Series 11: Florence James papers concerning literature, writing method and talks about literature, 1947-1992

MLMSS 5877/Boxes 39-41

series

1947-1992

Textual Records, Photographs, Clippings

71254

3 boxes of textual material

Florence James (1902-1993) was a novelist, editor and reviewer. She was born in New Zealand and educated at Sydney University where she began her long association with Dymphna Cusack. Together James and Cusack wrote two books, 'Four Winds and a Family', a story for children, and 'Come in Spinner' which won the Sydney Daily Telegraph prize in 1948.
Florence James went to England in 1927 where she worked as a journalist and literary agent until she returned to Australia in 1938. James went to England again in 1947 and from 1951 worked as an independent literary agent and reader for Constable and Co. While in London she acted as a talent scout for Australian and New Zealand writers including Mary Durack, Nene Gare, Maurice Shadbolt, David Martin and Sylvia Ashton-Warner. She was also a regular reviewer for the 'Times Literary Supplement'.
In 1963 James visited Australia and New Zealand to meet the authors she represented and to give a series of lectures for the Commonwealth Literary Fund. She stayed to gather material for two books which she had been commissioned to write about Australia and New Zealand, and decided to live permanently in Sydney.

1947-1966; 'Australian Literature Extracts and Notes 1947-'. Includes typed extracts. notes and newscuttings (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/39)
1953-1968; Book extracts and newscuttings (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/39)
1955; 'TV Writing Course London'. Includes typescript notes on how to write for television (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/39)
1959-1963, 1984, 1990; 'Odds'. Includes Western Australian lecture tour, 1963; Writers School, Adelaide, with b/w group photograph, 1963; correspondence with National Library of Australia concerning deposit of Cusack's papers, 1959-1963; material concerning 'A City in the Mind' by Patricia Holt, 1984; newscuttings, 1990 (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/39)
1963; 'Literature Board Tour 1963', being mainly pamphlets collected in WA concerning the history of Australian aviation (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/39)
1964-1965; 'C'wealth Tour WA/Reading Lists/5-26 Oct 1964'. Includes papers concerning her 1964 Commonwealth Literary Fund lecture tour in Western Australia (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/39)
1965-1970; Book extracts and newscuttings. Includes lists of books for proposed book about NZ (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
1966-1979; Book extracts and newscuttings (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
1967-1975; Book extracts and newscuttings (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
1968-1987; Book extracts and newscuttings. Includes notes for talks by James about writing (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
ca. 1960s; 'Method', being book extracts mainly concerning methods of historical writing (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
1960s-1971; Book extracts (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
1969-1974; 'Australian Writing - General' (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
1971-1973; 'Aust. Women Writers and Writing'. Includes newscuttings and ms. notes, possibly prepared for a talk (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/40)
1973-1986; 'Women'. Includes newscuttings and other material (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/41)
1974-1991; 'Epistles'. Includes articles and series titled 'Writing for Children' by Marjorie S. Brown (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/41)
1978-1983; Book extracts and newscuttings (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/41)
1983-1992; Notebooks (2) containing library lists, 1983-1988, 1987-1992 (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/41)
1988; 'The Peaceful Army', being notes and photocopies from 'The Peaceful Army', new edition edited by Dale Spender in 1988 (Call No.: ML MSS 5877/41)