H. Rider Haggard Correspondence mssHM 43398-43700

Gayle Richardson

The Huntington Library

November 2020

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Business Number: (626) 405-2191

reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Note

Finding aid last updated on October 12, 2022 by Melissa Haley.

Contributing Institution: The Huntington Library

Title: H. Rider Haggard correspondence

Creator: Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925

Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 43398-43700

Physical Description: 4.8 Linear Feet (4 boxes)

Date (inclusive): 1875-1925

Abstract: A collection of correspondence related to the professional and personal life of Henry Rider Haggard, English novelist.

Language of Material: Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

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

Conditions Governing Use

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]. H. Rider Haggard correspondence, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Magg's, January 1953.

Biographical / Historical

Sir Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was an English author whose works included King Solomon's mines (1885) and She (1887). Haggard spent about six years in South Africa as a young man in the colonial government, an experience which provided him with the setting for many of his romances. Even after he returned to England in 1881 he retained his lively interest in the state of the British empire; the problems of agriculture were also a life-long interest.

Scope and Contents

A collection of 303 letters to and from Sir Henry Rider Haggard, as well as manuscripts, legal documents, and ephemera. A frequent subject of discussion is the fortunes of the British Empire, particularly in South Africa and Rhodesia. Some other letters discuss the alleged plagiarism of Haggard by a Frenchman. Correspondents include: Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell; Arthur James Balfour, Earl of Balfour; Sir Walter Besant; George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess of Curzon; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Edmund Gosse; Rudyard Kipling; and Theodore Roosevelt. Also includes 1 folder of printed material, legal documents, autograph notes, and clippings.

Processing Information

Processed by Huntington Library Staff, October 1976. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from legacy in-house summary report. In 2022, Melissa Haley enhanced description of the presidential material present in the collection as part of the American Presidential Papers Project.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Authors, English -- 19th century

Authors, English -- 20th century

Plagiarism

Great Britain -- Colonies -- Africa

Letters (correspondence) -- 19th century

Letters (correspondence) -- 20th century

Baden-Powell of Gilwell, Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, Baron, 1857-1941

Balfour, Arthur James, 1848-1930

Besant, Walter, 1836-1901

Curzon of Kedleston, George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess, 1859-1925

Doyle, Arthur Conan, 1859-1930

Gosse, Edmund, 1849-1928

Kipling, Rudyard, 1865-1936

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Box 1, Folder 1-71

Correspondence and manuscripts 1875-1899

Scope and Contents

Contains manuscripts and letters to and from H. Rider Haggard; written from London, South Africa, Dublin, Egypt, Edinburgh, Berlin, Rhodesia, Norfolk.

Box 2, Folder 1-75

Correspondence 1900-1907

Scope and Contents

Contains letters to and from H. Rider Haggard; written from London, South Africa, Wales, Norfolk, California, Canada, New York, and Washington, D.C. Includes Theodore Roosevelt letters signed to Haggard dated 1905 March 11 (HM 43669) and 1905 June 24 (HM 43570).

Box 3, Folder 1-78

Correspondence 1908-1914

Scope and Contents

Contains letters to and from H. Rider Haggard; written from London, Washington, D.C., Norfolk, Copenhagen, Egypt, and Australia. Includes Theodore Roosevelt letters signed to Haggard dated 1909 February 11 (HM 43671) and 1910 May 28 (HM 43672).

Box 4, Folder 1-80

Correspondence, manuscripts and documents 1915-1925

Scope and Contents

Contains manuscripts and letters written to and from H. Rider Haggard; written from Norfolk, London, Paris, France, and South Africa. Also includes one folder of printed material, legal documents, autograph notes, and clippings.