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Harold Blundell (George Bellairs) Papers

Date range: 1929-1982

Medium: Archive

Harold Blundell (1902-1982) was a prominent Manchester banker and philanthropist, who retired to the Isle of Man in the 1960s. Between 1941 and 1980, under the pseudonym of George Bellairs, he wrote a popular series of over fifty detective stories featuring the Hempstead-based detective Thomas Littlejohn. He also wrote four novels under the pseudonym of Hilary Landon.

Blundell was granted an honorary masters degree by the University of Manchester in 1959, in recognition of his charitable work as well as his literary achievements. After his move to the Isle of Man, he developed an interest in Manx history, geography, popular culture and folklore traditions, which is also reflected in the archive.

The archive includes:

  • Drafts of a number of Blundell's books, in both manuscript and typescript formats;
  • Research notes for books and lectures;
  • Press cuttings;
  • A substantial amount of correspondence with his publisher, John Gifford Ltd, and his literary agent, Christina Foyle, amongst others;
  • Contracts for many of his books.

Further information:

  • Catalogue available online via ELGAR.
  • See also John P. Tuck, 'Some Sources for the History of Popular Culture in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester', Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, vol. 71, no. 2 (1989), pp. 162-4.

Location:


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