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Notebook containing autograph drafts, September 1966, of a series of eight lectures entitled 'Modern Poetry Lectures', apparently given by Vernon Watkins at the University College of Swansea.
The lecture notes contain references to various poets, in particular T. S. Eliot (ff. 2-16 passim), W. B. Yeats (ff. 3-31 passim), D. H. Lawrence (ff. 17-24), Wilfred Owen (ff. 24, 26-31) and David Jones (ff. 24-28). Excerpts from the notes were published in Poetry Wales, 12.4 (Spring 1977), 52-55.

Printed diary for 1966, containing a few notes of appointments from July onwards.

Autograph and typescript drafts, 1958-1966, of verse translations from Hungarian by Vernon Watkins, together with related correspondence and literal translations by Tamás Kabdebó; some of Watkins's versions of poems by Attila József and Gyula Illyes were published in Kabdebó's editions of their works (1963, 1968, 1971).

Five manuscript and two typescript letters, 30 November 1956-10 September 1957, from Wystan [Hugh] Auden, Forio d'Ischia, near Naples, and Oxford, to Vernon Watkins (ff. 1-7), together with one poem by Auden (f. 8).
The letters concern the choices and alternative choices for Poetry Book Society recommendations, the judges of which were Auden, Watkins and Vita Sackville-West; Auden refers to works by Thom Gunn, Roy Campbell, Theodore Roethke, Edmund Blunden and Louis MacNeice. Enclosed with the final letter is a typescript copy of Auden's poem 'The More Loving One' (see Collected Shorter Poems, 1927-1957 (London, 1966), p. 282).

Autograph and typescript notes and drafts, 1953-1967, by Vernon Watkins for introductions to readings of his own poetry and that of others.

Autograph and typescript drafts, [1950s]-1966, of a long, apparently unpublished poem by Vernon Watkins entitled 'Ballad of the Fall of Sodom'.

Cyclostyled radio scripts, including poetry readings, and talks, 1949-1967, by Vernon Watkins or relating to him and his work.

Manuscript and typescript drafts by Vernon Watkins for poems published in Affinities (1962).

Notebook, [?1948]-1967, of Vernon Watkins, containing bibliographical lists of his poems published in Italy (inside front cover, f. 1) and poems and translations sent for publication in America (ff. 1 verso-11).

Autograph and typescript drafts, 1948-1967, of published poetry and published and unpublished prose by Vernon Watkins, mostly composed following the death of Dylan Thomas in 1953, including drafts of Vernon Watkins's poem 'Elegy for the Latest Dead', 1954, and two unfinished poems by Dylan Thomas, 'Elegy' and 'In Country Heaven', completed by Vernon Watkins; and radio scripts, lecture notes, draft reviews and articles by him relating to Dylan Thomas and his work.

Autograph and typescript notes and drafts, 1947-1967, for talks and lectures by Vernon Watkins on subjects including the translation of poetry, poetry in English, including his own, and the art of Ceri Richards.

Typescript drafts, 1947-1951, of verse translations by Vernon Watkins of Heinrich Heine's cycle 'Die Nordsee', published as Heinrich Heine, The North Sea (London: Faber and Faber, 1955).

Autograph and typescript drafts, 1946-1967, and photocopies of poems by Vernon Watkins chosen by Ruth Pryor and Gwen Watkins for inclusion in The Ballad of the Outer Dark (1979), together with draft introduction and notes by Ruth Pryor, and correspondence, 1976-1978, relating to publication.

Manuscript and typescript drafts by Vernon Watkins for poems published in Uncollected Poems (London, 1969).

Autograph and typescript drafts, [1944]-[1954], of four poems by Vernon Watkins, published in The Lady with the Unicorn (London, 1948) (ff. 1-3) and The Death Bell (London, 1954) (ff. 4-7).
It includes a manuscript draft, [1944], of 'The Sardine-Fishers' (published as 'Sardine-Fishers at Daybreak') (ff. 2-3).

Some sixty-five letters, 1944-1967, to Vernon Watkins from various correspondents, who include Aneirin Talfan Davies (1) 1963, Winifred Ellerman (Bryher) (1) 1953, Constantine Fitzgibbon (7, copies of extracts) 1964-1965, Mervyn Levy (1) 1957, and Goronwy Rees (2) 1956; together with copies of three letters, 1965, from Vernon Watkins. Also included are typescript drafts, 1961-1967, by Vernon Watkins for various published and unpublished articles, mainly on aspects of literature, together with two calligraphic manuscripts by W. Emlyn Davies relating to Vernon Watkins.

Autograph and typescript drafts, [c. 1944]-1967, of light verse, acrostics and poems for children by Vernon Watkins, composed 1925-1967 (ff. 1-85), together with drafts for published articles, lectures and radio talks, 1948-[1964] (f. 86-138).
Most of the verse (ff. 1, 3-28, 35-56, 58-68, 71-82) was published in Vernon Watkins, LMNTRE Poems (Swansea, 1999). The prose includes drafts of an article and radio script variously called 'The Place and the Poem', [?1949] (ff. 86-99), 'The Place and the Poem. Swansea' (ff. 100-101) and 'Swansea Poems', 1948 (ff. 102-107), a version of which was published as 'Swansea', Texas Quarterly, 4.4 (Winter 1961), 59-64; 'Poetry of the Second Phase', 1962 (ff. 111-114), partly published as 'The Second Phase in Poetry', Unicorn, 10 (Spring 1963), 9-10; and radio scripts, 'The Need of the Artist', 1962 (ff. 108-110), published in The Listener, 8 November 1962, pp. 756-757, and 'Problems of Communication', 1963 (ff. 115-122), published as 'The Joy of Creation', Listener, 30 April 1964, pp. 720-721.

Notebook containing draft poems, 1942, by Vernon Watkins, apparently mainly unpublished.

Autograph and typescript drafts, 1941-1966, by Vernon Watkins of verse translations from German and Italian poetry, published in Selected Verse Translations (1977), together with a few other draft translations published elsewhere.

Exercise book containing a single draft poem, 1941, by Vernon Watkins.