Preliminary Guide to the Richard Howells Watkins Collection
Arrangement and description by D. Tambo
Department of Special Collections
Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone: (805) 893-3062
Fax: (805) 893-5749
Email: special@library.ucsb.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucsb.edu/speccoll/speccoll.html
© 2010
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Preliminary Guide to the Richard Howells Watkins Collection, ca. 1895-1950s
Collection number: Mss 130
Department of Special Collections
Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
- Processed by:
- D. Tambo
- Date Completed:
- Dec. 26, 2007
- Encoded by:
- A. Demeter
© 2010 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Richard Howells Watkins Collection
Dates: ca. 1895-1950s
Collection number: Mss 130
Creator:
Watkins, Richard Howells
Collection Size:
4.4 linear feet
(11 document boxes)
Repository:
University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Dept. of Special Collections
Abstract: The collection contains correspondence, copies of short stories, articles, and screenplays by Watkins, as well as aviation
files with photographs of WWI aces, early airplanes (Curtis, Martin, Le Perce-Packard, Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation,
and others), ca. 1910s-1920 and images apparently shot from them, including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and other
New York views; various air fields around the country.
Physical location: Box 1 (Del Sur); Boxes 2-11 (SRLF).
Languages:
English
Access Restrictions
None. Majority of boxes stored off-site, please contact Special Collections to retrieve.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
Preferred Citation
Richard Howells Watkins Collection. Mss 130. Department of Special Collections, Davidson Library, University of California,
Santa Barbara.
Acquisition Information
Undetermined.
Biography
Richard Howells Watkins (1895 - ?) was an author in the adventure/detective genre, a World War I veteran, an inveterate traveler,
and an auto racing, aviation, and maritime enthusiast. He was born in New York City on May 26, 1895, later residing in Riverside,
Connecticut, and finally moving to Santa Barbara in 1956.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection contains correspondence, copies of short stories, articles, and screenplays by Watkins, as well as aviation
files with photographs of WWI aces, early airplanes (Curtis, Martin, Le Perce-Packard, Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation,
and others), ca. 1910s-1920 and images apparently shot from them, including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and other
New York views; various air fields around the country. Monographs by Watkins have been cataloged separately.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Watkins, Richard Howells
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations.
Airplanes, Military -- History -- 20th century.
Airplanes--History--20th century.
Box 1
Aviation,
ca. 1910s-1920
Scope and Content Note
Includes photographs (b/w) of WWI aces, early airplanes (Curtis, Martin, Le Perce-Packard, Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation,
and others), and images apparently shot from them, incl. Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and other New York views; various
air fields around the country.
Box 2
Biographical/Personal
Scope and Content Note
Includes certificate of baptism, Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, New York City, June 16 1895 (noting birth date of May 26,
1895) and passport, with photo of Watkins.
Box 2
Book Reviews,
ca. late 1920s-early 1930s
Box 2
Incoming (also including some receipts and documents re travels),
ca. 1925-1936
Box 2
1940s
– incl. J. H. [Jimmy] Doolittle (aviation pioneer)
Outgoing – and some incoming; most relating to writing/publishing
Box 2
ca. 1942-1946,
re Coast Guard service and other
Box 3
Adventure Magazine,
1926-1943
Box 4
Business and Personal,
ca. 1953-1955
Box 4
Detective Story Magazine,
1919
Box 5
Service for Authors, Inc.,
1930-1935
Box 5
Short Stories (magazine),
ca. 1945-1949
Diaries - work/travel schedule, incl. notes on how many pages written per day
Writings - print copies of stories appearing in various magazines
Box 7
All-American Fiction,
1938
Box 7
American Legion Magazine,
1942
Box 8
Chicago Sunday Tribune,
1932
Box 8
Complete Stories,
1927-1937
Box 8
Country Home Magazine,
1938
Box 9
Detective Fiction Weekly,
ca. 1928-1934
Box 9
Detective Story Magazine,
1920
Box 9
The Grand Magazine,
1928,
1934
Box 9
The Illustrated Detective Magazine,
1930
Box 9
The Illustrated Love Magazine,
1932
Box 10
Mystery Magazine,
1926-1927
Box 10
Mystery Stories,
1926-1927
Box 10
The Open Road for Boys,
1932
Box 10
Pocket Detective Magazine,
1936
Box 10
Popular Magazine,
1926,
1929
Box 10
Saturday Evening Post,
1927-1954
Miscellany - incl. research files
Box 11
Bloomfield, Howard – book collaboration,
1943
Box 11
Desert Rat Scrapbook (serial)
Box 11
Travel Photos – incl. West Indies (Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad), and England
