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E. F. Benson papers

 Collection
Call Number: GEN MSS 699

Scope and Contents

The E. F. Benson Papers consist of writings, correspondence, and business and financial files, documenting Benson's fiction-writing career and spanning the years 1894 to 1929. Writings consist almost entirely of drafts, most corrected, of short stories by Benson, his novel Paul (1906), and an evidently unpublished and untitled novel written in 1906. Among the short stories are two of Benson's most celebrated "spook stories," "The Superannuation Department AD 1945" (1906) and "The Thing in the Hall" (1912). Other papers include correspondence, sales and royalty statements, contracts, bills, and receipts that document Benson's business dealings with his literary agency (the Author's Syndicate, Ltd.) and various publishers.

Dates

  • 1894 - 1929

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The E. F. Benson Papers is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from David J. Holmes on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, the Starling W. Childs Library Fund, and the George Henry Nettleton Fund, 1991-1996, and from Julian Nangle on the George Henry Nettleton Fund, 1997.

Arrangement

Organized into three series: I. Writings, 1894-1924. II. Correspondence, 1901-1929. III. Business and Financial Papers, 1902-1918.

Extent

3.13 Linear Feet (8 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.benson

Overview

The E. F. Benson Papers consist of writings, correspondence, and business and financial files, documenting Benson's fiction-writing career and spanning the years 1894 to 1929. Writings consist almost entirely of drafts, most corrected, of short stories by Benson, his novel Paul (1906), and an evidently unpublished and untitled novel written in 1906. Among the short stories are two of Benson's most celebrated "spook stories," "The Superannuation Department AD 1945" (1906) and "The Thing in the Hall" (1912). Other papers include correspondence, sales and royalty statements, contracts, bills, and receipts that document Benson's business dealings with his literary agency (the Authors' Syndicate, Ltd.) and various publishers.

E. F. Benson, 1867-1940

Edward Frederic Benson was a British author known most widely today for his comic "Mapp and Lucia" series and his short stories of the supernatural. E. F. Benson was the fifth child of Mary Sidgwick Benson and Edward White Benson, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 to 1896. Benson was educated at Marlborough College and King's College, Cambridge, where he completed his studies in 1892.

Benson's first novel, Dodo, was published in 1893 and enjoyed significant acclaim and commercial success. Benson went on to a prolific literary career, publishing nearly 100 works including novels, short stories, memoirs, biographies, and other works of non-fiction. Benson also worked as an archaeologist at excavations in Italy, Greece, and Egypt, represented England in international figure skating competitions, and served in the 1930s as the mayor of the town of Rye in East Sussex.

Processing Information

This collection includes materials previously identified by the following call numbers: Uncat.MS Vault.File, Uncat.MS Vault.632, Uncat.MS Vault.634, and Uncat.MS Vault.705.
Title
Guide to the E. F. Benson Papers
Author
by Will Baker
Date
2010
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository

Contact:
P. O. Box 208330
New Haven CT 06520-8330 US
(203) 432-2977

Location

121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

Access Information

The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.