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Manuscript Collection Listings

Manuscripts include handwritten or typed pre-published drafts works by the seven authors. The manuscript listings below describe manuscripts in the Wade Center’s collections and are separated by Wade author and arranged by manuscript call number. Please reference the manuscript titles and bold call numbers when contacting archival staff with questions about these manuscripts. Requests to view original manuscripts should be submitted 24-hours in advance.

ManuscriptsOwen Barfield Manuscripts

G.K. Chesterton Manuscripts

C.S. Lewis Manuscripts

George MacDonald Manuscripts

Dorothy L. Sayers Manuscripts

J.R.R. Tolkien Manuscripts

Charles Williams Manuscripts

 

Commonly used Terms and Abbreviations in the Manuscript Listings


  •     recto = front side of lf.
  •     verso = back side of lf.
  •     revisions = any corrections, alterations, additions, or deletions
  •     galley proof = a long printed strip of a manuscript (usually contains the type for about three published pages) provided for the author's correction
  •     printed proof = a printed page (containing the type for a single published page) of a manuscript provided for the author's correction
  •     insert(s) = additional material/pages that appear(s) to have been inserted by the author into the body of a MS text at a later date
  •     chart(s) = visual representation of ideas, other than an illustration
  •     illustration = a drawing included with the MS materials, usually in the form of a picture
  •     sketch = a rough drawing or representation
  •     diagram = a graphic design that explains an idea or concept
  •     p. = page
  •     pp. = pages
  •     lf. = leaf
  •     lvs. = leaves
  •     AMs. = handwritten manuscript
  •     TMs. = typed manuscript
  •     ALs. = handwritten letter, signed
  •     TLs. = typed letter, signed
  •     pc. = photocopy (e.g. pc. TMs. or pc. AMs.)
  •     cc. = carbon copy (e.g. cc. TMs. or cc. AMs.)
  •     mf. = microfilm
  •     ps. = photostat (e.g. ps. TMs. or ps. AMs.) definition: a form of duplication that makes quick positive or negative copies directly on the surface of prepared paper.

All original manuscripts are held at the Wade Center, except those with the following abbreviations in the call number:

  • B = Original is held at the Bodleian Library, Oxford
  • X = Original is held by an institution or an individual other than the Wade Center
  • t = The Wade Center owns a transcription of the original

Searching Tip:

To search across all the listings, use the "Search Wade Center Inventories" search box in the online catalog.

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