This is a brief listing of the types of materials housed at the Wade Center. The staff will gladly assist you in locating these resources and answering specific questions.
Books
The Wade Center attempts to collect all primary and secondary titles related to our authors. We also have an extensive collection of various editions, including first British and American editions for almost every work by the Wade authors. Reading copies of primary and secondary titles are located in the Reading Room. First, older and fragile editions, and additional secondary titles are available by request (please give 24-hour notice). The Wade Center also owns books from the authors' personal libraries. Most of our book holdings have been added to the Wheaton College campus library catalog, and more are added on a regular basis.
Letters
The Wade Center owns thousands of original and photocopied letters by and relating to our authors. Research copies of the letters are available in the Reading Room. Transcriptions accompany letters in the C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and J.R.R. Tolkien letter collections. Requests to view original letters must be given with 24-hour advanced notice.
Manuscripts
The Wade Center has both original and photocopies of manuscripts by the authors. Research copies are available for use in the Reading Room. Requests to view original manuscripts must be given with 24-hour advanced notice.
Dissertations
An extensive collection of dissertations and theses related to the Wade authors is available for research use. All dissertation and thesis holdings have been added to the Wheaton College campus library catalog.
Archives
Archives consist of various materials (papers, notes, miscellanea) related to a particular book, theme, or person. Detailed contents listings of our archival collections are available on the Archives page. Requests to use archives must be given with 24-hour advanced notice.
Bound Journals/Periodicals
The Wade Center has subscriptions to many journals relevant to the seven Wade authors, such as The Bulletin of the New York C.S. Lewis Society, The Chesterton Review, Mythlore, etc. We also hold copies of many of the original journals in which our author's writings appeared. Some journals have been added to the Wheaton College campus library catalog, and more are added on a regular basis.
Article File
The Wade Center maintains a substantial article file with various materials (including journal articles, poems, essays, letters to the editor, reviews, etc.) both by and about our authors. This resource is only available on-site.
Oral History Collection
This is a collection of interviews with friends, acquaintances, and relatives of the Wade authors. The interviews are available on-site in written transcript format, as well as audio or video recording.
Photographs
The Wade Center owns various photographs of or relating to the authors. A select group of these photos may be used with Wade Center permission, in publications and creative projects, with payment of appropriate fees. Please see the Photo Loan Requests page for further information. We are unable to provide photos for personal use.
Sound and Video Recordings
These collections contain many resources, including lectures, films, music, dramatizations, and more. They are available for use on-site in the Wade Center Reading Room. See the desk attendant for assistance. Recordings from Wade Center programming and more may be found on our Media Page and YouTube channel.
For questions or more specific information on our holdings, please contact the archival staff at wade@wheaton.edu.
