Papers relating to professional activities

Component identifier:

Series 5

Content Summary:

Firstly, this series includes files relating to Blake’s work on several commemorative committees set up by the Victorian Government. There are also papers on the Letter of Charles Joseph La Trobe, edited by Blake as part of his work for the La Trobe Centenary Commemorative Committee. The rest of the series consists of files dealing with Blake’s wider professional activities - notes for book plans, membership of the Australian Society of Authors, correspondence and drafts of leaflets for Franklin Mint, etc. One volume relates to Blake’s appointment as State Historian of Victoria from 1974 to his retirement in 1976. Several of the later files have no titles and their contents have no obvious connection with each other.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Les Blake donated his papers to the Library in 1984-86 under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme. Following his death, the remaining papers were purchased from his son, Micheal Blake, in 1988. In 1992 Michael Blake added some papers relating to the film director Raymond Longford. The first consignment (36 boxes) was received from Blake in April 1984. The second consignment (34 boxes) arrived in September the same year. A third consignment was received in 1986. This was found to contain mainly printed materials, which were accessioned into the general National Library collection, and the small manuscript component was integrated with the last major consignment of Blake’s papers, acquired from Blake’s son Michael in October 1988, a year after Blake’s death. This part of the collection fills 45 boxes.

Names:

L. J. Blake

Contents

Access and use