William A. Oliver, Jr. collection related to The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The William A. Oliver, Jr. collection related to The Mystery of Edwin Drood comprises 10.5 linear feet plus oversize material dating from 1844 to 2005 and includes extensive bibliographic information relating to Charles Dickens and specifically to the author's final novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870), which was unfinished at the time of his death. The collection, which illuminates Oliver's activities as a collector and bibliographer, includes publications that printed original versions of the storyline, as well as various derivative works based on the novel; extensive bibliographies of editions of Dickens's works and scholarly work on Dickensiana, with a focus on Edwin Drood ; and travel information and souvenirs from Dickens-related landmarks and events.

This collection documents Oliver's research interest in Charles Dickens and Dickens's final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, in particular. The variety of material from original creative works to scarce secondary sources provides a wealth of information on Dickens's most enigmatic work. Material compiled by Oliver and former officers of the Dickens Fellowship also document some of the activities of the organization, particularly the mock trials of John Jasper staged in 1914 by the London and Philadelphia chapters. The collection also demonstrates Oliver's collecting pursuits, including such material as extensive bibliographies, acquisition and purchase records, and souvenirs from Dickens-related excursions.

The collection is arranged into four series: I. Droodiana; II. Dickensiana ; III. Victoriana; and IV. Oliver miscellaneous. Originally included with the collection was Oliver's library related to Dickens and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which has been cataloged separately with imprints in Special Collections and can be found by searching "William A. Oliver, Jr. Collection" in the Notes field in DELCAT.

Series I. comprises material relating to Charles Dickens’s novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) and includes bibliographies and book catalogs; publications of the original work and adaptations; scrapbooks and clippings documenting activities of the London and Philadelphia chapters of the Dickens Society; and material concerning the popular coverage and scholarly study of the novel and potential endings, including manuscripts and printed articles from books, journals, and magazines, as well as research material compiled by noted Dickensian scholars J. Cuming Walters and William Robertson Nicoll. Throughout the series, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is abbreviated as "ED" or "MED," as originally noted by William Oliver. The series is divided into six subseries: I.A. Bibliographies; I.B. Edwin Drood serialization; I.C. Adaptations and derivatives; I.D. Critical works; I.E. Media; and I.F. Miscellaneous clippings.

Series II. comprises material related to Dickens's life and works, but does not include information specifically pertaining to The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which can be found in Series I. This series is arranged into eight subseries: II.A. Correspondence; II.B. Bibliographies; II.C. Critical work; II.D. Dickens societies; II.E. Theater and film; II.F. Travel; II.G. Artwork, photographs and ephemera; and II.H. Realia. The series includes correspondence pertaining to Oliver's activities as a collector and his expertise in Dickensiana; extensive bibliographies; material pertaining to the activities of the Dickens Fellowship; Dickens-specific literary tourism; critical works relating to Dickens’s works and adaptations of those works; and realia.

Series III. comprises materials related to other Victorian-era authors who were acquaintances of and/or influences of or on Dickens, including Anthony Trollope, Emily Brontë, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Thomas Hardy, Mark Twain, Wilkie Collins, Thomas Love Peacock, and artist J.M.W. (Joseph Mallard William) Turner. Also included are Oliver's notes on Turner paintings on view at the Tate Gallery in London; Turner and Dickens were cordial acquaintances. The largest number of items in the series pertain to Peacock, another collecting interest of Oliver's, which includes several critical articles on Peacock, an exhibition catalog, and a list of rare books for sale.

Series IV. consists of items that are not related to Oliver's interest in Dickens or general Victoriana and include clippings, correspondence, business cards, postcards, and other printed matter. Some of the items relate to Oliver's profession as a paleobiologist, including postcards and business cards from colleagues.