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Reproduced below are some of the manuscripts by Henry Lawson held in the Lawson Collection, Rare Books and Special Collections Library, University of Sydney Library. Most of the manuscripts date from after 1910, during the latter years of Lawson's life.
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Autograph manuscript of a poem of eleven stanzas, written on six small sheets of irregularly sized paper which appear to have been torn from an exercise book. It was purchased by J.F. Archibald for the Bulletin on 21st January, 1897, corrected by A.G. Stephens in violet ink and published on 22nd May, 1897. Lawson was paid 15 shillings for it. Lawson Collection (Lawson 149) |
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Autograph manuscript of a poem of sixteen stanzas, signed and dated by Henry Lawson, May 1911. Donald Macdonnell, a former shearer, was prominent in the New South Wales Labour Party and was Colonial Secretary, Minister for Agriculture and general secretary of the Australian Workers' Union from 1910 - 1911. Lawson first met Macdonnell during his time in Bourke during 1892 - 1893. The poem was written during Macdonnell's last illness. Lawson Collection (Lawson 150) |
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Autograph manuscript of a poem of eleven stanzas, signed and dated by Henry Lawson at Sydney, June 1912. The poem has been very heavily corrected and two stanzas were omitted entirely. It was published by the Bulletin on 3rd October, 1912. According to Colin Roderick (Henry Lawson, A Life, 1991, p. 318), Henry Lawson was so incensed by the corrections made to another manuscript he wrote at the same time that he sent a furious note to George Robertson saying, "Didn't want to bother you, only to show how my work is being mutilated again. ... Please send down copy I left Friday ('Men Who Sleep with Danger'), for I'm going to make it worse than Hell and London East in Bully office this morning." Lawson Collection (Lawson 152) |
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Autograph manuscript of a poem of six stanzas, signed and dated by Henry Lawson at Mudgee, May 1914. Although Lawson called the poem "Flanagan's Hotel", after Flanagan's Victoria Hotel, Mudgee, he wrote "Calagan's Hotel" throughout. This has been changed by another hand to "Callaghan's Hotel". It was published by the Bulletin on 28th January, 1915. Lawson Collection (Lawson 153) |
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Autograph manuscript of a poem of four stanzas, signed by Henry Lawson but not dated. It was published by the Bulletin on 22nd July, 1915 without any changes. Lawson Collection (Lawson 155) |
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Autograph manuscript of a poem of five stanzas, signed by Henry Lawson but not dated. It was purchased by the Bulletin on 16th November, 1914 but was reserved for publication in the Christmas number of 1915. Lawson Collection (Lawson 154) |
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Autograph manuscript of a short story by Henry Lawson, signed and dated at Leeton, December 1916 and North Sydney, December 1918. It was published in the Bulletin on 24th April, 1919. According to Colin Roderick, as the quality of Lawson's writing deteriorated the Bulletin held over publishing some of his work for times when it did not have enough material to fill its pages. Lawson Collection (Lawson 156) |
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Autograph manuscript of a short story by Henry Lawson, signed and dated at North Sydney, June 1921. It was published by the Bulletin on 10th December, 1921. Lawson Collection (Lawson 226) |
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Autograph manuscript of a poem of four stanzas, signed by Henry Lawson but not dated. According to an accompanying note by James R. Tyrrell, who once owned this manuscript, it was purchased from Lawson by a Mr Hodgson, editor of the North Sydney and Manly Times. Lawson had heard that Hodgson occasionally acquired his poems from the Bulletin free of charge for publication in his own paper. Lawson confronted Hodgson and demanded payment. Hodgson bought "Old North Sydney" but did not publish it. Lawson Collection (Lawson 151) |
Henry Lawson, "The Old Bark School".