Responsibility: Manager, Scholars' Centre
Contents
- General Information
- Interdisciplinary Relationships
- Scope of Collecting
- Special Considerations
- Quantitative Measures
General information
Why the library collects in this area
The Library maintains the Maugham Collection in order to offer access to a specialised area of research, and to support teaching and research in the School of Social and Cultural Studies.
Primary user groups served; relevant academic courses and research information
The Maugham Collection is intended to attract research students in English literature, and to be of use to courses dealing with the 20th century novel, theatre studies, and post-colonial literature.
Description of existing collection
The William Riley Collection of W. Somerset Maugham was purchased in 1989 from a bequest made to the Library by Mrs Olivia Gardner. William Riley was the Australian collector who compiled the material.
The collection incorporates copies of all Maugham's major works including many first and limited editions, proof copies, signed and inscribed copies, books from Maugham's own library, and ephemera. The ephemera consists of over 60 journal volumes containing reminiscences by and about Maugham; reviews; biographical sketches; souvenir programmes, handbills and posters related to his plays; some correspondence from Maugham; portraits; and letters to and from William Riley concerning Maugham and the collection.
There are approximately 600 monographs in the collection, and in excess of 2,000 items in all. Very little has been added to the collection since its purchase. Several further items have been donated by William Riley, and others have been transferred from other parts of the Library's collection.
Interdisciplinary relationships
Related subject areas; overlaps
The Maugham Collection is related to the literature section of the HSS Library, and to the Theatre Collection. There is some duplication with the HSS Library. Modern editions of all Maugham's major works plus duplicate copies of earlier editions are available in the HSS Library for circulation, but all other copies are held in the Maugham Collection. If only one copy of an item by or about Maugham is available it is added to the Maugham Collection.
Coordination and cooperation in collecting (within UWA; with other institutions)
No coordination or cooperation with other institutions is required in collecting the Maugham Collection.
Scope of collecting
Languages collected or excluded
No exclusions are made from the Maugham Collection on the basis of language.
Geographical areas collected or excluded
Not applicable.
Chronological periods collected or excluded
Not applicable.
Types (forms) of material collected or excluded
The Maugham Collection includes all material and items by, about, or related to Maugham. It is intended that the collection be as comprehensive as possible and no exclusions are made on the basis of form.
Publication dates
No exclusions are made from the Maugham Collection on the basis of publication date.
Special considerations
Due to the ephemeral nature of some of the material in the Maugham Collection complete cataloguing and indexing is not possible for all items.
Quantitative measures
Not applicable.
