Correspondence files, publishers' agreements, press cuttings, memorabilia. Personal effects (including pipes) and photographs. Scripts for plays, films, and TV programmes. Most of this material dates from the 1940s onwards. Notices and minutes of the J.B. Priestley Society.
The J. B. Priestley Archive
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- ReferenceGB 532 PRI
- Dates of Creation1895-[ongoing]
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialEnglish.
- Physical Description23 large boxes
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
The prolific writer, broadcaster and critic J.B. Priestley (1894-1984) is perhaps best known for his "time plays", such as An Inspector Calls and for his best-selling novels, most notably The Good Companions and Angel Pavement. However, his huge output of work also included essays, autobiography, social history, time theory and verse. Priestley also was active in politics, expressing his concerns (for instance about the nuclear arms race) through commentary and campaigning. Born and brought up in Bradford, his works often reflected his Yorkshire background, and his connections with the city were later marked by a public statue and the naming of the J.B. Priestley Library at the University of Bradford. He was married three times: in 1919 to Emily Tempest, who died in 1925, to Jane Wyndham Lewis, and in 1953 to the archeologist and writer Jacquetta Hawkes.
Access Information
Available to researchers, by appointment.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Tom Priestley, son of J.B. Priestley, in March 1990 and subsequently.
Note
In English
Other Finding Aids
Unpublished handlist
Conditions Governing Use
Copies may be supplied or produced at the discretion of Special Collections staff, subject to copyright law and the condition of the originals. Applications for permission to make published use of any material should be directed to the Special Collections Librarian in the first instance. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.