Category Archives: Cataloguing

New Conservative Party Archive releases for 2026

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Each January, the Archive of the Conservative Party releases files which were previously closed under the 30-year rule. This year, files from 1995 are newly-available to access. This blog post serves to outline strands of information contained in these files, while exploring a number of interesting highlights. These demonstrate not only their intrinsic value in helping to develop a more complete understanding of the era but also provide valuable source material for researchers and historians. This archive material is open to those who wish to investigate the mechanics of the Conservative Party, but also those in search of a greater appreciation of British Political history.

1995 saw the continuation of Conservative government, with John Major serving his fifth year as Prime Minister. However, despite a steady economic situation, John Major’s position was becoming overshadowed by significant internal divisions over the issue of European integration. To assert his authority and to silence his critics, Major resigned as Party Leader in June 1995, and immediately put himself forward for re-election, challenging his opponents. He won the ballot with over 66% of the vote. However, this did not stem the series of defeats the Conservative Party experienced in successive local elections. These issues are amongst those covered within the newly-released files, alongside monitoring of opposition parties, and an insight into the Conservative initiatives abroad, including the European Democratic Union.

Again, as in subsequent years, a large proportion of our new releases are from our collections of CRD (Conservative Research Department) files. Material is drawn from various sources including subject briefings, directors’ papers and letter books of desk officers. It also includes CRD files covering topics such as agriculture, environmental issues and food standards. Alongside these CRD files we will also be releasing papers relating to the international arm of the Conservative Party.

International relations – 1990-1995

This year we have released a number of files from the International Office (previously, Conservative Overseas Bureau), who were responsible for improving links with overseas political parties, as well as providing briefing material on international issues. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Conservative Party, through the International Office’s links with groups such as the European Democrat Union (EDU) and the International Democrat Union (IDU), gave support and encouragement to the formation of democratic political parties in former Eastern bloc countries, and sent observers to monitor elections. The Conservative Party was a founding member of both the EDU and the IDU, and from 1983 to 1999 the secretariat of the IDU was based at the International Office.

Being released this year is COB 7/4/1/8, which contains papers regarding the EDU’s Committee on the Promotion of Stability and Security in Europe. The briefing summary does admit that “the main problem is that of strengthening the will of European governments to engage in joint action.” It also references that “the continued presence of Russian troops in the Baltic countries is in sharp contrast with international law and must come to an end.”

CPA COB 7/4/1/8 – “The Promotion of Stability and Security in Europe”, 1995

It is noteworthy that much discussion in 1995 is focused on the European Union. It is clear that there were differing opinions in just how Britain should be part of that community. Within the Conservative Party, there were hardliners who did not want to be part of the single currency as well as those who embraced the single market. The Conservative Political Centre set out several local policy discussion groups to encourage consensus through discussion and debate on the way forward in Europe. Looking at Richard Normington’s (Head of the International Office and Head of the Overseas and Defence Section of CRD, 1994-1999) letter books, thanks can be found by the Foreign Secretary, Malcom Rifkind, to these groups.

CPA COB 3/3/2 – Letter book, February 1995-December 1995

National Issues, 1993-1995

In addition to international relations, the International Office was also responsible for working with parties relating to Northern Ireland. Again, 1995 proved a pivotal year in the political landscape of Northern Ireland, with a landmark visit by US President Bill Clinton. Against the backdrop of the Troubles, work was ongoing to ensure the continued progress of the peace process. In the midst of trial and tribulation, Richard Normington received a letter from Sinn Fein, reaffirming their mutual desire for a stable peace. They welcomed “the opportunity to exchange views of the important task and responsibility which we all have to create the conditions to bring about a just and lasting peace settlement.”

CPA COB 3/3/1 – Letter book, Richard Normington, 1994-1995

As well as the ongoing questions surrounding Northern Ireland, in 1995, Labour began to float an idea regarding Devolution. The Labour Party, under the leadership of Tony Blair, expressed an intention to set up Regional Development Agencies, to help develop regions on a local level. Additionally, there were discussions regarding a referendum regarding Welsh and Scottish devolution. This raised some questions about how the devolved system would work. It also reignited issues surrounding the West Lothian Question, as to whether MPs in Scotland and Wales would be stopped from voting on issues that involved England only, as the reverse had been purported to be something they were considering.

CPA CRD/D/11/18 – Director’s Files: Strategy and Elections, 1989-1995

Furthermore, being released this year is a large collection of CRD briefings on various domestic issues. As well as briefings on agriculture and food standards, there are also briefings regarding transport. For example, the upgrading of the Channel Tunnel rail link. So, although the Channel Tunnel had officially been opened in 1994, a Bill was put through Parliament to extend the rail link.

CPA CRD/B/31/18 – Transport briefs, 1995

These CRD papers also include a few papers regarding the ongoing privatisation of England and Wales’ water supply. This issue is still very much alive. However, an analysis of the papers identifies that even after the privatisation, the Conservative government worked closely with the water companies to ensure fair charging and good water quality.

CPA CRD 5/6/42 (left) and CPA CRD 5/6/7 (right)

Strategy papers, 1994-1995

Among the CRD papers are also records which afford insight into the internal Conservative strategies for the upcoming General Election in 1997. The Campaigning Department, working towards the General Election, started their work in 1992, right after the previous General Election. However, it is apparent that 1995 was a crucial year, as a number of local elections had taken place. This had resulted in the Conservatives losing a number of local seats and it was clear that new strategies were needed. Therefore, a decision was made to focus on the national position, rather than the local level. Throughout this period, the Conservative Party remained optimistic that the 1997 election would provide them with another victory.

CPA CRD/D/11/16 – Director’s Files: Strategy and Elections, 1989-1995

All the material featured in this blog will be made available in January 2026. The full list of de-restricted items can be accessed here: Files de-restricted on 2026-01-02

The catalogue of the archive of Robert Craft and Igor Stravinsky is now available

20th century, Archives and Modern Manuscripts, Humanities, Modern, Newly available (2025), Uncategorized

Robert Craft (1923-2015) was a conductor and composer, who was known for his professional, and personal, association with Stravinsky. He conducted several orchestras in America, Canada, Europe and the rest of the world. Some of Stravinsky’s later works premiered with Craft conducting. His recordings include numerous works by Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Webern. His writings include collaborations with Stravinsky, such as Conversations with Igor Stravinsky (1959) and Memories and Commentaries (1960). He also wrote extensively on Stravinsky, as well as other notable figures in music and literature.

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian composer and conductor. He is considered an important and influential composer whose works inspired many. During his life he composed more than one hundred pieces that spanned various genres and styles. His early works include his ballets commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballet Russe, such as ‘The Firebird’ (1910), ‘Petrushka’ (1911), and ‘The Rite of Spring’ (1913). His neoclassical period included pieces influenced by Greek mythological themes, including his 1933 work ’Perséphone’. His later music was influenced by the twelve-tone technique used by Schoenberg, and the music of the Second Viennese School, a change that came about after meeting Robert Craft.

Craft and Stravinsky remained close until Stravinsky’s death in 1971.

The archive comprises a variety of material belonging to both Craft and Stravinsky. In this first edition of the catalogue, researchers will find correspondence, photographs and music papers spanning both the lifetimes of Craft and Stravinsky. As work progresses further material will be added.

Additions to the archive of Raymond Chandler

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Chandler’s private detective, Philip Marlowe, features on a set of stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of Interpol, 1973. MS. Chandler 107. © Raymond Chandler Limited.

Raymond Chandler is best known for hard-boiled crime novels including The Big Sleep (1939) and The Long Goodbye (1953) and as a screenwriter for some of the biggest motion pictures of the 1940s, including The Blue Dahlia. Since the start of the year, work has been underway to enhance and expand the original catalogue of the Chandler archive and to integrate and make accessible later accessions. These new additions cover papers and correspondence created by Chandler in his lifetime, as well as a vast afterlife of papers showcasing the legacy of the great mystery writer.

New additions to the archive largely focus on correspondence and papers concerning the Chandler estate, stewarded by his literary agent and heir, Helga Greene. These demonstrate a wealth of interest in Chandler’s work by filmmakers and biographers, largely covering a period from 1960-1990. By the 1970s, small and big screen adaptations of his novels and short stories were becoming apparent as a major focus of interest for the estate. Greene’s defence of Chandler’s work and legacy is evident in the papers, through her diligent renewal of copyright and selective choices over permissions for adaptations, anthologies and new publications. The papers also go into detail over a will contest and include material concerning Greene’s legal fight to be recognised as heir, in a suit brought by Chandler’s former secretary, MS. Chandler 112-113.

Extract of a letter touting Chandler’s special recipe ‘Swordfish Mascagni’ and apples baked in cider, MS. Chandler 107. © Raymond Chandler Limited.

Amongst the papers generated by the estate following Chandler’s death are snippets of original writings that demonstrate his natural humour and wit, as well as leisurely pursuits and interests, including cookery and darts. In the final year of his life, whilst working on ‘The Poodle Springs Story’ (the last and unfinished novel, in which Marlowe marries heiress Linda Loring), Chandler and Greene were also collaborating on an idea for a cookery book with a provisional title of ‘Cooking For Idiots.’ Although the book never came to fruition, the collection does hold remnants of the early development of this work. As well as the above letter teasing recipes such as apples baked in cider (‘vociferously admired by anyone who owes me money’), the collection includes an assortment of handwritten recipe cards featuring the culinary creations of Chandler’s late wife Cissy, including ‘Cissy’s Ham Goodbye’ and ‘Pancakes for Raymio,’ MS. Chandler 102 & 106.

© Raymond Chandler Limited.

Alongside the cookery ‘specials’ of the Chandler household, a glimpse of Chandler’s humour is found in this unsent letter marked ‘For Posterity’ to Los Angeles department store Bullock’s Wilshire (in its heyday a glitzy haunt of famous clientele), where he conjures an elaborate narrative in an effort to return an unwanted sports jacket.

Additionally, original prose such as drafts and typescripts for short stories including ‘The Pencil’ (published as ‘Marlowe Takes on the Syndicate’ in the Daily Mail, 1959) and the fantastic story ‘Professor Bingo’s Snuff’ are now available, along with a selection of assorted notes, prose and unpublished writings in MS. Chandler 7. The material featured in this blog post, along with all other newly catalogued additions to the archive can now be consulted in the Weston Library. The new and enhanced catalogue for the Archive of Raymond Chandler is searchable here.

The archive of Maria Becket is now available

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Maria Hary Becket (1931-2012) was a Greek political and environmental activist who worked on a global scale.

The catalogue of the archive of Greek political activist Maria Becket is now online (see catalogue: Collection: Archive of Maria Becket | Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts). The archive spans the turbulent international politics of the mid-20th century and also documents the growing environmental movement of the late-20th and early-21st centuries, all told through the personal story of a life fiercely lived in the passionate service of human rights and causes. I found working on the Maria Becket Archive to be revelatory in its documentation of the horrors of repressive regimes and violent conflicts, and the superhuman and sometimes unorthodox efforts that Becket and her family, friends and associates went to try to remedy these problems.

Maria Hary was born in Athens in 1931 into a prominent Greek family – her father, Nikolaos, was active in the resistance against the Nazi occupation in Greece, but his troubled character had a formative effect on her early life. Her mother’s family were from old Constantinople (now Istanbul), which led to Maria’s lifelong interest in Byzantine history. She credited her political awakening to an experience during the Greek Civil War of 1946-1949, when she discovered a girl who had died of starvation on her doorstep and wondered why she had lived and the girl had died.

MS. 23105 photogr. 27. The Hary family in 1949, including Maria Becket aged 18, seated on left, and her father Nikalaos, standing on the right.
MS. 23105 photogr. 27. The Hary family in 1949, including Maria Becket aged 18, seated on left, and her father Nikolaos, standing on the right.

After her first marriage to a Greek shipowner and a period studying Byzantine history in London, Maria met American lawyer James Becket on a cruise ship crossing the Atlantic in 1958, and they married, had two daughters, and moved to Geneva in Switzerland. When the Greek government was overthrown by a junta of “colonels” in April 1967, the Beckets immediately became involved in the resistance movement. They were instrumental in the case brought against Greece in the Council of Europe by four Scandinavian countries, where they presented witnesses to testify about the use of torture by the regime. The archive contains testimonies and details of dozens of political prisoners who were tortured under the junta, and information on the horrific conditions in the notorious police building on Bouboulinas Street in Athens and in other Greek prisons. Maria and James Becket were also closely involved with networks of clandestine resistance to the regime of the “colonels”, and organised the escape of political prisoners.

MS. 23105/77. Stamps discouraging tourism in Greece during the military regime period, 1968
MS. 23105/77. Stamps discouraging tourism in Greece during the military regime period, 1968.

When the junta regime fell and Cyprus was invaded by Turkey in August 1974, Maria Becket organised Radio Free Cyprus to broadcast messages from Cyprus’s deposed leader Archbishop Makarios. Maria was also involved in the placement of Greek-Cypriot refugee children in foster care, and organised a programme for displaced Greek-Cypriot women to produce embroidery items for sale. She was offered the position of Greek Ambassador to the USA in 1974 but turned this down.

MS. 23105/30. Doll wearing Cypriot national costume made by Greek-Cypriot refugees organised by Maria Becket, c. 1974.
MS. 23105/130. Doll wearing Cypriot national costume made by Greek-Cypriot refugees from a group organised by Maria Becket, c.1974.

Maria Becket had a lifelong involvement with Palestine, and had connections to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). She attended PLO training camps in the Greek junta period, and her involvement is documented in the archive. The Beckets also had much wider interests in resistance movements and human rights issues all over the world.

Maria worked as an advisor for the Greek centre-right New Democracy party under Constantine Karamanlis from 1976-1981, and during later election campaigns. She also worked for UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and also became involved in his environmental work.

This work inspired her to begin Religion, Science and the Environment (RSE) in conjunction with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, also known as the Green Patriarch. RSE organised eight floating symposia between 1995 and 2009, in which religious leaders and prominent scientists travelled on epic voyages across seas and rivers through multiple countries, giving a programme of talks addressing the environmental crises in the visited regions. The symposia included journeys on the Aegean Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the River Amazon and the Mississippi.

Maria died in 2012, but in her last years recorded autobiographical interviews which describe her extraordinary life.

The archive includes testimonies and collected information on political prisoners and refugees; planning material on resistance activities; political correspondence; papers on human rights, politics and the environment; photographs relating to political and environmental work; political pamphlets, magazines and ephemera; papers on the organisation of international meetings and symposia; personal correspondence and autobiographical material; and audio-visual and digital material.

Additions to the John le Carré (David Cornwell) archive

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The Archive of John le Carré (David Cornwell) has been further expanded to include an extensive array of the author’s literary papers, personal and professional correspondence, photographs, interviews and articles, and an assortment of personal and family papers. The updated archive (see catalogue here: Collection: Archive of John le Carré (David Cornwell) | Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts), available now to readers at the Weston Library, contains over 1,200 boxes of material spanning Cornwell’s entire life and career, from childhood photographs and letters written during his time as a student at Lincoln College, Oxford, to correspondence and book drafts penned in the last few weeks of his life. The archive is a brilliant resource not only for fans of John le Carré and his internationally renowned novels and adaptations, but for researchers interested in British novelists, 20th and 21st century literature, or the spy genre in particular.

Portrait of David Cornwell, taken by his son Stephen, n.d. (MS. le Carré 1196, folder 3) © Stephen Cornwell

Supplementing the hundreds of boxes of Cornwell’s literary papers already in the archive, the newly released material offers an insight into Cornwell’s life as a whole, including and beyond his career as John le Carré. Key moments and experiences throughout his early adulthood, for instance, are represented in detailed correspondence with his first wife Ann and his tutor, mentor and friend Vivian Green (later cited as an important inspiration for the character of George Smiley). These letters provide a window into Cornwell’s student years, his complicated relationships with both his father and new wife, his early jobs as a teacher, aspiring illustrator and – of course – intelligence officer, as well as his first ventures into writing. The hundreds of letters Cornwell wrote to Ann during their relationship in the 1950s and 1960s were often highly personal and detailed, and frequently featured small sketches, as in this letter sent in April 1954 (MS. le Carré 929, folder 2). Further illustrations are scattered throughout the archive: in correspondence with friends and family, decorating novel drafts, and offered as donations to various charities.

Letter to Ann Sharp, later Cornwell, April 1954 (MS. le Carré 929, folder 2) © John le Carré Ltd

Cornwell’s correspondence makes up a significant portion of the archive: letters to and from family, friends, colleagues and fans offer a unique insight into his professional experiences, personal thoughts, and sometimes variable relationships. The vast majority of this correspondence is handwritten, a lifelong preference touched upon in this ‘User’s Manual’ written by Cornwell when joining Penguin in 2009 (MS. le Carré 973, folder 2). He explains, ‘I write all my books by hand. I barely type, but can do one-finger e-mail. Jane & no-one else retypes my handwriting endlessly for me, & is my companion in all literary & professional matters’. As well as reflecting the distinctive way in which Cornwell wrote, this document highlights the essential role played by his second wife Jane, former publicist and foreign rights manager for Hodder & Stoughton. Cornwell goes on to write ‘her word is my word, & usually she’s better at it than I am. So when you get Jane, you are not getting second best, you are getting The One.’ This vital influence is evident throughout the archive, whether in Jane’s annotations across countless novel and letter drafts, the endless manuscripts she was responsible for typing, or David’s notes on almost every document asking ‘Oy’ (her nickname) to make x amendment, contact y person, or decline z invitation. This valuable collaboration is further explored by Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, in his article reflecting on the acquisition of the archive.

‘User’s Manual’ draft sent to Johnny Geller of Curtis Brown, later to Penguin, 2009 (MS. le Carré 973, folder 2) © John le Carré Ltd

The archive includes correspondence with prominent authors, activists and politicians, as well as numerous actors, directors, producers and screenwriters involved in the many successful adaptations of Cornwell’s work. Perhaps most notable among these actors is Sir Alec Guinness, lauded for his portrayal of George Smiley in the 1979 and 1982 television adaptations of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley’s People. Amongst a box of correspondence sent between the two from 1978 until Guinness’s death in 2000 are some brilliant letters discussing the prospect of Guinness playing Smiley in the very first television adaptation of a le Carré novel. In response to several pages from Guinness listing concerns regarding his suitability for the role, Cornwell sent this reassuring letter dispelling each one in turn (MS. le Carré 925, folder 1). As well as writing ‘no, you are not rotund or double chinned, though I think I have seen you in rôles where you have, almost as an act of will, acquired a sort of cherubic look!’, he assures Guinness that ‘apart from plumpness, you have all the other physical qualities: a mildness of manner, stretched taut, when you wish it, by an unearthly stillness and an electrifying watchfulness. In the best sense, you are uncomfortable company, as I suspect Smiley is’. This letter evidently had the desired effect: Guinness’s Smiley was an instant success and is still celebrated today. The archive highlights Cornwell’s frequent such involvement in adaptations of his works, assisting casting, script writing, and even appearing in several on-screen cameos.

Letter to Sir Alec Guinness, March 1978 (MS. le Carré 925, folder 1) © John le Carré Ltd

Understandably, papers specifically relating to Cornwell’s literary works, including manuscript and typescript drafts, lists of edits and corrections, and correspondence with researchers and translators, comprise the majority of the collection. The character and timeline notes for A Perfect Spy pictured below are a classic example of the hundreds of novel notes and drafts in the archive: handwritten, with large chunks completely crossed out, and additions and edits, often in different coloured pens, dotted throughout (MS. le Carré 607, folder 2). Such notes and drafts would often be written in small notebooks, especially during Cornwell’s many research trips, or on pretty much any paper he had to hand, even the endpapers of whichever book he happened to be reading when inspiration struck. This particular example, written on standard A4 paper, sees Cornwell formulating the central characters in A Perfect Spy, father and son Rick and Magnus Pym, a duo based strongly upon the relationship between Cornwell and his own father, Ronnie. The notes refer to ‘Rick’s rachmannism [sic]’, showing obvious parallels even in the book’s early conception to Cornwell’s property dealer father, jailed for fraud and declared bankrupt multiple times.

A Perfect Spy early notes, n.d. (MS. le Carré 607, folder 2) © John le Carré Ltd

The archive also extends beyond paper documents, including a great collection of photographs and press cuttings. In addition to the photo at the top of this blog post (MS. le Carré 1196, folder 3), the archive contains portraits of Cornwell taken throughout his life, as well as black and white family photos reaching back generations and photos with his Foreign Office colleagues in the 1960s. The impressive collection of press cuttings, dating from Cornwell’s debut novel, Call for the Dead, in 1961, also helps to put his work into a wider context. The scrapbook pictured below is filled with press cuttings relating to Cornwell’s first three novels, providing a glimpse into the beginning of his literary career and especially the sudden global success brought by his third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (MS. le Carré 1203, folder 1). Quotes from these cuttings, including ‘the spies are not playing Bond-like games: they operate nastily, unspectacularly and with real determination’ and ‘if it is not the best spy yarn I have read, it is certainly the finest anti-spy story’, illustrate the excitement surrounding this completely new style of spy novel.

Press cuttings scrapbook, 1961-1964 (MS. le Carré 1203, folder 1) © John le Carré Ltd

To take a closer look at any of the material mentioned in this blog post, or to explore this substantial collection further, browse the catalogue here: Collection: Archive of John le Carré (David Cornwell) | Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts

We are also excited to announce that an exhibition celebrating Cornwell’s work and creative process, featuring many more fascinating items from the archive and beyond, Tradecraft: John le Carré, will be opening at the Weston Library in October 2025. Further information can be found here: Archive of John le Carré to go on display for the first time in major exhibition | Bodleian Libraries

The archive of the Greene Family is now available

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The catalogue for the archive of the Greene family is now available, with material ready for consultation in the Weston Library. The archive largely comprises personal correspondence and photographs belonging to Graham Carleton Greene, CBE, publisher, and his mother, Helga Mary Connolly (née Guinness, other married name Greene), literary agent.

Helga Greene, c. 1930s. © Courtesy of Alexander Greene.
Helga Mary Connolly, 1916-1985

Helga Mary Connolly was born to Henry Samuel Howard Guinness and Alfhild Holter. She married her first husband Sir Hugh Carleton Greene in 1934, the couple had two sons, Graham C. and James C. Greene. Following their divorce in 1948, she opened the Helga Greene Literary Agency in 1952, which operated from Eaton Mews West in the house adjoining her own home. Her literary consultant, Kathrine Sorley Walker, later wrote in Remembering Helga, (1987) that Helga considered her agency ‘a small and very personal literary agency.’1 The agency represented authors including American mystery writer Raymond Chandler (from 1957), Austrian artist and poet Oskar Kokoschka, Richard Crossman M.P. and zoologist Lancelot Hogben (from 1953). Helga was engaged to Raymond Chandler upon his death in 1959, inheriting his literary estate and would become the authority on permissions for adaptations of his works.

Her personal papers primarily consist of correspondence with her first husband, the broadcaster Sir Hugh Carleton Greene, brother of the writer Graham Greene. The earliest letters derive from their engagement whilst living in Berlin in 1934. The letters also provide coverage of family life during a period of upheaval in Europe, after their expulsion from Berlin in 1939 (Hugh C. Greene was the Daily Telegraph’s Berlin Correspondent from 1938). The family was separated for periods of time, owing to Sir Hugh’s work in the RAF and as Head of the BBC German Service, MS. Greene family 1. A portion of the papers concern personal letters from members of the theatrical and literary community such as Tove Jansson, C.P. Snow, Mary Norton and Ivor Novello, MS. Greene family 3-4. The main business papers and correspondence of the Helga Greene Literary Agency are catalogued with the archive of Raymond Chandler.

Graham Carleton Greene CBE, 1936-2016

The bulk of the papers in the archive belong to Graham Carleton Greene, CBE who held the position of managing director of the publishing house Jonathan Cape from 1966-1988. Alongside an influential career in publishing, the papers and correspondence cover decades of involvement with numerous charitable organisations and cultural institutions. Graham was actively involved in shaping organisations including the Publishers Association (President, 1977-1979), Statesman and Nation Publishing Company (Chairman, 1981-1985), GB-China Centre, (Chairman, 1986-1997) and the British Museum (Chairman, 1996-2002). By this point, he had been a trustee of the museum for 24 years (from 1978-2002). During his tenure as chairman of the British Museum, he was involved with the redesign of the Great Court, with it opening in December 2000.

Outside of his professional life, Graham’s extensive personal correspondence spans six decades, and includes letters from a range of friends, particularly those who were extended hospitality at dinner parties arranged by him and his wife Sally. Literary dinners and parties were also thrown in celebration of new publications, including for a biography by Anthony Howard of his mother’s former client and friend, Richard Crossman M.P., MS. Greene family 39.

From left: Graham, Helga, Hugh and James Greene. © Courtesy of Alexander Greene.

Several boxes of family photographs provide a snapshot of the life of the Greene family over many decades, with Helga and Hugh’s life in 1930s Germany, family holidays in the 1940s and Graham and James’s Eton school days in the 1950s all featuring. Photographs of Graham’s later travels to China are also included, MS. Greene family photogr. 5. He would go on to visit the country on multiple occasions and work to establish copyright treaties whilst chairman of the GB-China Centre in 1991.

The Bodleian Libraries also hold the papers of Sir Hugh Carleton Greene and the archive of Vivien Greene.

Sources:

  1. Remembering Helga, (1987). MS. Chandler 39 ↩︎

Catalogue of the Dictionary of Medical Eponyms by Austin Seckersen is now available

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This collection comprises material collected by Seckersen for a dictionary of medical eponyms. The dictionary was never published. It also includes a set of glass negatives of portraits of those whose names have been used as an eponym.

Catalogue of the Dictionary of Medical Eponyms by Austin Seckersen

The catalogue of the archive of F.W. Hirst is now available

20th century, Archives and Modern Manuscripts, Humanities, Newly available (2025)

Francis Wrigley Hirst (1873-1953) was a journalist who wrote for numerous publications, including The Speaker, The Manchester Guardian, The Tribune, and The Nation. He was chief editor of The Economist from 1907 until 1916. Due to his outspoken campaigning during wartime, where he published numerous pieces against conscription, on irresponsible war finance, and on the threat the war posed to civil liberties, he was forced to resign. In 1916, he set up his own paper, Common Sense, which was devoted to a negotiated peace, retrenchment, and the economy. In 1921, Common Sense was discontinued, and as Hirst’s influence within liberalism waned, he drew his attention to giving lectures in South Africa, Austria, and widely in the United States. Hirst unsuccessfully stood for Parliament as a Liberal in 1910 and 1929, and in June 1936 he was elected to serve on the Liberal Party Council. Hirst wrote extensively about Adam Smith, William Ewart Gladstone, and John Morley. He died in 1953 of influenza, and a book titled F.W. Hirst By his Friends was published in his remembrance in 1958.

The archive comprises diaries, working and personal correspondence, literary and political papers, and press cuttings both by and of Francis W. Hirst.

Catalogue of the archive of Francis W. Hirst

The catalogue of the archive of Terence Ranger is now available

20th century, Archives and Modern Manuscripts, Humanities, Newly available (2025)

Terence Osborn Ranger (1929-2015) was a historian of African history. While working at the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, he was horrified by the colour bar and, alongside his wife, became active in politics both inside and outside of the university. He was denied citizenship, possibly due to his political associations, and was declared a prohibited immigrant in 1963. He began working at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in the pioneering African history department. During his time at Dar es Salaam, he wrote several books, including Revolt in Southern Rhodesia, 1896–7 (1967) and Dance and Society in Eastern Africa, 1890–1970 (1975). In 1969 he moved to the University of California at Los Angeles as a professor and then in 1974 he moved to the University of Manchester as chair of modern history. During his time at Manchester, he began to introduce African history into the curriculum. Ranger was the Rhodes chair of race relations and a fellow at St Antony’s, Oxford, from 1987 until his retirement in 1997. He returned to Zimbabwe to teach at the University of Zimbabwe as a visiting professor (1998-2001) and spent time researching for his book Bulawayo Burning: The Social History of a Southern African City, 1893–1960 (2010).

The archive comprises working papers and correspondence, including material related to: academic appointments, research on African politics and history, and societies Ranger was associated with.

Catalogue of the archive of Terence Ranger

The catalogue of the archive of Thomas Lionel Hodgkin is now available

20th century, Archives and Modern Manuscripts, Humanities, Newly available (2025)

Thomas Lionel Hodgkin (1910-1982) was a historian of African history. He spent time in Palestine, in a cadetship in the Palestine civil service, which made him very aware of the nature of Western and British imperialism. After he resigned, he wanted to stay to observe the aftermath of the April 1936 Arab uprising but was made to leave by the British administration. He returned to Britain in 1936 and joined the London Library and the Communist Party. He met his wife, Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin, in 1937 when she was in London to photograph insulin at the Royal Institute.

He worked for the Workers’ Educational Association in north Staffordshire and, in September 1945, he became secretary of the Oxford University delegacy for extra-mural studies which took him to the Gold Coast and Nigeria in 1947. This began his interest in African history, and he wrote for West Africa on the background to African nationalism. After leaving the delegacy in 1952, he travelled extensively in Africa. He published his book Nationalism in Colonial Africa in 1956, before turning to the subject of Islam in Africa. He worked in several universities in America and Canada, and became director of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana in 1962. He became a senior research fellow at Balliol College, Oxford, and lecturer in the government of new states in 1965, where he supervised students from many countries. He published several books during his life, including Perspectives (1960), African Political Parties (1961), and Vietnam: The Revolutionary Path (1981). He also wrote an unpublished novel titled ‘Qwert’.

The archive comprises: Academic papers, including lecture notes and papers on African history; correspondence, including from his family and wife, D.M.C. Hodgkin; literary papers including unpublished novels; and personal papers.

Catalogue of the archive of Thomas Lionel Hodgkin