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Papers of Berta Ruck, [20 cent., third ¼], comprising volumes of notebooks, 1951-1973, and a photocopy, [20 cent., third ¼], of a 1907 children's story 'The edge of the world'.

Manuscripts of Berta Ruck, [c. 1890]-[1974x1978], including notebooks, 1906-1946; manuscripts and typescripts of literary and autobiographical works, 1955-[1974x1978]; letters, [c. 1890]-1971; poetry, [1920s]-[1930s]; and sketches, [1900x1920].
The notebooks typically contain notes and ideas for fiction, drawings and sketches, pasted in letters and ephemera, and journal entries. These detail her home life and travels and give news of her sons Arthur and Bill Oliver, husband Oliver Onions and other family and friends.

Papers, [c. 1890]-[1974x1978], of Berta Ruck, including notebooks containing journal entries, ideas for fiction, newspaper cuttings and ephemera, 1906-1973; literary and autobiographical manuscripts, typescripts and photocopies, [1950x1955]-[1974x1978]; letters, [c. 1890]-[1972]; poetry, [1920s]-[1930s]; and sketches, [1900x1920].

Manuscript and typescript drafts by Berta Ruck, [1955]-[1974x1978], of chapters of projected and published autobiographical works, mainly concerned with her life in Wales.
They include a manuscript draft of the first chapter of An Asset to Wales (London, 1970), [?1969] (ff. 1-24); drafts, mainly typescript, of various chapters for projected works entitled 'Welsh Harlequinade' and 'Fanfare for Wales', [1974x1978] (ff. 25-137); a typescript poem entitled 'Stair-case Remorse', [1970x1978] (f. 138); a typescript of various fragments of fiction and autobiographical prose, [1970x1978] (ff. 139-144); a cutting of an article by Ruck, 'A Golden Prince Came to the Castle', [1955] (f. 145); and a cut-out watercolour sketch of a young man (f. 146). There are references to N. C. Hunter (ff. 47-50), Stephen Peet, producer of the 1970 television documentary featuring Ruck (ff. 106-120), and to E. Nesbit (ff. 141-142).

An incomplete manuscript and typescript draft of Berta Ruck's family history Ancestral Voices (London, 1972), based on the correspondence of her D'Arcy and De La Warr ancestors and conversations with her sister, Maud.
The volume contains drafts of the Foreword (ff. 1-10) and Chapters 2-3, 5-6, 8-10, 12-14, 16-20, 28-30, 33-34, 37-40, 43, 45-48, 51-53 and 55 (ff. 11-321, 332-382). 'Interval' (ff. 328-331) is an early draft of Chapter 51; 'Interval (for Argument)' (ff. 322-327) became part of Chapter 11. The volume consists of manuscript and typescript sections with annotations, often with fragments cut and pasted together to form single leaves.

The printer's copy, [1969x1970], in typescript, of Berta Ruck, An Asset to Wales (London, 1970), with manuscript additions and emendations by the author.
In addition to minor deletions throughout, there is an entire deleted section (4 ff.) from Chapter 2, most of f. 26 having been crossed through and ff. 27-29 having been omitted entirely. Some folios consist of two or more partial leaves pasted together.

Typescripts, 1956-1957, of radio scripts by Berta Ruck, which formed the basis of her autobiographical volume, A Smile for the Past (London, 1959).
They comprise scripts, some incomplete, for a series of six talks, also called 'A Smile for the Past', recorded 2-3 April 1957 for transmission in June and July on the Home Service (ff. 5-16 [Talk 1], ff. 17-23, 27-40 [2], ff. 24-26, 116 [3], ff. 69-81 [4], ff. 83-95 [5], ff. 82, 96-115, 117-118 [6]) and the script of a talk recorded on 22 May 1956 and transmitted on 24 June (ff. 41-68, two copies). Also included is an incomplete draft, [?1957], of a letter from Ruck to Aled Vaughan at the BBC, discussing the series (ff. 1-4, first page lacking); typescript drafts, [1957x1959], of Chapter 8 of the book A Smile for the Past (ff. 119-128); and a cutting of an article by Ruck, 'I enjoyed my boarding schooldays', Western Mail, 9 April 1955, containing material found in Chapter 8 (f. 129).

Three volumes containing a draft, mainly autograph with typescript insertions bearing autograph revision, of Berta Ruck's autobiographical volume, A Smile for the Past (London, 1959).