Alfred Coppard Papers
Collection Summary
| Title: | Alfred Coppard Papers |
| Call Number: | MS 92-07 |
| Size: | 0.25 linear feet |
| Acquisition: | Purchased from Christie, Manson & Woods |
| Processed By: | KJC, 10-31-1991; JEF, 10-21-1998; MN, 12-14-2011 |
| Note: | None |
| Restrictions: | None |
Literary Rights
Literary rights were not granted to Wichita State
University. When permission is granted to examine the manuscripts, it is
not an authorization to publish them. Manuscripts cannot be used for publication
without regard for common law literary rights, copyright
laws and the laws of libel. It is the responsibility of the researcher
and his/her publisher to obtain permission to publish. Scholars and students
who eventually plan to have their work published are urged to make inquiry
regarding overall restrictions on publication before initial research.
Content Note
The collection contains 36 manuscript letters and
one typescript letter by Alfred Coppard.. The letters were written between
the years 1919 and 1932 and contain personal correspondence as well as critiques
on contemporary literature. The majority of the letters were written to
C. Ewart Askew. The collection also includes a brief typed summary of each
letter.
Biography
Alfred Edgar Coppard (1878-1957) was a 20th century
English writer of tales, fiction and verse. He was born in Folkestone, Kent,
4 January 1878; the family moved to Brighton in 1883. Coppard was educated
at Lewes Road Boarding School in Brighton, 1883-1887. He apprenticed from
1887 to 1890 to a tailor in Whitechapel, London. Coppard was married to
Lily Annie Richardson, who died in 1905. Later he remarried to Winifred
May de Kok, and they had one son and one daughter. Coppard worked a wide
range of occupations before he became a full-time writer in 1919. By the
age of 20, Coppard had been employed as paraffin vendor assistant and later
a soap agent. He moved to Oxford in 1907, where he worked as a confidential
clerk for the Eagle Ironworks until 1919. Coppard is considered one of the
leading short story writers of his day, both as lyric poet and teller of
tales. Coppard’s tales are rich and his prose is pungent with the
flavor of the English countryside, especially Berkshire.
Detailed Description: Series Listing
| Series 1 | Box 1 FF 1-18 | Letters of Alfred Coppard. Arranged chronologically, 1919-1932. |
| Series 2 | Box 1 FF 19 | Summary of Letters. |
Detailed Description: Box and Folder Listing
Series 1 ‒ Letters of Alfred Coppard
| Box 1 | FF 1 | 1919. Letter dated 27 November 1919 to “Dear Sir.” |
| Box 1 | FF 2 | 1920. Letter dated 9 March 1920 to “Dear Sir.” |
| Box 1 | FF 3 | 1921. Letters dated 5 March 1921 and 9 September 1921 to “Askew.” |
| Box 1 | FF 4 | 1922. Letters dated 7 January 1922 and 12 February 1922 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 5 | 1922, continued. Letters dated 5 March 1922 and 19 March 1922 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 6 | 1922, continued. Letters dated 12 May 1922, 1 June 1922, and 29 June 1922 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 7 | 1922, continued. Letter dated 25 August 1922 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 8 | 1922, continued. Letter dated 2 November 1922 to Askew. Contains 2 unrelated pages. |
| Box 1 | FF 9 | 1923. Letters dated 1 January 1923 and 27 January 1923 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 10 | 1923, continued. Letters dated 27 May 1923 and 17 October 1923 to Askew; letter without salutation dated 15 August 1923. |
| Box 1 | FF 11 | 1924. Letter dated 16 August 1924 to “My Dear Fellow”; letter dated 31 December 1924 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 12 | 1925. Letters dated 12 January 1925, 27 November 1925, to Askew, letter dated 12 March 1925 to “My Dear Tifton Slasher.” |
| Box 1 | FF 13 | 1926. Letters dated 24 February 1926, 31 August 1926, 26 July 1926 and to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 14 | 1927. Letters dated 30 May 1927, 9 September 1927 and 28 November 1927 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 15 | 1928. Letters dated 23 February 1928 and 12 July 1928 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 16 | 1928, continued. Letters dated 27 October 1928, 16 December 1928, and 31 December 1928 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 17 | 1929. Letter dated 27 January 1929 and 20 December 1929 to Askew. |
| Box 1 | FF 18 | 1932. Letter dated 11 January 1932 to Askew. |