William Hope Hodgson papers, circa 1890-2013, bulk 1903-1918

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Summary

Creators:
Hodgson, William Hope, 1877-1918 and Moskowitz, Sam
Abstract:
This collection contains publications, typescripts, photographs, correspondence, and other material regarding the life and literary work of William Hope Hodgson, an English author of science fiction, horror, and fantastic fiction. Materials in the collection primarily consist of published and unpublished short stories and poetry by Hodgson as well as a selection of personal photographs. The correspondence of Sam Moskowitz with Arthur Dudley and others pertaining to Moskowitz' research on Hodgson is also included as is the correspondence between Hodgson's family and August Derleth, amongst others, regarding publication permissions for Hodgson's literary works.
Extent:
3.75 linear feet (9 boxes)
Language:
The collection is in English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. William Hope Hodgson papers (MS 024). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains publications, typescripts, photographs, correspondence, and other material regarding the life and literary work of William Hope Hodgson, an English author of science fiction, horror, and fantastic fiction. Primarily includes published and unpublished short stories and poetry by Hodgson as well as a selection of personal photographs. The correspondence of Sam Moskowitz with Arthur Dudley and others pertaining to Moskowitz' research on Hodgson is also included as is the correspondence between Hodgson's family and August Derleth, amongst others, regarding publication permissions for Hodgson's literary works.

Biographical / historical:

William Hope Hodgson was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, photographer, lecturer, sailor, and soldier. He was born in Blackmore End, Essex, England on November 15, 1877 to Samuel Hodgson, an Anglican priest, and Lissie Sarah Brown. In 1891 he began a four-year apprenticeship as a cabin boy and in 1895 began two years of study in Liverpool which led him to acquire his mate's certificate. For the next few years Hodgson worked as a sailor and while at sea he became interested in physical fitness and body development.

Hodgson returned home in 1898 and in 1899 opened W.H. Hodgson's School of Physical Culture in Blackburn, England. Eventually realizing that he could not earn a living in personal training he began writing articles which first focused on exercise. Hodgson found the market for such articles to be limited so he turned his attention to fiction, publishing his first short story in 1904. He continued to write fiction for American and British magazines for the remainder of his career mainly in the science fiction, horror, and fantasy fiction genres. Many of his short horror stories were associated with the ocean as he relied upon his experiences at sea for his writings. Hodgson also wrote poetry, though few of his poems were published during his lifetime.

In 1912, Hodgson married Betty Farnsworth and they settled in the south of France. When war broke out in Europe, the couple returned to England where Hodgson became a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. In April 1918, Hodgson was killed by an artillery shell at Ypres.

Acquisition information:

This collection was originally compiled by Sam Moskowitz, editor and science fiction historian, and was later acquired by Jane and Howard Frank.

The William Hope Hodgson papers were acquired as a gift from Jane and Howard Frank in 2013 and 2018.

Processing information:

Processed by Eric Milenkiewicz, Manuscripts Curator, in 2014, and updated by Jessica Geiser, Collections Management Librarian, in 2018.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into five series as follows:

  • Series 1. Publications, circa 1900-2013, undated
  • Series 2. Typescripts, circa 1913-1918, undated
  • Series 3. Legal and financial documents, circa 1898-1974, undated
  • Series 4. Photographic materials, circa 1890-2003, undated
  • Series 5. Correspondence, circa 1949-1988, undated
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright Unknown: Some material in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. William Hope Hodgson papers (MS 024). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Riverside - Special Collections and University Archives
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside, CA 92517-5900, US
Contact:
(951) 827-3233
specialcollections@ucr.edu
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