Beckett, Arthur William, and J. Palgrave Simpson. From Father to Son draft, circa 1881 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Title: Beckett, Arthur William, and J. Palgrave Simpson. From Father to Son draft, circa 1881

ID: 01/02/02/POST-1650 MS 0008

Primary Creator: À Beckett, Arthur William (1844-1909)

Other Creators: Simpson, J. Palgrave (1807-1887)

Extent: 1.0 Items

Date Acquired: 06/24/1947

Subjects: English drama - 19th century

Languages: English

This volume (24 pages) consists of the first act of From Father to Son, a play co-published by Arthur William à Beckett (1844-1909) and J. Palgrave Simpson (1807-1887) in 1881. From Father to Son is a dramatization of Beckett's novel, Fallen Among Thieves, which was written in 1868. Fragments from the original novel are pasted into the volume, with some corrections in manuscript.

See Administrative/Biographical History for more information.

Arthur William à Beckett (1844-1909) was a native of Fulham, London. Beckett primarily worked as a journalist, though he also wrote novels, plays, and other creative works. He was a writer and editor for numerous periodicals, including Glow-Worm (1865-1868), Britannia (1868-1870), Tomahawk (circa 1867-1870), Naval and Military Magazine (circa 1897-1899), the Sunday Times (1893-1895), and most notably, Punch (1874-1902). Beckett was a member of the Society of Authors from 1891-1903 and held leadership roles in the Newspaper Society (1893-1894) and the Institute of Journalists (1900-1901).

John Palgrave Simpson (1807-1887) was born in Norwich, England. Simpson received his higher education from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and began his literary career around 1844. His early works included novels, nonfiction works, and contributions to several periodicals, including The Times, Blackwood's Magazine, Bentley's Miscellany, and possibly Fraser's Magazine. After moving to London in 1850, Simpson began a career as a playwright, writing and co-writing approximately 60 plays between 1850 and 1885. Simpson was secretary of the Dramatic Authors' Society from 1868-1883.

Beckett wrote Victorian detective novel, Fallen Among Thieves, in 1868. Beckett and Simpson co-published From Father to Son, a dramatization of Fallen Among Thieves, in 1881.

Sources

Kent, Charles, and Donald Hawes. "Simpson, John Palgrave (1807-1877)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online Edition. Oxford University Press: 2007. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/25588.

Morris, A. J. A. "A Beckett, Arthur William (1844-1909)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online Edition. Oxford University Press: 2008. doi: 10.1093/ref:odnb/30318.

Nicholl, Allardyce. A History of Late Nineteenth Century Drama, 1850-1900. Volume II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1946.

English drama - 19th century

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

Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

This item 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 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.

Acquisition Source: Spencer

Finding Aid Revision History: Revised by Meg Hixon, July 2016

URL: https://i-share-uiu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_UIU/17ks9l7/alma99512358212205899