Edgar Wallace, 1898
Scope and Contents
A collection of materials related to British writer Edgar Wallace, mostly from his early career. Three exercise books containing a variety of historical notes, poems, songs, and short prose pieces alongside doodles and sketches: one titled “Odds and Ends” (34 pages, dated 1898), one marked “Private” (36 pages, dated 1898), and one titled “Private/Rough Thoughts” (52 pages, undated but likely contemporaneous with the other two). References to Cape Town, Africa, and the Muizenberg Camp suggest that these books were written during Wallace’s time in South Africa as an Army recruit in the Second Boer War. Alongside the notebooks is a manuscript containing a short story “The Makings Up of Herbert Stagg.” Also included is a news clipping from 1982 on the sale of Wallace’s original script for King Kong – likely clipped by Scheetz himself. Curatorial materials consisting of letters sent by Scheetz gathering information on Wallace are also present.
Dates
- 1898
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.
Biographical / Historical
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) was a British writer of sensational and pulp literature – detective, sci-fi, gangster, etc – best known as the author of the original script for King Kong (1933).
Extent
From the Collection: 30 Cubic Feet (68 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Latin
From the Collection: French
From the Collection: Italian
From the Collection: Welsh
From the Collection: Danish
From the Collection: Swedish
From the Collection: Spanish
From the Collection: German
From the Collection: Norwegian
From the Collection: Persian
From the Collection: Japanese
From the Collection: Russian
From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
Creator
- From the Collection: Scheetz, Nicholas B., 1952-2016 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu