. Ms. Typescript. 6 pages.
F.5 Scientific War. Ms. Typescript. 11 pages.
F.6 Kellner,Das Rechnung! The Reckoning for the War. Ms. Typescript. 10 pages.
F.7 Civilians In Warfare. Ms. Typescript. 5 pages.
F.8 The problem of the troublesome collaborator. [1930]. Ms. Carbon Typescript. 82 pages.
F.9 Bealby, A Holiday. Typescript, title-page.
F.10 Winifred Classey, “A Pen Sketch of H.G. Wells”. Signed typescript, 1 page.
Correspondence
F.11 Wells to Newman Flower
A.Pc.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.Pc.s. ,1 p., n.d.
A.Pc.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.Pc.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 2 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., January 15, 1912
A.L.s., 1 p., [October 7, 1915]
A.L.s., 5 p., July 6, 1918
A.L.s., 1 p., October 23, 1922
A.L.s., 1 p., November 12, 1922
A.L.s. , 1 p., January 15, 1923
A.L.s., 1 p., April 6, 1924
A.L.s., 2 p., March 22, 1925
A.L.s., 1 p., March 23, 1925
A.Pc.s. 1 p., April 8, 1925
A.L.s., 1 p., November 2, 1925
A.L.s., 1 p., January 10, 1927
F.12 Wells to Newman Flower (additional accrual)
ALs , [1913?]
Als, [1913?] or [1920?]
ALs , [1922?]
APcs , February 2, 1930
Als, February 6, 1930
APcs, July 3, 1930
APcs, December 14, 1930
ALs, [1930?]
ALs, February 16, 1931
ALs, March 7, 1931
ALs, March 14, 1931
APcs, March 17,1931
APcs, March 27, 1931
Apcs, April 13,1931
APcs, [1931]
APcs, [1931]
APcs, [1931]
ALs, August 13, 1932
F.13 Wells to Mr. Gentry
A.L.s., 1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., n.d.
A. notes1 p., n.d.
A.L.s., 1 p., February 28, 1920
A.L.s., 1 p., May 11, 1923
A.L.s., 2 p. Mary R. Almond to Wells, November 13, 1943 (with note from Wells to Gentry at top, asking him to respond to the letter)
T.L.s., 1 p., November 20, 1943
F.14
A.L.s., 2 p., Wells to “Dear Sir”, April 12, 1933
A.L.s, 1 p., Wells to Ernest Jones
A.L.s., 1 p., Wells to Mr. Steer, n.d.
A.Pc.s.1 p., Wells to Mr. Young, July 17, 1933
F.15
Wells to Granville Barker
3 postcards, one dated 3 August 1910, one postmarked 1925.
Lucienne Southgate (Wells’ secretary), 2 letters to Robert Partridge, 1936
F.16
Siegfried Sassoon.
7 Holograph Letters. Wells to Sassoon, 1916-1942.
2 Postcards, Wells to Sassoon.
2 Holograph Letters from Catherine Wells to Sassoon.
F.17 (Accession 05-1996)
Typed transcript of letter from Wells to Dr. Maurice Ernest, 8 June 1938.
F.18 (Accession 22-2004)
Letter, Wells to Mr. Pearmain of Boston, 15 April 1906, holograph.
F.19 (Accession 33-2006)
Letter from Wells to "Sir" [Marriott Watson], undated, autographed.
F.20 (Accession 15-2007)
Letter, Wells to Mr. Thomas, 21 February 1940, holograph.
F.21 (Accession 34-2007)
Letter, Wells to Upton Sinclair, 3 October 1928, holograph.
Boxes 2 and 3
Periodicals. Contain articles by and about Wells, reviews, letters to the editors.
The Bookman
“H.G. Wells and the Giants”, G.K. Chesterton review of The Food of the Gods, December 1904, p. 124.
Collier’s
Sargon, King of Kings (reprinted as Christina Alberta’s Father), a New Novel by H.G. Wells, Chapter I, 21 February 1925, p. 5-7, 38-41.
Sargon, King of Kings (reprinted as Christina Alberta’s Father), Chapter VIII, 11 April 1925,
p. 23, 28, 30, 32-35, 37.
The English Review Magazine
Reference to Wells’ Outline of History, May 1950, p. 344.
Everybody’s
“The Dreamer Who Wrote of Things to Come”, by John W. Klein, 29 January 1949, p. 15.
Item in the “Everybody’s Talking” column and The Stolen Bacillus, a short story, 15 September 1956, p. 8, 17-18, 31.
Everyman
“Shaw--Wells--Bennett”, letters by each of the above in response to a request to write advertisements for Harrods, 14 March 1929, p. 25-6.
“Catching out our Authors”, by Frank Sidgwick, 18 March 1933, p. 325.
John O’London’s Weekly
“The Place of Franklin Roosevelt in History”, by H.G. Wells, 3 December 1933, p. 326-327.
Review of Mind at the End of its Tether in “A Bookman’s Diary” by Colophon, 13 July 1945, p. 148.
Reference to A Contemporary Memoir in “A Bookman’s Diary” by Colophon, 18 March 1949, p. 148.
Review of Vincent Brome’s H.G. Wells, A Biography by J .F .Horrabin, 2 March 1951, p. 120.
The Outline of History reviewed by Campbell Naime, 31 August 1951, p. 530.
“No Great Novelists?” article on Wells and others by John O’London, 8 February 1952, p. 133.
“H.G. Wells’s Last Day Out”, by F.J. Camm, 28 March 1952, p. 295.
“Photographing the Fabians”, by Allan Chappelow, 7 May 1954, p. 474-5, 469.
“H.G.Wells: prophet and seer”, by Hugh Schonfield, 28 September 1961, p. 346-7.
“H.G. Wells”, letter to the Editor, 26 October 1961, p. 466.
“Encyclopaedist or myth-maker?” by George Catlin, 7 December 1961, p. 624.
Labour Monthly
“Press freedom in wartime: a symposium”, Wells contributes, with Shaw and others, to the discussion, March 1941, p. 118.
Leader Magazine
“My dreams”, by H.G. Wells, 21 October 1944, p. 7-9.
“Are We Any Better?”, article in A Leader Writer’s Diary, [no author], 28 October 1944, p. 4.
“I Produce Mr. Polly”, by John Mills, 24 July 1948, p. 14-15.
Left Review
“H.G. Wells on the encyclopedia”, part of a report on an International Writers Conference, July 1936, p. 488-9.
The Listener
Gerald Heard, “ Is Utopia enough?”, review of The Anatomy of Frustration, 14 October 1936, Vol. XVI, No. 405, supplement xv-xvi.
Edwin Muir, review of Babes in the Darkling Wood, 28 November 1940, p. 782.
“The man who tried to work miracles”, by A.J .P .Taylor, 21 July 1966, p. 81-84.
“Orwell or Wells?” Letter to the editor by Inez Holden, 24 February 1972, Vol.87, No. 2239,
p. 244-5.
“Orwell or Wells?”, letter to the editor by Michael Meyer, 2 March 1972, Vol. 87, No. 2240, p. 279.
“Orwell or Wells?”, letter to the editor by Inez Holden, 9 March 1972, Vol. 87, No. 2241, p. 311.
“Orwell or Wells?”, letter to the editor by Michael Meyer, 16 March 1972, Vol. 87, No. 2242,
p. 344.
“Orwell or Wells?”, letter to the editor by E.C. Sutherland, 23 March 1972, Vol. 87, No. 2243,
p. 379.
Frank Kerrnode, “Wells’s ladder”, review of The Time Traveller , 14 June 1973, Vol. 89, No. 2307, p. 806.
The Nation
W.E. Orchard, “The Conversion of Mr. Wells”, review of God, the Invisible King, 19 May 1917, p. 174.
The Nation and Athenaeum /The New Statesman and Nation
J .M. Keynes, “Clissold”, review of The World of William Clissold, 22 January 1927, Vol. XL, no. 16, p. 561-2.
Arnold J. Toynbee, “Plus ça change....”, review of Democracy under Revision and 2 other books, 23 July 1927, Vol. XLI, no. 16, p. 550. Also an advertisement for Meanwhile by H.G.Wells on front cover.
“Critical Essays”, review of Scrutinies, by various writers, collected by Edgell Rickword, [includes H.G.Wells], review by Herbert Read, 12 May 1928, Vol. XLM, no. 6, p. 180 & 182.
Sylva Norman, “Mr. Wells’s religion”, review of The Open Conspiracy, 11 August 1928, Vol. XLM, no. 19, p. 624, 2 copies.
Reviews of Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island and A Quartette of Comedies,
Reviews by Francis Birrell, 25 August 1928, p. 680.
“Mr. H.G. Wells”, letter from Geoffrey West regarding his biography of Wells, 25 January 1930, p. 574.
“The Education Bill, letter to the editor which has H.G.W. as one of the co-signatories [others include Vera Brittain and Bertrand Russell], 28 June 1930, Vol. XLVII, no. 13, p. 404.
“ A sketch-map of Europe”, review of The Intelligent Man’s Review of Europe To-day by G.D.H. and M.I. Cole, review by Kingsley Martin, contains comparison with the work of Wells, 30 September 1933, Vol. VI, no. 136 (New Series), p. 394.
“H.G. Wells pays this magnificent tribute to Capricornia by Xavier Herbert”, promotional piece in publisher's advertisement, 13 January 1940, Vol. XIX, No. 464 (New Series), p. 47.
“Current literature: books in general”, review of All Aboard for Ararat, review by V .S. Pritchett, 5 October 1940, Vol. XX, no. 502, p. 334.
“Declarations of rights”, review of The Rights of Man, review by C.E.M. Joad, 11 December 1943, Vol. XXVI, no. 668, p. 388-9.
The New Age
“Whence we came”, review of Christina Alberta’s Father, review by Iris Barry, 15 October 1925, No. 1727, New Series, Vol. XXXVII, no. 24, p. 286.
“Mr. Wells and Mr. Vowles”, letter to the editor by H.G. Wells, 18 September 1930, No. 1984, New Series, Vol. XLVII, no. 21, p. 251.
The New Nash’s (Nash’s - Pall Mall Magazine)
Things To Come, The Story of the Film by H.G. Wells, October 1935, p. 107-l28.
New Statesman
“Ego and apocalypse”, review of The Time Traveller: the Life of H.G. Wells, by Norman and Jeanne MacKenzie, review by V .S. Pritchett, 15 June 1973, p. 885-6.
Also, in same issue, advertisement for the MacKenzie book with other recent Weidenfeld and Nicolson publications, p. 879.
New York Review of Books
“The charms of H.G. Wells”, review of Wells biography by Norman and Jeanne MacKenzie,
review by Noel Annan, 15 November 1973, p. 33-36.
New York Times Book Review
“The master rejected”, review of Henry James and H.G. Wells: A record of their friendship, review by Harry T. Moore, 18 May 1958, p. 25.
“One big name to another”. Review of Arnold Bennett and H.G. Wells: A record of a personal and literary friendship, review by Harry T. Moore, 20 November 1960, p. 26.
“An outline of H.G. Wells”, by Godfrey Smith, 21 August 1966, p. 30-31, 39-40, 42, 44.
The Observer Review
“Man in a muddle”, review of The Time Traveller, review by A.J.P. Taylor, 17 June 1973, p. 32.
The Outline: a weekly magazine
“Paradise on paper. Men who have tried to imagine the perfect state”, article which includes discussion or A Modern Utopia. No author given, 9 February 1929, p. 338-339.
The Outline
“The Incredible Dullness of Mr. Wells”, reprinted from The Empire Review. No author given,
19 November 1927, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 20.
The Pall Mall Magazine
“About our fiction”. Article which includes discussion of H.G. Wells, article by John Oliver Hobbes, October 1904, p. 258-264.
The Pall Mall Magazine/Nash’s Pall Mall Magazine
Front cover only, reproduces the cover of Wells’s The War In The Air, January 1908.
The Pall Mall Magazine/Nash’s Pall Mall Magazine,
“Crystal Gazing 1932: What Does the Coming Year Hold For All Of Us?” by H.G. Wells. January 1932. p. 14-17.
Pan: A Journal for Saints and Cynics
“Somebodies and nobodies”, v erse about H.G. Wells by Reginald Arkell. 7 February 1920.
p. 13.
The Passing Show
“The reasonable man --H.G. Wells”. Article by “The private secretary”, 17 September 1932,
p. 17.
Front cover advertisement for My Life by H.G. Wells. “Starting Tuesday next --exclusively --in the Daily Herald ”, 15 September 1934.
Picture Post
The Fate of Homo Sapiens, condensation of Wells’s book, part one, 4 November 1939, Vol. 5, no. 5, p. 46-48.
The Fate of Homo Sapiens, condensation of Wells’s book, part two, 11 November 1939, Vol. 5, no. 6, p. 40-42.
“Storm over H.G. Wells”, letters protesting Wells’s arguments in previous two issues,
18 November 1939, Vol. 5, no.7, p. 59.
“War on H.G. Wells”, more letters responding to the Wells condensation. 5 November 1939, Vol. 5, no. 8, p. 57.
“Tornado over H.G. Wells”, lengthy editorial and further letters responding to the Wells condensation. 2 December 1939, Vol. 5, no. 9, p. 48-49.
“H.G. Wells replies to his critics”, and more letters, 9 December 1939. Vol. 5, no. 10, p. 47 & 49.
“A Famous critic on the ban”, letter to the editor by St. John Ervine regarding the attacks by Roman Catholics on The Fate of Homo Sapiens, 23 December 1939, Vol. 5, no. 12, p. 51.
“The very last word on Mr. Wells and ‘Homo Sapiens’”. Leader article from the Catholic Herald reprinted, 30 December 1939, Vol. 5, no. 13, p. 49.
“We are banned in Eire”. Notice from The Irish News, reprinted, followed by editorial discussion, 13 January 1940, Vol. 6, no. 2, p. 45.
“Unite--or perish”, by Wells, 4 May 1940, Vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 34-36.
“Unite--or perish. 2. The way to world unity”, by Wells, 11 May 1940, Vol. 7, no .6,
p. 33.
“Unite--or perish. 3. The charter for a new world order”, by Wells, 18 May 1940, Vol. 7, no. 7, p. 34-35.
“Can we invade Europe? ...H.G. Wells says ‘yes’ ”, Wells is quoted along with other experts,
25 October 1941, Vol. 13, no. 4, p. 12. [Note says that the Wells piece continues on p. 26 but it does not.]
“H.G. Wells on ‘Should we blame the whole German people’ ”, letter to the editor by Wells,
31 July 1943, Vol. 20, no. 5, p. 3.
“Do we want a standing Anglo-U.S. alliance?”, by Wells, 29 January 1944, Vol. 22, no. 5, p. 22, 23 & 25.
“War: Martians invade America!” review of Paramount film version of The War of the Worlds.
Review by Robert Muller, 21 March 1953, Vol. 58, no. 12, p. 21-23.
Punch
“Magnis componere parva” [on Wells and great men], 5 March 1902, p. 169.
“Anticipations”, [futuristic Sports report], 12 April 1902, p. 290.
“Invalid cookery”, [poem on futuristic cooking], 14 May 1902, p. 358.
Review of The War in the Air, 6 January 1909, p. 18.
Short humorous item on Wells and Chesterton, 16 June 1909, p. 429.
Short humourous spoof on futuristic remark of Wells’s, 4 August 1909, p. 77.
Review of Ann Veronica, 20 October 1909, p. 288.
Review of The History of Mr. Polly, 8 June 1910, p. 431.
Review of George Meek, Bath Chair-man, by Himself, which has an introduction by H.G.W.,
22 June 1910, p. 467.
“Wellsian” futuristic cartoon, 29 June 1910, p. 482.
“Novelists as reporters”, [includes parody of Wells’s style], 19 October 1910, p. 278.
Review of Christina Alberta’s Father, 23 September 1925, p. 334.
Short humorous remark in Charivaria section, 3 February 1926, p. 113.
“The World of H.G. Glizzold by William Wells”, [spoof of The World of William Clissold],
6 October 1926, p. 374-5.
Review of The King Who Was A King. 13 February 1929, p. 195.
“Trade literature. The masters’ touch”. [includes advertisement written in the style of Wells],
20 March 1929, p. 310.
“The Wells of thought”. [parody of Wells, Outline of History?] 24 April 1929, p. 46l.
Short humorous remark in Charivaria section. 20 November 1929, p. 561.
Review of The Autocracy of Mr. Parkham, 30 July 1930, p. 138.
Review of The Science of Life. 18 March 1931, p. 306.
Review of The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind, 9 March 1932, p. 279.
Review of The Invisible Man, film version, 7 February 1934, p. 146.
“A Striking event”, [Wellsian futuristic piece], 11 April 1934, p. 403.
“Mr. H.G. Wells thinks it ought to be quite easy”, [cartoon of a seal balancing the globe on its nose], 5 December 1934, p. 627.
Review of Star Begotten, 23 June 1937, p. 702.
Review of Brynhild, 22 September 1937, p. 334.
Review of The Fate of Homo Sapiens, 6 September 1939, p. 279.
Review of You Can’t Be Too Careful, 28 January 1942, p. 80.
Review of ‘42 to ‘44: A Contemporary Memoir upon Human Behaviour During the Crisis of
the World Revolution, 10 May 1944, p. 406.
Review of The Happy Turning, 7 March 1945, p. 213.
“H.G. Wells: An impression by L.G. Illingworth”, Cartoon, 21 August 1946, p. 161.
“H.G. Wells writes to his Mother”. Advertisement for Basildon Bond with cartoon of Wells,
22 September 1948, ii.
Review of The History of Mr. Polly, film version, 2 March 1949, p. 222.
Review of Henry James and H.G. Wells by Leon Edel and Gordon N. Ray. Review by Anthony Powell, 5 March 1958, p. 329.
Review of H.G. Wells; Journalism and Prophecy, 1893- 1946, edited by W. Warren Wagar. Review by Bernard Hollowood, 9 February 1966, p .213.
Radio Times
Programme announcement for Whoosh; an outline of H. G. Wells, 2-8 September 1972, p. 39.
The Spectator
“Mr. H.W. Nevinson”. Letter to the Editor, with Wells as one of the co-signatories, 2 June 1933, p. 805.
“Lady of pain”, review of Apropos of Dolores, no author given, 14 October 1938, p. 624.
“The man who shocked the world”. Advertisement for life of H.G. Wells, to appear in Sunday Express, 10 March 1951, p. 271. Also “H.G. Wells”, letter to the editor by Edward Blishen, 10 March 1951, p. 284.
The Sunday Times
“The earnest philanderer”, review of The Time Traveller; the life of H. G. Wells, review by Cyril Connolly, 17 June 1973, p. 39.
The Sunday Times Weekly Review
“H.G. Wells and the pursuit of love”.
The Tablet
“Mr. Wells as Noah”. Review of All Aboard for Ararat. Review by Christopher Hollis, 26 October 1940, Vol. 176, no. 5242, p. 334.
“Men and movements”, review of Guide to the New World. Review by Christopher Hollis, 21 June 1941, Vol. 177, no. 5276, p. 487.
“Mr. Wells once more”, review of Phoenix, review by C. J. Woolen, 22 August 1942, Vol. 180, no. 5337, p. 93.
“H.G. Wells”, brief obituary, unsigned, 17 August 1946, Vol. 188, no. 5545, p. 78.
“ A great dissenter. The work and influence of H.G. Wells”, obituary, signed “D.W.” [Dennis Woodruff?], 24 August 1946, Vol. 188, no. 5546, p. 92-93.
“Talking at random”, includes an anecdote about Wells, Column signed “D. W .” [Dennis Woodruff?], 8 February 1947, Vol. 189, no. 5570, p. 90.
“Talking at random”, includes paragraph discussing Kingsley Martin’s broadcast on Wells, Column signed “D.W.” [Dennis Woodruff?], 24 December 1949, Vol. 194, no. 5718, p. 454.
“Dubliner”, review of Letters of James Joyce, edited by Stuart Gilbert, includes reference to correspondence between Wells and Joyce, review by Florence O’Donoghue, 1 June 1957,
Vol. 209, no. 6106. p. 518-519.
“The Ingratitude of Wells”, review of Henry James and H.G. Wells edited by Leon Edel. Review by A.O.J. Cockshut, 8 March 1958, Vol. 211, no. 6146, p. 230.
“Time and Tide”, review of film version of The Time Machine. Review by Maryvonne Butcher, 1 October 1960, Vol. 214, no. 6280, p. 889-890.
Times Literary Supplement
“Playing at soldiers”, review of Little Wars, no author given, 19 February 1971, p. 214.
“H.G. & G.B.S., varied reflections on two Edwardian polymaths”, article, no author given,
27 November 1969, p. 1349-1350.
“An unequal friendship”, article on Wells and Gissing, no author given, 7 July 1961, p. 416.
“Gissing and Wells”, letter to the editor, 4 August 1961, p. 481.
“Backwards and forwards”, review of Bergonzi, The early H.G. Wells and Wells, The Outline of History, no author given, 20 October 1961, p. 751.
“Wells, Bennett and Galsworthy”, letter to the editor, 23 July 1971, p. 861.
“The whole story”, review of new edition of The Outline of History, 30 June 1972, p. 750-51.
“Wells”, letter to the editor, 7 July 1972, p. 777.
“An Outline of History”, letter to the editor, 14 July 1972, p. 819.
“An obsession with endings”, review of The Time Traveller, no author given, 29 June 1973,
p. 735.
T.P.’s and Cassell’s Weekly
“As the Lions Seem to 21: Mr. Sewell Stokes’s book of authors”, article by Con O’Leary on Wells and others, 20 September 1924, p. 690
Week-end Review
“The Time Machine”, article, no author given, 26 November 1932, p. 632-33.
“Unite or Perish”, review of The Shape of Things to Come, review by Gerald Bullett, 2 September 1933, p. 229.
World Digest
“Free speech in war time”, by H.G.Wells. Vol. 2, no. 9, January 1940, p. 1-3.
Newspaper Clippings:
Reviews of Ann Veronica:
The Spectator, 20 November 1909
The Daily Telegraph, 4 October 1909
The New Age, 24 February 1910 [by Arnold Bennett?]
The Daily News. 12 February 1910, by G.K. Chesterton.
All of the above reviews have been mounted and bound into a 20 pp. pamphlet.
Review of Experiment in Autobiography, Times Literary Supplement, 11 October 1934.
Series of articles by Wells on the New Deal. Manchester Guardian, 10, 17, 24, 31 May 1935.
Note: These clippings are in very brittle condition.
Obituaries of H.G. Wells:
Times, 14 August 1946 (2 different clippings)
Manchester Guardian, 16 August 1946 (fragment only)
Sunday Times, 18 August 1946.
