Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biography
Scope and Content
Organization and Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: William Matthews papers
Date (inclusive): 1940-1974
Collection number: 509
Creator: Matthews, William, 1905-
Extent: 31 boxes (15.5 linear ft.)
Abstract: William Richard Matthews (1905-1975) was born in London, England. He was an English professor at UCLA and director of the
Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. His published works include
Cockney Past and Present: A Short History of the Dialect of London, comp. (with Roy Harvey Pearce),
American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of American Diaries Written Prior to the Year 1861 (1945); comp.,
British Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of British Diaries Written Between 1442 and 1942 (1950), editor (with Robert Latham),
Samuel Pepys, The Diary of Samuel Pepys: A New and Complete Transcription (1970-74). The collection consists of manuscripts, research materials, correspondence, photographs, speeches, tape recording,
ephemera, reprints of articles, and subject files.
Language: Finding aid is written in English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
Administrative Information
Restrictions on Access
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Gift of Professor William Matthews, 1974.
- Gift of Lois Matthews, 1977.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William Matthews papers (Collection 509). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
William Richard Matthews was born on June 25, 1905 in London, England; BA (with honours, 1929), MA (with distinction, 1931),
Ph.D (1934), Birkbeck College, London; served as a tutor in the Diplomatic and Indian Civil Service, 1934-37; lectured in
English at Westfield College (1936) and Birkbeck College (1937); came to the US in 1938, where he was an instructor in English
at the University of Wisconsin (1938-39); assistant professor (1939-41), associate professor (1941-48), professor (1948-72),
and professor emeritus (1972-75) of English, UCLA; director of Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 1970-72; president,
International Association of University Professors of English (1971-74), fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, member
of council, Modern Language Association of America (1966); president, Philological Association of the Pacific Coast (1964-66);
awarded UCLA distinguished teaching award, 1967; published works include
Cockney Past and Present: A Short History of the Dialect of London, comp. (with Roy Harvey Pearce),
American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of American Diaries Written Prior to the Year 1861 (1945); comp.,
British Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of British Diaries Written Between 1442 and 1942 (1950), editor (with Robert Latham),
Samuel Pepys, The Diary of Samuel Pepys: A New and Complete Transcription (1970-74); he died on June 10, 1975 in Los Angeles.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of manuscripts, research materials, correspondence, photographs, speeches, tape recording, ephemera, reprints
of articles, and subject files of UCLA English professor William Matthews. Manuscripts include
American Diaries in Manuscript,
The Ill-Framed Knight: A Skeptical Inquiry Into the Identity of Sir Thomas Malory, and
The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Correspondents include Ray Bradbury, Christopher Isherwood, and Emmet Godfrey Lavery.
Organization and Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
- Matthews correspondence.
- Papers and books by others (Boxes 1-2).
- Background for Lacey.
-
Bibliography of Autobiographies, Memoirs, and Diaries of Englishmen and Hindus in Overseas Empire (Box 2).
-
American Diaries in Manuscript (Boxes 3-6).
-
The Ill-Framed Knight: A Skeptical Inquiry Into the Identity of Sir Thomas Malory (Box 7).
- Material related to
The Diary of Samuel Pepys (Box 8).
- Subject files (Boxes 8-12).
- Reprints of articles (Boxes 12-13).
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Matthews, William, 1905- --Archives.
University of California, Los Angeles.--Dept. of English--Faculty
--Archives.
English teachers--California--Los Angeles--Archival resources.
Genres and Forms of Material
Manuscripts for publication.