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Archival description
Margaret Laurence collection
92-1004 · Fonds · 1963-1980

This collection consists of items taken out from the collection of books from the Margaret Laurence collection at Catharine Parr Traill College. Publications by Laurence which are referred to include "The Prophets Camel Bell", "Long Drums and Cannons", "The Christmas Birthday Story", "The Diviners", "Six Darn Cows" and "Manawaka works". Other records have information which refers to, or are from, Helen Margaret Buss, Philip Shirley, Scott Hutcheson, Angus Mowat, Al Purdy, William Ready, and the book "Poet Cop" by Hans Jewinski.

Items are as follows:

  1. A note from Helen Margaret Buss that accompanied her study of M. Laurence's Manawaka works, n.d.
  2. A letter to M. Laurence from Philip Shirley, Oct 3, 1963, re The Prophets Camel-Bell, and a photograph of "Musa", 1964.
  3. A Clipping of a review of Long Drums and Cannons, by M. Laurence, 1969
  4. "Scott Hutcheson's Boat", a card with two photos (Hutcheson and his boat) and a poem to Angus Mowat by Al Purdy with a hand- written dedication to Margaret; Prince George, B.C. Caledonia Writing Series, 1973
  5. Collection of six items about William Ready, friend of M. Laurence, August 1979
  6. Collection of 4 letters and 2 Clippings related to The Christmas Birthday Story, September 1980
  7. Poet Cop, by Hans Jewinski, Simon & Schuster, Markham, 1975 with dedication inscription and hand-written poem in front cover.
  8. Copy 33.3 rpm disc of songs from The Diviners, Quality Records, 1973 with inscription "For the Children-Margaret Laurence" on jacket.
  9. Copy disc of Six Darn Cows read by Margaret Laurence, 1979
Laurence, Margaret
Margaret Laurence letters
97-1028 · Fonds · 1981-1986

This accession consists of three letters, one dated January 27, 1981, one April 6, 1982, written by Margaret Laurence to Mary E. Hamilton, a college acquaintance, and one dated September 8, 1986. In the first, which is a photocopy, Laurence expresses her delight in the book "And Some Brought Flowers...", a copy of which Hamilton must have sent to her. She praises the illustrations and the text and suggests that her delight be passed on to Mary Alice Downie and E.J. Revell, co-authors of the book. In the second letter, which is an original, Laurence graciously acknowledges Hamilton's use of a quote in publicizing the "Flower" book. She also comments on the possibility of being nominated for the Nobel prize, asserting that her body of work is much too slim. An additional letter from Laurence dated September 1986 and addressed to Elizabeth Ritchie was forwarded to Trent University Archives in 1999 by the Canadian High Commission in London, England. The letter had been found inside a book and concerns Laurence's prognosis of cancer and her desire to complete her memoirs.

Laurence, Margaret