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William Hope Hodgson papers
MS 024
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Title: William Hope Hodgson papers
Date (inclusive): circa 1898-2013
Date (bulk): 1903-1918
Collection Number: MS 024
Creators:
Hodgson, William Hope, 1877-1918,
Moskowitz, Sam
Extent:
2.92 linear feet
(7 boxes)
Repository: Rivera Library. Special
Collections
Department.
Riverside, CA 92517-5900
Abstract: This collection contains publications, typescripts,
photographs, correspondence, and other material regarding the 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 Primarily includes published and unpublished short stories and poetry by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.
Languages: The collection is in English.
This collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Distinctive
Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of
the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained
by the researcher.
[identification of item], [date if possible]. William Hope Hodgson papers (MS 024). Special Collections & University Archives,
University of California, Riverside.
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.
Processed by Eric Milenkiewicz, 2014.
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.
This collection contains publications, typescripts, photographs, correspondence, and
other material regarding the 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.
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 1903-2003, undated
- Series 5. Correspondence, circa 1949-1988, undated
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Fantasy fiction.
Hodgson, William Hope, 1877-1918.
Horror.
Moskowitz, Sam.
Science fiction.
Science-fiction writers.
Short stories.
Correspondence.
Manuscripts.
Photographs.
Poems.
Publications.