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Papers of and relating to the novelist John Cowper Powys (1872-1963) and other members of his family, including his correspondence with family, friends and associates, as well as published and unpublished literary works, diaries, lectures, essays, and material relating to his estate and literary executorship. Also included are correspondence and literary and personal papers of Powys's companion Phyllis Playter (1893-1982), as well as personal and estate papers of members of the Powys family including his father, Charles Francis Powys, his paternal grandfather, Littleton Charles Powys, his uncle, Littleton Alfred Powys, his aunts, the Johnson sisters, and his nephew, Francis Llewellyn Powys.

Typescript draft of John Cowper Powys's play Paddock Calls (1984) which he wrote in the autumn of 1922, the action taking place in Chesil Grange and Chesil Vicarage near Weymouth, Dorset in 1921.

Autograph drafts of three untitled lectures by John Cowper Powys on Homer, the contents relating to the Homeric Philosophy (ff. 1-26), the humanity and humour of Homer (ff. 27-43), and Books II and III of the Iliad (ff. 44-58).

Autograph drafts of two essays by John Cowper Powys entitled 'Scepticism' and 'Elementalism or My Philosophy', the latter heavily revised.

Revised autograph draft, [c. 1960]-1961, of John Cowper Powys's fantastic story 'Abertackle', begun in 1960 and published in Three Fantasies (1985).

Autograph manuscript of Wolf Solent (New York and London, 1929), containing extensive revision and differing somewhat from the novel as published, a number of cuts having been made at a later stage (NLW MSS 22373-6D); together with partially-corrected galley proofs of the first American edition of Wolf Solent (New York, 1929) (NLW MS 22377D).

An uncorrected typescript of the original full text of John Cowper Powys's novel Porius, lacking the first chapter.

Diary of John Cowper Powys for the period 1 June-31 December 1929, the first in an unbroken series that ends in 1961 (see NLW MSS 22206-41B). Commencing with his departure from New York on a visit to England, it was probably started for the benefit of his companion, Phyllis Playter, who remained in the USA (cf. NLW MS 23172C, f. 7). The diary also includes accounts and miscellaneous jottings (f. iv; pp. 1, 5, 14-19, 46, 400). Selections from the diary have been published in Petrushka and the Dancer: The diaries of John Cowper Powys 1929-1939, ed. by Morine Krissdóttir (Manchester, New York and Paris, 1995).

Drafts of eight poems by John Cowper Powys written for Phyllis Playter, most of them bearing the dedication 'to the T.T.', together with a pencilled caricature (f. 5) inscribed 'To my Valentine Feb 14 1949'.

Some thirty-five love letters, 1923, from John Cowper Powys to his companion, Phyllis Playter, written during the course of Powys's lecture tours in the United States.

Some one hundred and five love letters and telegrams, 1926, from John Cowper Powys to his companion, Phyllis Playter. The majority of the letters were written during the course of Powys's lecture tours in the United States, while others describe a visit to England and contain accounts of meetings with members of his family and with the novelist Thomas Hardy (ff. 209 verso, 210, 215 verso-216, 219 verso).
Also included are one letter to Phyllis Playter from John Cowper Powys's sister-in-law, Alyse Gregory (f. 181), and two from his sister, Philippa ('Katie') Powys (ff. 197, 203).

Thirty love letters, July 1928, from John Cowper Powys to his companion, Phyllis Playter, written during the course of Powys's lecture tours in the United States.

Some fifty-seven love letters, October-December 1928, from John Cowper Powys to his companion, Phyllis Playter, written during the course of Powys's lecture tours in the United States.

Twenty-five love letters, June-August 1929, from John Cowper Powys to his companion, Phyllis Playter, describing a visit to England and containing accounts of meetings with members of his family.

Some forty-nine love letters, 1930, from John Cowper Powys to his companion, Phyllis Playter, written during the course of Powys's lecture tours in the United States.

Typescript copies of three posthumously published prose works by John Cowper Powys.

Correspondence, literary papers and material relating to the estate and literary executorship of the novelist John Cowper Powys (1872-1963), and papers, including estate papers, of previous generations of his family; together with correspondence and literary and personal papers of Powys's companion Phyllis Playter (1893-1982).

Twenty-five letters, [c. 1915]-1923 and undated, to John Cowper Powys from his son Littleton Alfred Powys relating mainly to personal news, mostly school and University activities, with one letter, undated, from Littleton Alfred to his mother, Margaret Alice Powys. Three of the letters include poems written by Littleton Alfred (ff. 29, 54 verso, 69 verso) and there are ink drawings by him on ff. 2-verso and 45 verso.

Nineteen letters, 1926-1929, to John Cowper Powys from his son Littleton Alfred Powys, and three postcards, 1926-1927 and undated, from Littleton Alfred to his mother, Margaret Alice Powys, containing mostly personal news.