Blackwood Papers: part of the literary archives of the firm of William Blackwood and Sons, publishers.
Scope and Contents
The papers consist mainly of letters written by authors to Blackwood as their publisher, and by others in search of publication, but they also include some manuscripts and proofs of works considered for publication, together with some papers of William Edmondstoune Aytoun and John Wilson ('Christopher North'). Broadly, this is the incoming correspondence of the firm during the nineteenth century. The outgoing correspondence, so far as it is represented by copies in letter-books, etc., remained with Messrs Blackwood, as did the material relating solely to commercial and financial matters.
Dates
- Creation: 1805-1900, undated.
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
940 Volumes ; Folio and under.
Language of Materials
Undetermined
Arrangement
The papers have been arranged and bound in volumes as follows:
MSS.4001-4734. Correspondence
MSS.4735-4891. Manuscripts and proofs
MSS.4892-4894. Contributors' lists
MSS.4895-4934. Aytoun papers
MSS.4935-4936. Wilson financial papers
MSS.4937-4940. Additional papers
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presented, 1942 (MSS.4001-4936), 1961 (MSS.4937-4940), by Messrs William Blackwood and Sons, Ltd, Edinburgh.
Separated Materials
Printed items received with the papers but which contain no manuscript additions have been transferred to the printed book collections of the National Library of Scotland.
Bibliography
For a shorter but chronologically more extensive history of the firm, see ‘House of Blackwood, 1804-1954’ by F D Tredrey (Edinburgh, 1954).
- Title
- National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts
- Author
- National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division
- Description rules
- International Standard for Archival Description - General
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk