Series II. Manuscripts, 1900 - 1948

Series

Scope and Contents

Series II of the Montague Summers papers consist of Summers' literary manuscripts, notes, records and related documents. The bulk of the series is comprised of complete autograph and typed manuscripts of shorter works, published and unpublished, but includes a significant amount of fragmentary, sometimes unidentified, rough draft material, mostly from Summers' longer works. This series, the largest in the collection, includes many manuscripts of works not described in the two primary bibliographies of Summers' work, including the complete holographic manuscripts of Six Ghost Stories, the anthology of original works by Summers which eventually became The Grimoire. All of the poems described in Subseries A are inferred to have been written around the time of Summers' first publication, Antinous and Other Poems, 1907; none of the poems here appear to have been published. A small amount of manuscript material created by others is also included in this series. Item level descriptions of Summers' literary manuscripts include a page count (using the abbreviations p. and the plural pp.) referring to the number of individual sheets, leaves, or pieces, rather than to the content, i.e., "1 p." may refer to 2 pages of text, front and back.

Dates

1900 - 1948

Conditions Governing Access

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Extent

From the Collection: 9.64 Linear Feet (21 boxes)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The manuscripts series has been loosely arranged into seven sub-series according to genre and size. Shorter works, for the most part complete, are found in the first two sub-series: Sub-Series A, containing poetry, plays, and fiction (including a small number of autobiographical fragments); Sub-Series B, complete articles, introductions, forewords and other front matter, including synopses of prospective works. Sub-Series C - E contain the manuscripts of longer works, mostly chapters and fragments, including a complete typed manuscript of The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism. Sub-Series F, miscellaneous manuscripts, contains a range of material: poems and prayers (some calligraphic), notes and notebooks (including a number of library call slips), a curious contribution to Trinity Magazine by Cambridge philosopher C.D. Broad outlining a J.K. Rowling-esque course of study at Cambridge, and documents pertaining to the estate and probate of Montague Summers. Sub-Series G contains miscellaneous devotional materials, prayer cards, relics, and documents related to Summers' ordination and assignation in the deaconate of the Church of England.