Bell (Thomas Hastie) Correspondence, 1901-1942

Summary

Title:

Thomas Hastie Bell correspondence

Dates:

1901-1942

Creators:

Bell, T. H. (Thomas H.), 1867-1942

Abstract:

A collection of correspondence related to the life and work of American author Thomas Hastie Bell; also includes a small amount of manuscripts, documents, and ephemera.

Extent:

4.68 Linear Feet (4 boxes)

Language:

Materials are in English.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Thomas Hastie Bell correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains correspondence written by Bell and his friends and colleagues; it is predominantly concerned with both political issues (especially anarchism) and Bell's literary work. The letters are arranged alphabetically by correspondent name with incoming and outgoing correspondence kept together. There are a small number of original autograph letters by Bell but the majority are carbon copies, author's retained copies, photocopies, and contemporary copies. Correspondents include, among others, Leonard Dalton Abbott, Roger Baldwin, Ekaterina Konstantinovna Breschko-Breshkovskai͡a, Lord Alfred Douglas, Elmer Gertz, Frank Harris, Pryns Hopkins, Joan London, Nellie O'Hara, Upton Sinclair, and George Sylvester Viereck. The collection also contains a small number of manuscripts, documents, and ephemera; the manuscripts, mostly by Bell, concern both political and literary matters and focus on Oscar Wilde and Frank Harris.

Biographical / historical:

Thomas Hastie Bell (1867-1942) was an American author who was associated with a number of important literary and political figures during his lifetime. He was an anarchist by political conviction, having come to that position through socialist thought which for Bell did not adequately provide for the maintenance of personal liberties. Bell denounced the Bolsheviks from the beginning of the Russian Revolution for their suppression of personal freedom and their doctrinaire approach to politics. Bell served as secretary to the publisher and editor Frank Harris for about seven years early in the 20th century and, during that time, he came to know many of the important literary figures of the day. Bell's books include: Edward Carpenter, the English Tolstoi (1932), and Oscar Wilde Without Whitewash. His book on Oscar Wilde was never published in English but was published in Buenos Aires with the title Oscar Wilde: Sus Amigos, Sus Adversaries, Sus Ideas (1946).

Acquisition information:

Six separate acquisitions all purchased from Miss Marion Bell (1972-1976): Frank Harris material, October 1972; Upton Sinclair material, December 1972; Elmer Gertz material, April 1973; Thomas Hastie Bell material, June 1975; Leonard Abbott material, August 1975; Thomas Hastie Bell material, February 1976.

Custodial history:

Materials in this collection were separated into three collections (Thomas Hastie Bell papers, Upton Sinclair correspondence, and Frank Harris correspondence) by Huntington staff during 1973-1976. Sometime after 1976, all six acquisitions were interfiled chronologically into three boxes (255 items total); however, the catalog records for this material were never combined to reflect thier arrangement in a single collection.

Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff, 1973-1976; in 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically by correspondent's name.

Physical facet:

255 items

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Anarchists -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Authors, American -- 20th century
Communism -- Soviet Union -- History -- 20th century
Communism -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Labor movement -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Labor unions -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Parapsychology -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Socialism -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Socialists -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Ephemera -- United States -- 20th century
Documents -- United States -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States -- 20th century
Manuscripts -- United States -- 20th century

Names:

Berkman, Alexander, 1870-1936
Harris, Frank, 1856-1931
Rocker, Rudolf, 1873-1958
Sexauer, Hermann Frederick, 1883-1971
Trotsky, Leon, 1879-1940
Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900
Abbott, Leonard Dalton, 1878-1953
Abelson, Sidney J.
Baldwin, Roger N. (Roger Nash), 1884-1981
Blackwell, Alice Stone, 1857-1950
Breshko-Breshkovskai︠a︡, Ekaterina Konstantinovna, 1844-1934
Bronson, Oliver Hart, 1870-1950
Davray, Henry-D., 1873-
Douglas, Alfred Bruce, 1870-1945
Gertz, Bernice R.
Gertz, Elmer, 1906-2000
Hopkins, Pryns, 1885-
Kimmelman, Bessie
Lloyd, J. Wm. (John William), 1857-1940
London, Joan
McDougall, William, 1871-1938
Mencken, H. L. (Henry Lewis), 1880-1956
O'Hara, Nellie
Parry, Albert, 1901-1992
Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968
Tobin, A. I.

Places:

Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939
United States -- Politics and Government -- 20th century

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Gayle Richardson

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2020-03-16 21:51:32 UTC .

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

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]. Thomas Hastie Bell correspondence, 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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