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William Condry Papers,
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William Condry Papers,

  • GB 0210 WMCOND
  • Fonds
  • [?1825], 1928-2020 (accumulated 1928-2020)

Natural history diaries, 1935-1998, field notes, 1952-1994, typescript and published articles, 1947-1998, notes and correspondence relating to his books, 1933-1998, and to various natural history and historical subjects, card indexes, 1930-1998, and printed pamphlets, papers and books relating to Henry Thoreau, 1943-1999. There are several files of general personal correspondence, 1938-2016, including letters from R.S. Thomas. Inevitably, there are considerable overlaps between the various subsections of the archive, since Condry's interests, professional duties and literary activities were inextricably linked. Additional correspondence and papers, 1948-2020, including the files of letters from R. S. Thomas and his wife Mildred Elsie Eldridge (Elsi), 1968-1998, were transferred to NLW in December 2015, May 2018 and June 2020; a further letter, [c. 1946], by William Condry to Ray Perry, was donated in January 2016; a letter by Condry to his niece, Christine Demmar, enclosing a story about a pet jackdaw, was donated in August 2016; and transcript of a speech given by Chris Fuller at the opening of the William Condry centenary exhibition at MOMA, Machynlleth, in September 2018., donated in October 2018.

Condry, William, 1918-1998

Literary papers

The group consists of notebooks, loose notes, drafts, indexes, correspondence and printed material, 1825, 1893, 1930-1998, used for Condry's editorial work and for the preparation of his books, articles and reviews, together with a sustantial number of the finished, printed articles cut from newspapers and magazines

Field Notes

The series comprises drafts of newsletters of the West Wales Field Society (later West Wales Naturalists' Trust), entitled Field Notes, produced more or less quarterly between 1950 and 1954, containing information on the evolution of the Society, its work, annual meetings, ornithological and botanical notes, wildlife and conservation issues

Field Notes: drafts

The file consists of typescript drafts of Field Notes, nos 1-19, 1950-1954, and an information circular, December 1954, reporting recent activities of the West Wales Field Society, including the incorporation of Field Notes into Nature in Wales

Publications

The group consists of notes, drafts, correspondence, press cuttings, leaflets and other printed material used in the preparation of books and articles, a large quantity of Condry's finished newspaper and magazine articles, and substantial number of card indexes, 1893, 1933-1998, on the subjects of wildlife, development and history of the landscape, nature conservation, ecology, other naturalists, past and present day travel and tourism. The subjects relate mainly to Wales, but also to other parts of Britain, Europe and Africa.

Drafts and notes for books

The series consists of background material for several of Condry's published and intended books, 1935-1998. The papers comprise partial and complete drafts of some of the books, loose research notes and notebooks relating mainly to nature and local history, press cuttings and magazine articles used as source material, printed or photocopied pamphlets, correspondence, 1950-1985, from publishers and private individuals, including some leading local naturalists and historians. Some files contain items which post-date the publication of the relevant books, but these have been retained, with regard to their original inclusion by the author

Birds of Cardiganshire

The file comprises a ring binder containing a printed copy of Birds of Cardiganshire which was published in 1966, separated into its constituent pages, interleaved with handwritten notes relevant to the entries on particular birds, and a folder containing two annotated printed copies of the book, one of which is autographed by the co-authors, Geoffrey C. S. Ingram, H. Morrey Salmon, 1966, together with manuscript notes on Condry's research programme, birds and places to be investigated and sources used, a typescript article on the Woodchat Shrike, typescript of Condry's introduction, sketch map of Cardiganshire, printed leaflet on the bird exhibits at the National Museum of Wales, letters mainly relating to the identification, habitats and habits of various birds often annotated with names of species, 1961-1970, including a letter from Arthur Chater, 1965, on the identification of a Little Egret and from Morrey Salmon, 1958, discussing the preparation and format of the book.

Chater, A. O.

Welsh Country Essays

The file comprises two sets of amended typescripts and finished printed versions of various collected essays, some published in Country Life, others previously unpublished, 1954-1987, with lists of contents and photographs eventually used for the book, Welsh Country Essays, published much later, in 1996. The subject matter includes Welsh rivers, islands, birds, mammals, plants and human history

Wildflower Safari: The Life of Mary Richards

The file comprises a small notebook listing the contents of Mary Richards' library, in the handwriting of Penny Condry, with additions by William Condry (1977), a spiral-bound notebook containing genealogy of the Richards family, biographical details of Mary Richards, her botanical education and life in Africa, and Condry's plan for the book which was published posthumously in 1998, and a notepad with deleted entries for events in Mary Richards'life, under chapter headings 1-14.

Wildlife in Our Welsh Parish

The file comprises a typescript Welsh version of the text, translated by R. S. Thomas from the English original, 1993, which appears to be missing, a separate, English version of the foreword, and a complete edition of Wildlife in Our Welsh Parish [Eglwys-fach], containing a tribute to Condry, published in 2000.

Thomas, R. S. (Ronald Stuart), 1913-2000

Wildlife, My Life

The file consists of papers relating to Condry's autobiography Wildlife, My Life published in 1995. It comprises a notebook and folder containing outlines of the author's tasks and plan of the book, 1992-1993, captions for photographs, source materials, notes on autobiographical details, natural history, literary activities, local history, Evan Roberts, the Snowdonia botanist, and relevant subjects extracted from a card index, 1947-1995; correspondence, 1952-1993, mainly concerning bird life, old acquaintances in Birmingham, and botany, including a letter from Arthur Chater, 1978, about lichens at the site of Hafod, typescript and printed articles, including a brief biography of Condry, printed leaflets and press cuttings, 1935-1994.

Condry, William, 1918-1998

Wild Wales

The file comprises a manuscript draft and completed typescript of Condry's introduction to the new edition of George Borrow's Wild Wales, published in 1995.

Wild Welsh Garden (WWG)

The file comprises material for an unpublished book about Penny Condry's garden at Ynys Edwin and includes three sets of typescripts, respectively labelled 'WWG Version I 'Gutted Remains', 'Carbon Copy', 1991 and 'Ms.of Last Planned Book', 1998, author's own comments and impressions, publisher's rejection letter, 1991, notebooks containing a bibliography and progress report, 1997-1998, and loose, handwritten notes on weeds, bee keeping, pests, and wild plant and animal species.

Woodlands

The file consists of a manuscript summary of Woodlands published in 1974, plans for the book, appendices, glossary and typed synopsis, with a copy covering letter from Condry to the publisher, 1969, together with notes, 1968-1971, correspondence, 1972-1973, 1985, newsletters, printed pamphlets, magazine and press cuttings, 1947-1976, 1981, concerning the history, nature, ecology and conservation of woodlands, including the impact of modern forestry practices.

The World of a Mountain

The file comprises the original manuscript, typescript and proofs of The World of a Mountain published in 1977, all with amendments, a separate, typed version of the index and draft of a letter by Condry to the editor concerning illustrations and alterations to the text.

A Year in the Country

The file consists of a letter from the editor, Jon Gower, 1997, inviting Condry to contribute to an anthology of diaries covering all the months of the year, with a handwritten word count, typed draft of February's entry, list of topics and index cards.

Condry, William, 1918-1998

'Early Essays'

The file consists of items grouped by the author under the title `Early Essays', which do not appear to be specifically connected with the other books listed in this series and which include: handwritten observations on birds in remote areas of Powys, 1946; an amended typescript of an essay entitled 'Birdwatching in Central Wales' [c.1948]; four small bundles, comprising a season by season description of birds, animals and plants, starting in spring 1949, partly in diary form, combined with more detailed notes on individual species, sources, bibliography and author's projects, which appear to have been intended for a book entitled A Birdwatcher's Year in Wales; loose notes with headings March to July and September [1962 or later], which include remarks on the seasons, wildlife observations, outlines for chapters and illustrations; an amended typescript of the first two chapters of an intended book, Swallow Days, with a speculative letter to a publisher, 1962; a manuscript essay on the short-eared owl by Condry's friend, Ray Perry; and a letter from Irene (Benjamin) Vaughan, 1961, on daffodil species.

Perry, Ray ca. 1918-

Birdwatching in Wales

The file comprises two typescripts of an unpublished work entitled Birdwatching in Wales with handwritten additions and alterations, four rejection letters from publishers, 1956-1957, a list of contents, and a word count, dated 1997 on the cover of the original folder.

Exploring Wales

The file comprises papers relating to Exploring Wales, published in 1970, including notes, sketch maps, annotated typescripts and synopses of some chapters, printed articles, a copy of a letter from Condry to the publisher, 1965, and manuscript notes on the topography of Wales, places of historical interest and archaeology. The chapter on Breconshire is missing.

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