Austin Dobson Collection
The collection of the works of H. Austin Dobson (1840-1921), the poet and critic, was begun by his youngest son, Alban Tabor Austin Dobson (1885-1962), around a nucleus of material inherited from his father's own collection; he also bought virtually all the Dobson editions at the sale of a portion of the poet's library (Sotheby 13 March 1922). Donated to Senate House Library in 1946, the collection was subsequently enlarged by gifts from Alban's son, Christopher Selby Austin Dobson, from other members of the family and from the Friends of the National Libraries. Additional material has been purchased by the Library, in particular, two volumes of over 300 letters to Austin Dobson acquired in 1974 with assistance from the V & A Purchase Grant Fund.
Now comprising more than 3500 items, the Austin Dobson collection includes almost every edition of every work written or edited by Dobson and a major collection of his contributions to newspapers and periodicals. Among the manuscripts are almost all of Dobson's published poems and many unpublished poems. The correspondence reflects Dobson's wide literary and artistic connections, with letters from W C Monkhouse, Anthony Trollope, Arthur Waugh, and Arthur Symons. A description of the manuscripts is available online as part of the archives catalogue.
For further information see:
shl.specialcollections@london.ac.uk 
020 7862 8470
