Guide to the John Buchan papers, 1898-1958

John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148
Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	John Buchan papers
Date range:	1898-1958
Creator:	Buchan, John, 1875-1940
Extent:	0.25 Linear feet
Abstract:	The John Buchan Papers contain approximately 150 items covering the years 1898-1958. Most of the collection contains letters written by John Buchan to W.M. Colles and Sir Henry Newbolt. A selection of 5 published works by John Buchan are included as well as photographs.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts
Collection number:	Ms.Buchan

Scope & content

John Buchan holographs at Brown University span the dates 1898 to 1939. Material about him dates as recently as 1958.

Literary manuscripts include a poem, The song of the sea captain (1905); another poem, The Shorter Catechism (Revised Version), and a short story, The riding of Ninemileburn (1912); a processed copy of a speech, The immortal memory of Robert Burns (1918); and a newspaper article, The greatest war debt (1935).

Correspondence consists of over 130 letters written by Buchan and one by his wife. A group of about 60 of these bear upon his dealings as an editor for Nelson and Sons with a literary agent, W. M. Colles, in the period 1907-1916. Another series of about 45 items are addressed to his close friend and literary collaborator Sir Henry Newbolt over the years 1918-1938. The former series provides insights into the workings of popular publishing; the latter, offer bits of information regarding Buchan's attitudes toward more serious literature.

Scattered through the correspondence are glimpses of his work in South Africa (4 March 1902) and in the Ministry of Information (26 April and 8 August 1918). There is mention of his peerage (25 May 1935) and some fond words about Canada (31 March and 30 December 1936).

Access Points

Subject Names

• Baker, Harold, 1877-1960
• Bloomingdale, Lyman G. (Lyman Gustave), 1912-
• Buchan, J. Walter (James Walter), 1882-1954
• Buchan, John, 1875-1940
• Colles, William Morris, 1855-1926
• Greene, Graham, 1904-
• Newbolt, Henry John, Sir, 1862-1938
• Tweedsmuir, John Norman Stuart Buchan, Baron, 1911-1996
• Tweedsmuir, Susan, b. 1882

Subject Topics

• Authors, Canadian--20th century
• Authors, Scottish--20th century
• Book industries and trade

Occupations

• Editors
• Novelists
• Poets
• Statesmen

Document Types

• Fiction
• Letters (Correspondence)
• Photographs
• Poems

Subject Topics

• Education

Arrangement

The John Buchan Papers are divided into four series. Most of the collection consists of correspondence written by John Buchan. Correspondence by John Buchan is ordered chronologically. Works by or about John Buchan, and Correspondence by others is arranged alphabetically by author.

• Series 1. Works by or about John Buchan
• Series 2. Correspondence by John Buchan
• Series 3. Correspondence by others
• Series 4. Photographs

Biographical note

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, was born in Scotland in 1875. Displaying literary talent at an early age, he won a scholarship to Oxford where he graduated with a First Class in Humane Letters in 1899. He was called to the Bar in 1901, but soon left his legal practice to serve as a private secretary under Lord Milner in South Africa during the Boer War.

Buchan returned to his legal career in 1903. By 1907 he again gravitated to a more congenial vocation, this time as a partial partner of, and editor for, Thomas Nelson and Sons Publishers
. His prolific writing in his early period tended toward romantic adventure stories, novels, and some poetry. Buchan is perhaps best known for his 1915 novel Thirty-nine steps, later made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock (1935).

World War I brought Buchan a commission in Intelligence. Later in the conflict he showed marked administrative ability while serving at the British Department of Information. His writing now took a more historical turn. In addition to his multi-volume history of the war, his fiction also reflected his wartime experiences. He also moved into biography, successfully treating such diverse subjects as Julius Caesar, Cromwell, Sir Walter Scott, and the Marquis of Montrose.

In 1927 he was elected to Parliament as Conservative member for the Scottish universities. Eight years later came elevation to the peerage and appointment as Governor General of Canada. A popular and active Governor General, he still found some time for writing in the nonfiction vein. Buchan died in 1940.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can be seen only by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Alternate form:	Also available on original negative microfilm copy.
Preferred citation:	John Buchan Papers, Ms. Buchan, Brown University Library.
Contact information:	John Hay Library, University Archives and Manuscripts Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Telephone: Manuscripts: 401-863-3723; University Archives: 401-863-2148 Email: Manuscripts: hay@brown.edu; University Archives: archives@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	With few exceptions, John Buchan manuscripts in Brown University reflect the gift in 1973 of Lyman G. Bloomingdale (Brown University Class of 1935).
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-01-29
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:	Several related materials are held by Brown University Library and are retrievable by the following accession/collection numbers: A79-34 (Clare Buchan letter to Felicia [Buchan?], 1937) A84-123 (John Buchan mss. ephemera removed from printed volumes, 1915-1959) A93-62 (John Buchan literary mss., ca. 1901-1920) A85-159 (John Buchan letter to W.M. Colles, 1907) Ms. 16.209 (John Buchan letter to P.M. Stone, 1929) Ms. 55.25 (John Buchan letters to P.D. Sherman, 1922-1926) The following institutions are among those containing noteworthy collections of published or unpublished materials by John Buchan: Clark University Dartmouth College Duke University Queen's University (Ontario, Canada) Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Library Yale University
Location/Existence of copies:	Also available on original negative microfilm copy.
Bibliography:	Smith, Janet A. John Buchan, a biography. London: R. Hart-Davis, 1965.

Inventory

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