Scope and Contents: This collection contains four volumes of manuscript drafts by English author, Arnold Bennett (1867-1931). Novels represented are The Roll Call (1917), Elsie and the Child (1924), and The Vanguard (1926).
The first volume [formerly Post-1650 MS 0006] contains a manuscript draft of The Roll-Call (423 pages), written between October 10, 1916, and April 4, 1917. This manuscript includes corrections in the author's hand. Four typescripts accompany the volume: the published book's half title, the published book's title page, a note from Bennett concerning his novel The Pretty Lady, and a list of Bennett's other published works as of April 1918. This volume has the bookplate of H. Harvey Frost.
The second volume [formerly Post-1650 MS 0005 (single volume)] contains a manuscript draft of Elsie and the Child (108 pages), written between January 15 and February 14, 1924. The manuscript includes corrections in the author's hand. The title page includes an embellished version of the title, a monogram of Arnold Bennett's initials, and the author's address. An inscription at the end of the text indicates that Bennett presented the manuscript to Dorothy Cheston on December 18, 1928. This volume also has the bookplate of H. Harvey Frost.
The third and fourth volumes [formerly Post-1650 MS 0007] contain a manuscript draft of The Vanguard (330 pages). The first volume (pages 1-177) was written between March 27 and May 14, 1926, and the second volume (pages 178-330) was written between May 15 and July 8, 1926. Both volumes include corrections in the author's hand, as well as notes indicating the author's location as he composed the novel. The first of these volumes has the bookplate of H. Harvey Frost.
These materials were combined into one collection in November 2023 due to their shared provenance.
See Administrative/Biographical History for more information.
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