Literary and Theatrical collections

The British Library possesses an unparalleled collection of literary and theatrical materials, written on parchment, vellum, paper and electronic media.

Scope of the Collections

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The literary and theatrical collections contain important manuscripts in most European languages, from the 4th century B.C. to modern times. They include the unique manuscripts of the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf, the medieval Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur.

Most of the major figures in English literary history are well represented, and there are important collections of the manuscripts and letters of modern British authors, such as Evelyn Waugh and Virginia Woolf. Larger archives include those of the publishers Macmillan & Co., the Society of Authors, and, on loan, the Royal Literary Fund.

There are also significant holdings of medieval romances, Greek and Latin classical texts, and the works of later continental authors.

The theatre collections include plays submitted to the Lord Chamberlain's Office for examination and licensing between 1824 and 1968. Plays submitted since 1968 under the terms of the Theatres Act of that year continue the collection up to the present day. Related collections include the archives of playwrights, and other theatrical figures, including Lord Olivier and Sir John Gielgud.

The Theatre Archive Project is reinvestigating British theatre history during the period 1945-1968, from the perspectives of both the theatregoer and the practitioner. The Project Team includes staff from the British Library and the University of Sheffield.

The Lord Chamberlain's Plays Project (PDF format, 66KB) is an AHRC-funded collaborative project with Royal Holloway and the British Library seeking to provide wider and more comprehensive access to a major collection of 19th-century drama. The Lord Chamberlain's Plays licensed from 1852 to 1863 will now be searchable via the British Library's manuscript catalogue. The catalogue descriptions will offer readers as much information as possible, including first performance dates, names of theatres and alternative published editions. See website for further information.

Catalogues

D.C. Sutton (ed.), Location Register of English Literary Manuscripts and Letters, 18th and 19th centuries, 2 vols. (London, 1995).
D.C. Sutton (ed.), Location Register of Twentieth Century English Literary Manuscripts and Letters, 2 vols. (London, 1988).
A. Nicoll, A History of English Drama 1660-1900, 6 vols. (Cambridge, 1923-1959).
A. Nicoll, English Drama 1900-1930 (Cambridge, 1973).
J.P. Wearing, The London Stage: A Calendar of Plays & Players: 1890-1959, 18 vols. (Methuen, N.J. & London, 1976-1993).