Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton 1886-1979 (bulk 1886-1939) MS.1986.012 https://hdl.handle.net/2345.2/MS1986-012
Archives and Manuscripts Department John J. Burns Library Boston College 140 Commonwealth Avenue Chestnut Hill 02467 library.bc.edu/burns/contact URL: http://www.bc.edu/burns Table of Contents
Summary Information ...... 3 Administrative Information ...... 4 Related Materials ...... 4 Biographical note ...... 6 Scope and Contents ...... 7 Arrangement ...... 7 Collection Inventory ...... 8 I: Correspondence ...... 8 II: Drawings ...... 8 III: Ephemera ...... 9 IV: Writings ...... 10 V: About Chesterton ...... 12
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 2 - Summary Information
Creator: Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Title: Boston College collection of G. K. Chesterton ID: MS.1986.012 Date [inclusive]: 1886-1939, 1979 Date [bulk]: 1886-1939 Physical Description 4 Linear Feet (4 boxes) Language of the English Material: Abstract: Collection of materials concerning the life and work of early twentieth- century Catholic British author and artist G. K. Chesterton. Included are correspondence, drawings, ephemera, writings, and materials about Chesterton. Preferred Citation
Identification of item, Box number, Folder number, Boston College collection of G. K. Chesterton, MS.1986.012, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 3 - Administrative Information
Publication Information Processed by Stephanie Hall in October 2019. This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace.
Restrictions on access Collection is open for research.
Provenance Because the current accessioning system was not used until January 1986, it is not possible to know exactly the dates of acquisition of materials received before that time. However, information on file indicates that portions of the collection were purchased from Sotheby's, Serendipity Books, John Wilson and Son, Bertram Rota, Ltd., and George Robert Minkoff, Inc, as well as gifts from the Bernard Shaw Society.
Restrictions on use These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Related Materials
Related Materials Belloc Family correspondence, MS.1996.028, MS.2007.007, and MS.2007.008, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Belloc Family correspondence and Administrative Documents, MS.2007.009, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Elodie (Hogan) Belloc correspondence, MS.2007.005, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Hilaire Belloc papers, MS.2005.002, MS.2005.003, and MS.2007.012 John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 4 - Patrick Cahill Collection of Belloc and Chesterton Materials, MS.1986.138, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Separated Materials Published works associated with this collection have been transferred within the Burns Library and can be found in the Boston College Library catalog.
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 5 - Biographical note
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, known as G. K. Chesterton, was born on May 29, 1874 in London to Edward Chesterton and Marie Louise Grosjean. Chesterton had a younger brother, Cecil Edward, who was born in 1879.
Chesterton attended Colet Court, Hammersmith, and St. Paul's School in London. He then enrolled in the Slade School of Fine Art at University College, London. He considered becoming a professional artist, but ultimately pursued a career as a writer.
After leaving college without a degree in 1895 Chesterton worked at the publisher Redway and soon became a reviewer and essayist for both The Speaker and The Daily News. In 1900 he published "The Donkey", a collections of poems. In the early 1900s, Chesterton also produced several collections of essays and met Hilaire Belloc, who became one of Chesterton's greatest friends and literary allies. In 1901 Chesterton married Frances Alice Blogg.
In 1903 Chesterton published a study of Robert Browning and while the book received popular praise, Browning scholars objected to its many biographical inaccuracies. Chesterton's carelessness regarding factual details soon became habitual in his writing.
Chesterton published his novel The Napoleon of Notting Hill in 1904, which attracted much positive critical attention. Chesterton's next novel, The Man who was Thursday (1908) went largely unnoticed at the time of its publication, but remains among his most popular works today. Subsequently, Chesterton wrote several other novels including The Ball and the Cross (1910), Manalive (1912), and The Flying Inn (1914). Chesterton's best-known works are his Father Brown stories which he began publishing in 1911, some of which have been adapted for film and television.
In addition to writing fiction, Chesterton also wrote philosophical and religious texts. In 1905 Chesterton published Heretics, followed by Orthodoxy in 1908. In 1909 Chesterton moved to Beaconsfield, England, where he continued to write and lecture.
After World War I Chesterton became the president of the Distributist League, promoting the idea that land should be divided into the smallest possible holdings and then distributed equally throughout society. During this time Chesterton wrote much about his dislike of government and modern progress, and his views were often considered ruralist, anti-modernist, and Victorian.
After the death of his brother Cecil in 1918 during active military service, Chesterton continued working on Cecil's weekly publication, New Witness, which ultimately became G. K.'s Weekly. He also worked as a radio lecturer, engaging in a series of famous debates with Bernard Shaw.
In 1922 Chesterton converted to Roman Catholicism. Shortly following his conversion he wrote several theologically oriented works, including biographies of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas Aquinas. In 1934 he received the honor of Knight Commander with Star, Order of St. Gregory the Great.
Chesterton died on June 14, 1936, at his home in Beaconsfield, England.
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 6 - Sources:
Bergonzi, Bernard. "Chesterton, Gilbert Keith (1874–1936)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: OUP, 2004. 9 Nov. 2005 https://doi.org/10.1093/ ref:odnb/32392.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials by and about Catholic British author and artist G. K. Chesterton. Contents include correspondence, some with Hilaire Belloc, Kenelyn Foss, and John Lane as well as drawings, ephemera, novels, plays, nonfiction works, essays, and poetry by Chesterton. This includes chapters from his book Orthodoxy. Additional materials include correspondence and graphic materials about Chesterton.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into five series: I. Correspondence; II. Drawings; III. Ephemera; IV. Writings; V. About Chesterton.
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 7 - Collection Inventory
Series I: Correspondence, 1899-1935, undated Scope and Contents
Correspondence is written by G. K. Chesterton and his wife, Frances Chesterton.
Subseries A: G. K. Chesterton, 1899-1934, undated Arrangement
Alphabetical.
Belloc, Hilaire, 1914 July-September box 1 folder 1-5
Brandon, undated box 1 folder 6
Foss, Kenelin, undated box 1 folder 7
Gilbert, Bernard, between 1934-1936, November 8 box 1 folder 8
Hawkins, Anthony H., undated box 1 folder 9
Johnson, R. Brinley, 1918 July 18 box 1 folder 10
Lane, John, undated box 1 folder 11-13
Smith, undated box 1 folder 14
The World, undated box 1 folder 15
Unidentified correspondents, 1899-1934 box 1 folder 16-19
Subseries B: Frances Chesterton, 1935, undated
Green-Armytage, R. N. , 1935 February-July box 1 folder 20-23
Ogden, no date, November 21 box 1 folder 24
Unidentified correspondent, no date, January 9 box 1 folder 25
Series II: Drawings, 1911, 1935, undated
"After the Deluge" pencil sketches and printed recital program, box 1 folder 26 1935
"At the Beaconsfield Convalescent Home..." pen sketch, undated box 1 folder 27
"The Burnham Breed" pen sketch, undated box 1 folder 28
"The Club of Queer Trades" pencil sketches, undated box 1 folder 29
"Designs for the Beaconsfield Memorial" pencil sketch, undated box 1 folder 30
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 8 - "A Happy Xmas" pencil sketch, undated box 1 folder 31
"Hints From Jack & the Bean-Stalk" pencil sketch, undated box 1 folder 32
"Men of the Land of Cakes Eat Their Cake & Have It" pen sketch, box 1 folder 33 undated
"The Parents Review in South Africa" pencil sketch, undated box 1 folder 34
Sketchbook, containing colored cartoons, undated box 1 folder 35
Sketchbook, Slade School period, undated box 1 folder 36
"Three Acres and a Cow" pencil sketch, undated box 1 folder 37
Untitled chalk drawing of young lady on a chair, undated box 1 folder 38
Untitled charcoal drawing of dog smoking, undated box 4 folder 1
Untitled charcoal drawing of peddler and his pack, undated box 4 folder 2
Untitled pencil and pen sketches, undated box 1 folder 39
Untitled pencil sketches of multiple characters, photocopies, box 1 folder 40 undated
Untitled pencil sketch of multiple characters, undated box 1 folder 41
Untitled pencil sketch of ships at war, undated box 1 folder 42
Untitled pencil sketch of two men, undated box 4 folder 3
"When the Revolution Comes," printed in The Sketch, 1911 box 4 folder 4 September 6
Series III: Ephemera, 1893-1931
Check from Herbert J. Jolowicz to G. K. Chesterton, 1911 box 1 folder 43 November 18
"A Dinner to Honor Chesterton" program and clipping, 1925 box 1 folder 44 January 23-24
"The Ignorance of the Educated," lecture program, 1931 February box 1 folder 45 11
Junior Debating Club minutes, mimeograph, 1893 January-June box 3 folder 46
"Marriage and the Modern Mind" art proof, circa 1930 box 1 folder 47
Notebook, undated box 1 folder 48
Photograph of Chesterton, undated box 1 folder 49
Publishing contract, 1915 April 16 box 1 folder 50
Receipt, Cambridge Daily News Ltd., 1912 January 30 box 1 folder 51
Stock certificate, G. K.'s Weekly Ltd., 1925 March 26 box 1 folder 52
"Tragic Women" programs, no year, December 16-18, July 2 box 1 folder 53
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 9 - Series IV: Writings, 1889-1939 Scope and Contents
Works authored by Chesterton, some published after his death in 1936.
Subseries A: Books, 1905-1937
The Autobiography of G. K. Chesterton excerpt typescript, circa box 1 folder 54 1936
The Club of Queer Trades, novel manuscript, chapters 1-6, 1905 box 1 folder 55-60
Orthodoxy, non-fiction typescript, chapters 1-9, circa 1908 box 2 folder 1-9
The Paradoxes of Mr. Pond detective story typescript: "The box 2 folder 10 Crime of Captain Gahagan", 1936
The Paradoxes of Mr. Pond detective story typescript: "Pond the box 2 folder 11 Pantaloon", 1936
The Paradoxes of Mr. Pond detective story typescript: "The box 2 folder 12 Terrible Troubadour", 1936
"Tragic Women," play typescript, undated box 2 folder 13
Subseries B: Essays, 1889-1932, undated
"Alice Meynell," advance proof, The Dublin Review, 1923 box 2 folder 14 January-March
"The Asceticism of the Futurists" manuscript, 1914 box 2 folder 15
"The Best Detective Story" typescript, undated box 2 folder 16
"The English Blunder About Russia" typescript, circa box 2 folder 17 1914-1918
"The Free Man" manuscript, circa 1912 box 2 folder 18
"The God of the Gongs: A Father Brown Story", circa 1915 box 2 folder 19
"How I Began" manuscript, 1911 box 2 folder 20
"The Last Top" and "The Last Trial" typescripts, undated box 2 folder 21
"Love Your Enemies" typescript, undated box 2 folder 22
"Marriage and the Modern Mind" typescript and corrected box 2 folder 23 proof, 1930-circa 1932 box 4 folder 5
"A Much Repeated Repetition" manuscript, signed, undated box 2 folder 24
"On Holidays" manuscript and incomplete typescript, undated box 2 folder 25-26
"Our Note Book" typescript, probably 1908 box 2 folder 27
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 10 - "A Romance of Reconstruction" typescript with hand written box 3 folder 1 corrections, undated
"The Satisfactions of Satan" manuscript, 1898 box 3 folder 2
"Straws In the Wind: The Enemies of Man" typescript, undated box 3 folder 3
"Straws In the Wind: On Stockings and Stockbrokers" box 3 folder 4 typescript, undated
"Straws In the Wind: The Retreat From Europe" typescript, box 3 folder 5 undated
"A Study in Tolerance" typescript, undated box 3 folder 6
"What is Right with the World" manuscript, circa 1910 box 3 folder 7
Untitled essay fragment, undated box 3 folder 8
Untitled essay from St. Paul's School, 1889 box 4 folder 6
Subseries C: Lecture notes, circa 1914-1918 box 3 folder 9
Subseries D: Poems, 1911-1939, undated
"Apology" typescript, undated box 3 folder 10
"Asquith" manuscript, undated box 3 folder 11
"The Ballade of a Lady's Luggage" and "Envoy" manuscript, box 3 folder 12 undated
"Ballade of Convalescence" manuscript, undated box 3 folder 13
"Ballade of Regret" manuscript, undated box 3 folder 14
"The Ballad of the White Horse" manuscript, 1911 box 3 folder 15
"A Beaconsfield Ballad" typescript, circa 1930s box 3 folder 16
"The Donkey" typescript and limited edition pamphlet, before box 3 folder 17-18 1937, 1939
"The Jazz" manuscript, undated box 3 folder 19
"Lines on a Lady's Portrait in a Popular Organ of Imperial box 3 folder 20 Opinion" manuscript with clipping of Mrs. C. F. G. Masterman, undated
"Macaroons: An Ode" manuscript, undated box 3 folder 21
"A Poem" pamphlet for a British Red Cross and St. John of box 3 folder 22 Jerusalem's Fund fundraiser, 1915 October 21
"The Soup of the Lost Heart" manuscript, undated box 3 folder 23
"True Sympathy: or Prevention of Cruelty to Teachers" box 3 folder 24 manuscript, undated
"Unwritten," photocopy of manuscript, undated box 3 folder 25
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 11 - Untitled poems, undated box 3 folder 26
Subseries E: "The Sceptic and the box 3 folder 27 Schoolmasters," book review of Joan and Peter, The Story of Education by H. G. Wells, 1918
Series V: About Chesterton, 1886-1939, 1979
Subseries A: Correspondence, 1914-1935
A. P. Watt & Son and Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1921-1935 box 3 folder 28
Collins, Dorothy to M. Fitzsimons, SJ, 1927 October 31 box 3 folder 29
Salter, F. G. to Holbrook Jackson, 1914 May 21, June 20 box 3 folder 30-31
Subseries B: Graphic materials, 1886-1939, 1979
"Interviewing Chesterton" sketch by Harry Furniss, undated box 3 folder 32
"Men of the Day," Vanity Fair supplement, art by Strickland, Shared box folder 1 undated 14043
Photograph of Chesterton bust by D. H. Moore, 1979 box 3 folder 33
Print of caricature by Joseph Simpson, undated box 4 folder 7
Caricature by Gil, 1886 box 3 folder 34
Sketch by Seymour Halpern, 1930 box 3 folder 35
Boston College Collection of G. K. Chesterton MS.1986.012
- Page 12 -