Shiel, M. P. Collection by A. Reynolds Morse

Most of the collection (72 linear feet) consists of the books and periodicals that Morse assembled over his forty years as a collector, which Olin Library maintains using funds provided by Morse. The books include not only Shiel’s works but also works by other authors that he knew, such as, Louis Tracy. Morse also collected books about science fiction and works that mention Shiel or his work. Of especial interest are the issues of such old periodicals as Strand Magazine that Morse purchased because they contained stories by Shiel, but which have a wider historical or literary interest. Most of these are cataloged and may be searched on line.  New purchases will continue to be added to the catalogue. The manuscript collection charts the entire process of collecting books from research into the books and the author’s life to acquisition of the books. In this case, Morse also wrote about his interest. Thus, the manuscript collection includes materials that Morse collected regarding Shiel, materials concerning Morse’s own writings and materials concerning the collecting process. The materials have, therefore, been arranged to reflect these different aspects of Morse’s interest. The highlight of the collection is the correspondence between Shiel and Miller, which Morse purchased from Patrick Miller. Not all Miller’s letters survive, but much may be gleaned from Shiel’s responses. Miller also wrote some letters in shorthand that have not been transcribed, and these may reveal more about the two correspondents. Apart from the letters between Shiel and Miller, the rest of the Miller correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent unless the full name is unknown. In the latter case, the letters are divided into “letters received” and “letters sent” and arranged chronologically. The collection includes Miller’s correspondence with others after Shiel’s death, such as, John and Barbara Gawsworth and the solicitors who settled Shiel’s estate, Cotching & Son. Other letters show Miller sending clothing and food to the English people with whom she struck up a correspondence, such as, Cecil and Violette Ethel King and Julia Charlotte Targett. Most of Shiel’s literary manuscripts are typewritten, but Monk on “Greatness of Mind” and Herbert Spencer and King Robert of Sicily are handwritten.  Some papers were removed from a copy of How the Old Woman got Home that belonged to Grant Richards, and these papers are filed with the manuscript collection. A greater proportion of the collection relates to Morse’s own publications both concerning Shiel and on other topics. The materials are arranged by title beginning with the publications on Shiel in chronological order. His first Shiel book entitled The Works of M. P. Shiel was published in 1948 and the collection includes his typewritten literary manuscript. Volume I of the expanded revision contains some reprints of Shiel’s short stories, and Morse retained photocopies of many short stories that he considered for publication. Morse had a folder of “source materials” for Volumes I and III that contained a variety of different types of materials in no obvious order. These materials have been arranged by the type of document to facilitate storage and reduce the amount of searching required by researchers. For the other volumes, the “source materials” mainly consist of photocopied articles and short stories so these have been kept in Morse’s original order. The correspondence file of these materials for Volume I contains original letters written by Shiel, and among the leaflets is a copy of Shiel’s “About Myself” autographed by him. Volume IV of this series is an anthology of essays about Shiel and his writing entitled Shiel in Diverse Hands. In compiling this volume, Morse had extensive correspondence with the writers of the essays and retained many of their drafts. As Morse was not consistent in how he filed correspondence all the correspondence from these men has been placed together regardless of topic so that researchers do not have to search in numerous places. Even so, correspondence with publishing houses may reveal more letters from some correspondents For instance, Everett Bleiler, Shasta Publications and Melvin Korsak overlap. Ben Indick published “Ibid 40”, and Morse’s copies of this publication may be found in Indick’s correspondence folder. Additionally, Morse often received copies of correspondence between other people, especially from J. D. Squires, to which he sometimes responded. These materials have all been included under the name of the correspondent as they would be impossible to find if placed chronologically by the name of the forwarder. Morse also kept correspondence with booksellers, collectors and anyone who might have information about Shiel’s life. This correspondence has been separately arranged alphabetically by last name for individuals and first name for a company. The correspondence file on Tatsuo Yamada also includes copies of some of Shiel’s works printed in Japanese. Morse fully describes his trips to the West Indies in his book The Quest for Redonda and his collection includes memorabilia of the trip such as sand from Montserrat and a copy of the flag placed on Redonda. He published a map of the island, and he also possessed a 1967 Ordnance survey map that is in the collection. Some materials relating to Morse’s other writings on Shiel are held in the collection as well as materials concerning Toreros, a collection of poems by John Gawsworth and Morse’s writings on other subjects, such as, Colorado’s history. Many documents in the manuscript collection chart Morse’s acquisition of the books in the collection and his research into the different edition. His book catalogues have been arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the company issuing the catalogue. Morse also retained finding aids for other Shiel Collections; thus, the finding aid for the Shiel Collection in the University of Texas at Austin is available in this collection. Some photographs are included with the manuscript collection; however, most photographs and all the pictures have yet to be catalogued. Finally, as Olin Library continues to add to the collection, subsequent articles will be added chronologically.