Partington (Wilfred) Papers, 1912-1953

Summary

Title:

Wilfred Partington papers

Dates:

1912-1953

Creators:

Partington, Wilfred, 1888-

Abstract:

This collection contains the papers of English author, editor, bibliographer, and journalist Wilfred Partington (1888-1955), who was editor of the Bookman's Journal and Print Collector from 1919 to 1931. Includes manuscripts by Partington and other authors, as well as correspondence mainly relating to Partington's work with the Bookman's Journal, his books about Sir Walter Scott, and his various literary endeavors.

Extent:

30.08 Linear Feet (27 boxes)

Language:

Materials are in English.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Wilfred Partington papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection of approximately 1,404 pieces includes manuscripts by Wilfred Partington, James Agate, Jessie Conrad, R. B. Cunninghame Grahame, John Kirkby, and H. D. C. Pepler; these manuscripts include articles, essays, personal narratives, poems, and short stories. The correspondence mainly relates to Partington's work with the Bookman's journal, his books about Sir Walter Scott, and his various literary endeavors.

The papers consist of the following series:

1. Manuscripts (Boxes 1-3) are arranged alphabetically by author and title. This series includes articles, essays, personal narratives, poems, and short stories. The majority of the manuscripts are by Partington but other authors include: James Agate, Jessie Conrad, R. B. Cunninghame Grahame, John Kirkby, and H. D. C. Pepler. Box 2 contains Partington's Letter-Books (Vols. I & II), that cover the years 1919 to 1936; many of the originals of these letters are in the collection, though some have been removed as previously noted. Box 3 also includes original artwork by Alec Buckels, Victor B. Neuburg and William Palmer Robbins.

2. Correspondence (Boxes 4-25) is arranged alphabetically by author. This series includes correspondence mainly relating to Partington's work with the Bookman's Journal, his books about Sir Walter Scott, and his various other literary endeavors. The main subjects of these letters reflect the work and interests of Partington, including bibliography, forgery, and the authors Joseph Conrad, Sir Walter Scott, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Thomas James Wise.

There is a significant group of letters by Partington, mainly carbon copies, in response to other correspondents in the collection; there is also a small group of letters from Partington's family and friends. Some of the letters written between from 1918-1939, do refer to the difficult financial times experienced by many people in Britain. Some of the later letters describe life during World War II, but, interestingly, many of the letters written between 1939 and 1945, make no mention of the war, so, at least for some correspondents, their lives and work went on as usual, or, they strove to make life as normal as possible.

Notable correspondents include: Arthur St. John Adcock, P.B.M. Allan, Edwin J. Beinecke, Jessie Conrad, Edward Gordon Craig, Walter De la Mare, John Drinkwater, E. M. Forster, John Galsworthy, Philip Gosse, Florence Hardy, Rupert Hart-Davis, A. E. Housman, William Ibbett, Alan Keen, Rudyard Kipling, John Kirkby, James Laver, James McBey, John Masefield, Walter Maxwell-Scott, Henry W. Meikle, H. V. Morton, John Murray, Alfred W. Pollard, Una Pope- Hennessey, A. S. W. Rosenbach, Bernard Shaw, Upton Sinclair, M. H. Spielmann, Margaret Farrand Thorp, Hugh Walpole, and Alexander Strahan Watt.

3. Research Files (Boxes 26-27) are arranged alphabetically by subject. These files contain autograph notes by Partington and John Kirkby, printed material, newspaper clippings, and the envelopes used by Partington to arrange the material. The Files cover Agate-Yellow Book and include files on both subjects and people. Whenever possible, Partington's titles and arrangement were retained.

4. Ephemera (Box 27, folders 53-73) is arranged by subject, then alphabetically by author and title. This series includes book covers, acknowledgment letters for donated material, printed proof sheets, misc. autograph notes by Partington, and five unidentified photographs. This series also includes Partington's original 1920, subpoena to testify in the Criminal Libel Trial of Douglas v. Savage.

Biographical / historical:

Wilfred George Partington (1888-1955), was born in Ludlow, England; an author, editor, bibliographer and journalist. Partington served in both the First and Second World Wars, including secret war service in the Office of Censorship, 1939-1942. He was married twice and had one daughter.

Partington was the editor of the Bookman's Journal and Print Collector (1919-1931), and the author of, among other titles, Smoke Rings and Roundelays, The Private Letter-Books of Sir Walter Scott, Sir Walter's Post-Bag, and two books on the British forger, Thomas James Wise: Forging Ahead (published in the U.S., 1939), and a revised edition Thomas James Wise in the Original Cloth (1947).

Acquisition information:

Acquired through Maggs Bros., from Sotheby's (London), Lot 426, July 28-29, 1977.

Processing information:

Processed by Gayle M. Richardson, November 2012. In October 2026, Mari Khasmanyan updated the finding aid.

Arrangement:

Organized in the following manner: 1. Manuscripts (Boxes 1-3); 2. Correspondence (Boxes 4-25); 3. Research Files (Boxes 26-27); 4. Ephemera (Box 27); arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

1. Some of the letters and manuscripts were originally pasted down or mounted in an album by Wilfred Partington. The letters and manuscripts have been removed from the original pages and mountings; but some evidence of the original locations (old glue, tabs, etc.) remain on the letters. It was decided, unless it was a paper mounted letter, this original evidence would not be noted on the folders.

2. A large number of the letters also retain the pencilled notes made by Partington; unless substantive, these notes were not noted on the folders or in the Finding Aid.

3. Partington was the editor of The Bookman's Journal and Print Collector, so many of the letters dealt with his work with the Journal, but only substantive references were noted on the folders and in the Finding Aid. Also, in the 1920s, Partington was employed as an editor by the publisher John Castle Ltd., therefore, some of the letters were addressed to "John Castle, Ltd." and "The Editor;" there were also a few letters addressed to "John M. Castle," Partington's employer.

4. The collection includes carbon copies of Partington's Letter-Books (Volumes I & II, 1919- 1936), which include both letters written to Partington and a small number of letters by him. Unfortunately, some of the original letters written to Partington were removed from the collection before being acquired by the Huntington. These include letters written by Joseph Conrad, Aldous Huxley, William Orpen and Thomas James Wise.

5. The collection also includes the Research Files maintained by Partington; these files include autograph notes by Partington (unless otherwise noted), printed material, newspaper clippings and envelopes. The titles and arrangement of the material used by Partington were retained, whenever possible; a small number of manuscripts and letters were removed and cataloged separately.

Individual call numbers in collection include: mssPAR 1-1402

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Bibliography -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century
Forgery -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century
World War, 1939-1945 -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century
Business letters -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Ephemera -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Drawings -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Manuscripts -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Photographs -- Great Britain -- 20th century
Poems -- Great Britain -- 20th century

Names:

Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924
Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925
Partington, Wilfred, b. 1888, -- Archives
Scott, Walter, Sir, 1771-1832
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616
Walpole, Hugh, Sir, 1884-1941
Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900
Wise, Thomas James, 1859-1937
Adcock, Arthur St. John, 1864-1930
Allan, P. B. M. (Philip Bertram Murray), 1884-1973
Beinecke, Edwin J. (Edwin John), 1886-1970
Conrad, Jessie
Craig, Edward Gordon, 1872-1966
De la Mare, Walter, 1873-1956
Drinkwater, John, 1882-1937
Forster, E. M. (Edward Morgan), 1879-1970
Galsworthy, John, 1867-1933
Gosse, Philip, 1879-1959
Hardy, Florence Emily, 1881-1937
Hart-Davis, Rupert, 1907-1999
Housman, A. E. (Alfred Edward), 1859-1936
Ibbett, William Joseph, b. 1858
Keen, Alan.
Kipling, Rudyard, 1865-1936
Kirkby, John, 1871-
Laver, James, 1899-1975
McBey, James, 1883-1959
Masefield, John, 1878-1967
Maxwell-Scott, Walter, Sir, 1875-1954
Meikle, Henry W. (Henry William), 1880-1958
Morton, H. V. (Henry Vollam), 1892-1979
Murray, John, 1884-1967
Partington, Wilfred, b. 1888 Bookman's journal and print collector.
Pollard, Alfred W. (Alfred William), 1849-1944
Pope-Hennessey, Una, 1876-1949
Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952
Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950
Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968
Spielmann, M. H. (Marion Harry), 1858-1948
Thorp, Margaret Farrand, 1891-1970
Walpole, Hugh, Sir, 1884-1941
Watt, Alexander Strahan, d. 1948

Places:

Great Britain -- Economic conditions, 1918-1945 -- 20th century

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Finding aid prepared by Gayle M. Richardson, November 13, 2012.

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-10-12 14:09:05 -0700 .

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Wilfred Partington papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:

Huntington Library, Manuscript Collections

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, CA 91108, US

Contact:

(626) 405-2191

reference@huntington.org

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