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Archive Collections at HHC: Writers & Poets

Guide to material held at Hull History Centre arranged by research theme, record creator and document type, with copies of published source guides.

On this page:

“Wits are gamecocks to one another”

John Gay, The Elephant and the Bookseller 

Writers and Poets

Research Themes Supported

Hull History Centre holds the archival collections of a number of writers and poets. Such collections can aid research into many areas including:

  • Novelists and Novels
  • Poets and Poetry
  • Playwrights and Plays
  • Screen Writers and Scripts
  • Literary Publications and Publishers
  • Philip Larkin
  • Stevie Smith
  • Archie Markham
  • Howard Sergeant
  • Stephen Gallagher
  • Alan Plater
  • John Godber
  • Douglas Dunn
  • Anthony Minghella
  • Richard Bean
  • Andrew Motion

Typical Record Formats

Writers’ and poets’ records commonly include correspondence, drafts of work, proof and published copies of works, press cuttings and reviews, notebooks and journals, and photographs. Some also contain research notes and papers.

Key collections

The following collections have significant research potential in the area of writer and poet records:

  • Philip Larkin, Poet (U DPL and U DLV)
  • Archie Markham, Poet (U DAM)
  • Richard Bean, Playwright (U DRBE)

Further collections

The following PDF contains a list of HHC collections that may be useful to researchers interested in writers and poets.

Additional supporting material

The following material may also be useful when researching this area:

  • Local Studies book collection, this is available to search through Hull Library Service’s online catalogue. It contains many published copies of notable works by local writers and poets, as well as biographical works pertaining to the same.