Manuscripts, 1931-91

Component identifier:

Series 27

Content Summary:

Clark wrote relatively few articles for academic journals, but he was a prolific writer of articles, reviews and short pieces for newspapers, popular magazines and professional journals. This series contains manuscripts, typescripts, offprints, cuttings and occasionally whole issues of journals. There are articles, book reviews, news commentaries, school broadcasts, addresses, eulogies and forewords to books. Letters are sometimes attached to the manuscripts. In the 1980s his filing system became more erratic and the files contain cuttings and other items that were not written by Clark but simply quote him or refer to him.

The manuscripts were arranged chronologically by Clark, beginning with a short piece on the Australian Aborigine published in The Melburnian in 1931. His output was very high in the 1950s, but declined in the 1960s, presumably because he was concentrating on A history of Australia. It increased again in the mid-1970s and remained at a high level until his death.

The last group of files contain some more substantial writings. In particular, there is material for a life of W. C Wentworth which Clark was planning to write in the 1970s but which he eventually abandoned.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Manning Clark's association with the National Library extended over forty years and much of his research for A history of Australia was carried out in its reading rooms. In the final volume, published in 1987, he wrote that 'The Petherick Room, the Manuscripts Room, and the Newspaper Room are present in every page of this volume, just as they are present always in my heart'. In 1988 Clark began transferring papers from his home to the Library and they were formally presented under the Taxation Incentives for the Arts Scheme in April 1989. Further donations under the Scheme were made in January 1990, June 1990 and May 1991, a few days before his death. The papers received in 1989-91 make up the bulk of the collection. They include most of the correspondence, the drafts of his books and other writings, and the research material for A history of Australia. In his will Clark bequeathed his papers and unpublished works to the Library on condition that they be closed until the year 2000. The remaining papers were received from Dymphna Clark in 1994-95. They included his diaries, notebooks and further correspondence, including some substantial files of letters from major correspondents. Some correspondence, manuscript articles and references were also transferred from the History Department at the Australian National University.

Names:

Clark, Manning, AC, Professor (Charles Manning Hope)

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