H.G. Wells Papers, 1845-1946 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Title: H.G. Wells Papers, 1845-1946

ID: 01/01/MSS00071

Primary Creator: Wells, H. G. (Herbert George) (1866-1946)

Other Creators: Wells, Catherine (1872-1927)

Extent: 207.0 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 00/00/1954

Subjects: Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946

Languages: English

Papers of Herbert G. Wells, English novelist and essayist. Includes correspondence about business and legal affairs; letters to the press; engagement books; drawings; publication records; manuscripts and proofs of published works; speeches; unpublished material; and photographs.

The letters contain general family correspondence, communications, from publishers, material regarding the Fabian Society, and letters from politicians and public figures, most notably George Bernard Shaw and Joseph Conrad. A catalog of correspondence, arranged alphabetically by correspondent, is published in Volume 11 of the Catalog of the Rare Book Room, University Library, University of Illinois (G. K. Hall & Co., Boston, 1972, 547 pp.) and in a supplementary 1978 edition.

About forty full-length books, as well as many shorter pieces, are represented by typescripts or manuscripts, often in many drafts, which show the evolution of each work. Among these is an unpublished draft of The Wealth of Mr. Waddy (characterized by biographer David Smith as a “false start,” later becoming Kipps, The Story of a Simple Soul (1905)) and early version of Wells' copies of his printed works. These include first editions, revisions, translations. Among the remaining items is the diary of Wells' mother, begun before his birth, Wells' letters and stories written as a youngster, collections of clippings from newspapers and magazines, account books of his contracts and earning, and other business records.

The main collection was acquired in two parts, labeled WELLS-1 and WELLS-2. WELLS-1 consists of over 2,500 letters from Wells and 65,000 to Wells. WELLS-2, a major collection added in 1990, supplements the extensive book collection from Wells' personal library, personal and business correspondence, and criticism. Wells-3 is the Kennard Collection which includes correspondence between H.G. Wells and Annajane Kennard and Amber Reeves. Wells-9 is a collection of supplementary items purchased separately, on an ongoing basis.

Wells, H. G. (Herbert George), 1866-1946

Repository: Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

This collection is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.

The Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reproduction and publication policies are available here. The library welcomes requests for reproductions made from works in our collections, though restrictions may apply to certain materials. Please contact the library with any questions.

Related Materials: The Rare Book & Manuscript Library holds numerous additional items related to H.G. Wells, including manuscripts, books, and artifacts. Please search the library's finding aids or contact the library for more information.

Other Note: Click here to search the H.G. Wells correspondence database.

Box and Folder Listing

Series 3: Correspondence to Wells

Boxes are currently undergoing renumbering (10/2024). RBML staff: see Wells renumbering spreadsheet.

Box 5

​A-1 Abingdon Press – A-45 Ahern, John H.

Box 6

A-48 Air League of the British Empire – A-104 The American Magazine

Box 7

A-109 Amery, Underwood J. – A-199 Austin, F. Britten

Box 8

A-203 Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science – B-60 Bantock, (Helen F.) Lady

Box 9

B-61 Baptist, James & Otto – B-171 Bell, Lady Florence

Box 10

B-172 Bell, Gertrude – B-239 Biggar, J.L.

Box 11

B-240 Bigland, Eileen – B-359 Bostock, L.W.

Box 12

B-361 Bott, Alan – B-4581 British Ass'n for Advancement of Science

Box 13

B-458₂ British Ass'n for Advancement of Science – B-470 British Labour Council for Chinese Freedom

Box 14

B-472 British Monomarks Ltd. – B-518₇ Curtis Brown Ltd.

Box 15

B-518₈ Curtis Brown Ltd. – B-518 W2-1 Curtis Brown Ltd.

Box 16

B-521 Brown, G. – B-600 Burns, C. Delisle

Box 17

B-601 Burns, Thomas – C-72 Canterbury University College (N.Z.)

Box 18

C-73₁ Jonathan Cape Limited (1923-1929) – C-122₃ Cassell & Co. (1918-1920)

Box 19

C-122₄ Cassell & Co. (1921-1925) – C-155 Chaldjian, G.H.

Box 20

C-158₂ Chambrun (Jacques) Inc. Agency (1932-1936) – C-185 Chase, Beatrice (Olive Katherine Parr)

Box 21

C-186 Chase National Bank – C-240 Churchill, Winston (American)

Box 22

C-241 Churchill Club – C-330 Coit, Stanton

Box 23

C-331 Coit, Adela (Mrs. Stanton) – C-363₃ W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. (1933)

Box 24

C-363₄ W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. (1934) – C-399 Conrad, Jessie (Mrs. Joseph)

Box 25

C-400 Conrad, Joseph (on Master Neg. Film-Reel 4 of 79-0229/4) – C-443₅ Cosmopolis

Box 26

C-444 Cosmopolitan Magazine – C-520₁ Crewe House

Box 27

C-520₂ Crewe House – D-13 Daily Mirror

Box 28

D-14 Daily News – D-86b-1 Joseph, Day & Sons

Box 29

D-87 Day, George – D-152 Diaghileff, Serge

Box 30

D-153 Dial, The – D-210₆ Doubleday Doran & Co.

Box 31

D-210₇ Doubleday Doran & Co. – D-241 Duff, Lady Juliet

Box 32

D-242 Duff, Ursula Grant (Mrs. Adrian Grant Duff) – D-292 Duthil, R.

Box 33

D-293 Dutt, R. Palme – E-110 Erwood, Walter

Box 34

E-111 Esdaile, Ernest – E-153 Exhibition of 20th Century German Art

Box 35

E-154 Experimenter Publishing Co. – F-60 Finer, Harman

Box 36

F-61 Finer, Mrs. Harman (Sophie) – F-160 Franklin, G.D.

Box 37

F-161 Franklin Press (Tarsulat) – G-41 Garnett, Edward

Box 38

G-43 Garnett, Richard – G-103 Giddings, Franklin H.

Box 39

G-107 Gilbert, Bernard – G-174₄ Gollancz Ltd. Victor Misc. Material

Box 40

G-175 Goodchild, George – G-260 Gregory, John Walter

Box 41

G-261₁ Gregory, Sir Richard A. – G-317 Guedalla, Philip

Box 42

G-318 Guedalla, Mrs. Philip (Nellie) – H-38 Hall, Howard J.

Box 43

H-39 Hall, Julian – H-107₄ Harper & Bros. Financial Material (1)

Box 44

H-107₅ Harper & Bros. Financial Material (2) – H-177 Hayward, F.H.

Box 45

H-178 Hayward, Henry J. – H-207e W2-1 Heinemann + Zsolnay

Box 46

H-209 Helle, Andre – H-279 Higgs-Walker, J.A.

Box 47

H-280 Higham, C.F. – H-380 Holt, Oliver L.S.

Box 48

H-381 Holt, Warren W. – H-511 Humphreys, Gordon S.

Box 49

H-512 Humphreys, Jane – I-11a Incorporated Society of Authors (1896-1912)

Box 50

I-11b Incorporated Society of Authors (1913-1919) – I-11 W2-3 Incorporated Society of Authors, Playwrights & Composers 3

Box 51

I-11 W2-4 Incorporated Society of Authors, Playwrights & Composers 4 – I-55 Internat'l Press Service

Box 52

I-57 Internat'l Student Service – J-24 Photostat (1-53) cop. 2 James, Henry

Box 53

J-24 Photostat (1-53) cop. 3 James, Henry – J-106 Johnston, James

Box 54

J-110 Johnstone, Harcourt – K-50 Kennard, A.

Box 55

K-50e Kennard, Mrs. Allington (formerly D-66) – K-76 Keynes, Helen

Box 56

K-77 Keynes, John Maynard (1st Baron) – K-170 W2-1 Kultura Konyvkiado

Box 57

K-172 Kustannusosakeyhtio Kirja – L-554 Lankester, Sir (E.) Ray m.d. + 2 pamphlets

Box 58

L-56 Lankester, Owen (brother of Sir Edwin Ray) – L-120 Lee, Vernon (Paget, Violet)

Box 59

L-121 Lee-Oldfield, F.M. – L-226₂ Literary Agency July-Sept. (1906)

Box 60

L-226₃ Literary Agency Oct.-Dec. (1906) – L-246 Livingstone, Adelaide

Box 61

L-247 Livingstone, Sir Richard Winn – L-307 Low, Ernest W.

Box 62

L-308 Low, Frances – M-13 McCarthy, Justin Huntly

Box 63

M-14 McCarthy, Lillah (Lady Keeble or Mrs. H.G. Grenville Barker) – M-80₃ Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London

Box 64

M-80₄ Macmillan & Co. Ltd. London – M-81₄ Macmillan & Co. Ltd. NYC

Box 65

M-815 Macmillan & Co. Ltd. NYC – M-115 Maguire, D.L.

Box 66

M-116 Maguire, T.M. – M-183 Marriage Law Reform League

Box 67

M-184₁ Marriott-Watson (Mr. & Mrs. Henry Brereton) to H.G. Wells – M-254 Maxwell, Henry

Box 68

M-255 Maxwell, J.H. – M-315₄ Methuen & Co. Ltd. Fin. Material 1

Box 69

M-315₅ Methuen & Co. Ltd. Fin. Material 2 – M-400 Moltens, Malcolm

Box 70

M-401 Monaghan, Frank – M-505 Muspratt, Edmund

Box 71

M-506 Muspratt, Eric – N-41 National Peace Council (London)

Box 72

N-41 W2-1 "A New International Order" – N-105 New Yorker, The

Box 73

N-106 New Zealand Broadcasting Board – N-150 Nobile, Umberto

Box 74

N-151 Noel, Conrad – O-71 Osgood, Margaret (Mrs. Hamilton Osgood)

Box 75

O-73 Ossietzky, Rosalinde V. – P-5 Pafford, J.H.

Box 76

P-6 Page, B.S. – P-81 Paul, Elinor

Box 77

P-81a W2-1 Paul Zsolnay Verlag – P-121 Penguin Books Ltd.

Box 78

P-121 W2-1 Penguin – P-179N Pinero, Sir Arthur

Box 79

P-179O₁ Pinker, J.B. – P-179O₃ Pinker, J.B.

Box 80

P-179O₄ Pinker, J.B. – P-206 Pollard, Alan Faraday Campbell

Box 81

P-210 Pond Lyceune Bureau – P-286 Procter, George

Box 82

P-287 Procter, Ronald – R-37 Rationalist Press Ass'n Literary Guide, The

Box 83

R-38 Ravensdale – R-102 Reynolds News

Box 84

R-103 Reynolds, Paul – R-139₂ "Rights of Man"

Box 85

R-139₂ "Rights of Man" – R-159 Roberts, D. Kilham

Box 86

R-162 Roberts, Geo. H. – R-267 Rothenstein, Sir William

Box 87

R-268 Rothenstein, Lady Alice Mary – R-340a Ryman H.V., Ltd.

Box 88

S-1s W2-1 S.S. Koppe & Co., Ltd. – S-66 Sawyer, E.T.

Box 89

S-67 Sawyer, Philip – S-127c 1,2 Scrimgeour

Box 90

S-127c (1-53) Scrimgeour, J & A to Wells, H.G. – S-169et W2-1 Seth, K.B.L.

Box 91

S-171 "Seventieth Birthday" – S-200a Shearns

Box 92

S-201 Sheed & Ward – S-260 Simpson, William

Box 93

S-261 Simpson, William (Broadmoor) – S-359e W2-1 Société D'Éditions Littéraires & Artistiques

Box 94

S-360 W2-1 Société des Gens Lettres. Gt. Britain auteurs et compositeurs dramatique – S-470 Steiger, E.

Box 95

S-471 Stein, Ernest – S-561 Sunday Graphic

Box 96

S-562 Sunday Pictorial – T-251 Tauchnitz, Bernhard & Albatross

Box 97

T-252 Tauchnitz, Bernhard & Albatross – T-91 Thompson, Sylvia

Box 98

T-93A Thompson, W.H. – T-160 Treble, H.A.

Box 99

T-161 Tredegar, 1st Viscount (C.F. Evan Morgan) – T-226 Tzvetanoff, Gavril

Box 100

U-1 U., M. – U-39 University Tutorial Press

Box 101

U-41 Unwin, T. Fisher – V-41 Victoria and Albert Museum

Box 102

V-42 Victorian Teachers' Union – W-50a Walpole Brothers Ltd.

Box 103

W-51 Walsh, E.H. – W-98 Watson-Baker, W.E.

Box 104

W-99A Watt, and Son, A.P. – W-99G₁ Watt, and Son, A.P.

Box 105

W-99G₂ Watt, and Son, A.P. – W-99L Watt, and Son, A.P.

Box 106

W-99M Watt, and Son, A.P. – W-99U Watt, and Son, A.P.

Box 107

W-99V Watt, and Son, A.P. – W-99x Watt, and Son, A.P.

Box 108

W-100 Watt, James – W-140 Weir, William. 1st Viscount

Box 109

W-141 Weiss, Francis – W-171 W2-1 Wells, Francis Richard

Box 110

W-172 Wells, Mrs. F.R. ("Peggy") – W-185 Wells, Joseph (Cousin)

Box 111

W-186 Wells, Kate (Mrs. Arthur?) – W-216 Westhope, Richard

Box 112

W-216a-1 Westminster Bank (Account Books) – W-216a-16 Westminster Bank (Account Books)

Box 113

W-216a-17 Westminster Bank (Wandsworth) – W-260b Wm. Whiteley Inventory & Valuation

Box 114

W-261 Whitelock, William W. – W-364 Winslow, Henry

Box 115

W-365 Winslow, Henry W. – Z-6 Zangwill, Israel

Box 116

Z-7 Zangwell – Z-23b Z-Publishers Royalties