Guide to the Papers of Henry Reynolds, 1966-2016

Summary

Collection number:

MS 9548, MS Acc09.191, MS Acc16.168

Creator:

Henry Reynolds, Prof.

Extent:

(77 ms boxes + 1 folder)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Henry Reynolds, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Part available for research; part permission required for research; part not available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The MS 9548 collection comprises correspondence, notes, manuscripts and typescripts, subject files, cuttings of articles by or about Reynolds, reprints and printed material. The bulk of the correspondence deals with conferences and seminars, publications, academic appointments, grant applications, examination of postgraduate students, study leave and book launchings. The notes, drafts and research material relate to Reynolds' books Aborigines and settlers, The other side of the frontier, The law and the land, Frontier: Aborigines, settlers and land, Dispossession: black Australians and white invaders, With the white people, Fate of a free people, Aboriginal sovereignty, This whispering in our hearts, as well as chapters in books, articles, conference papers, lectures and book reviews (40 boxes).

The Acc09.191 instalment comprises speeches, notes and correspondence on reconciliation and native title; letters from members of the public on "Why wasn't I told?" and other issues, including one regarding the racial harrassment of King Billy in Queensland; documents relating to nominations to the Australian Academy of Humanities; papers concerning the "History Wars" including notes concerning Keith Windschuttle's rebuttal of Reynolds's view, National Museum of Australia, Pinjarra, Black Arm Band, Tasmania and Genocide, The Historians, Fate of a free people; research material for The other side of the frontier, Frontier, and With the white people, including copies of colonial documents held by various institutions and evidence of preliminary thinking for the books; other correspondence and working files organised by name, topic or date (26 boxes).

The Acc16.168 instalment comprises working files, correspondence, notes, manuscript and typescript drafts, research material and printed material. These papers document Reynolds' work as an historian and writer, including numerous articles, books, lectures, speeches and reviews, as well as papers relating to various collaborative projects (11 boxes).

Biographical Note:

Henry Reynolds was born in Hobart in 1938. His father, John Reynolds, was a journalist and the first biographer of Edmund Barton. He attended a school in Hobart, gained a Masters degree from the University of Tasmania and a doctorate from James Cook University. In December 1963 he married Margaret Lyne, who was later to become a Senator for Queensland in Federal Parliament.

Reynolds taught in secondary schools in Australia and England. He joined the staff of Townsville University College (later James Cook University) in 1966. He was Associate Professor of History and Politics at the University from 1982 until his retirement in 1998.

He has written more than ten books, numerous chapters in books, as well as articles, book reviews and conference and seminar papers. His published works include Aborigines and settlers (1972), The other side of the frontier (1981), The law of the land (1987), Frontier; Aborigines, settlers and land (1987), Dispossession; Black Australia and white invaders(1989), With the white people (1990), Fate of a free people (1995), Aboriginal sovereignty (1996) and This whispering in our hearts (1998).

Since leaving his university post, Reynolds has continued to write and his latest book is An indelible stain?: the question of genocide in Australia's history (2001).

Honours and awards

1970-71 British Council Travelling Scholarship

1982 Ernest Scott Historical Prize for The other side of the frontier

1986 Harold White Fellowship, National Library of Australia

1988 Human Rights Commission Award for Literature for The law of the land

1996 Australian Book Council Award: the Banjo Award for non-fiction

Reference: Who's who in Australia 2001, pp. 1488-1489

General:

Please note: This finding aid may comprise or contain descriptive information provided by donors, researchers and/or volunteers.

Collection Retrieval Advice:

Please note: each consignment in this collection has a separate box number sequence (i.e. there are multiple Box 1's). Please cite the relevant Class number as well as the Box number when requesting retrieval of material from the collection.

Immediate Source of Acquisition:

The papers were purchased by the Library from Henry Reynolds in 1999. Further papers were added in 2009.

Arrangement:

The papers had been kept in a reasonable degree of order by Henry Reynolds. When the papers arrived in the Library, most were in labelled files and the correspondence was arranged in chronological order. The order of the papers within the files, as far as it can be ascertained, has been retained, although the original file covers have been replaced. In general, the arrangement into series has been imposed by the Library.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Indigenous peoples
Academic
History

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1384533).

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Henry Reynolds, National Library of Australia, [class/series/file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

Contact us