Perceval Gibbon:

An Inventory of His Papers at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center

Biographical Sketch

Perceval Gibbon, author and journalist, was born in Trelech, Wales, on November 4, 1879. He was the eldest son of the Rev. J. Morgan Gibbon, and was educated in the Moravian School, Königsfeld, Baden, Germany. Gibbon served in the merchant navy aboard British, French, and American ships, and travelled extensively throughout Europe, America, and Africa. His early works, particularly The Vrouw Grobelaar's Leading Cases (1905) and Souls in Bondage (1904), were influenced by his travels.

Gibbon's literary agency was J. B. Pinker and Son, and several of his short stories were published in British and American magazines such as McClure's Magazine and Collier's Weekly. Other works of Gibbon's that were published in book form include a collection of verse, African Items (1903); novels, Salvator (1908) and Margaret Harding (1911); short stories, The Adventures of Miss Gregory (1912), The Second-Class Passenger (1913), Those Who Smiled (1920), and The Dark Places (1926).

In addition to writing fiction, Gibbon was a war correspondent with the Italian Army for the New York Times during 1917 and 1918. He reported from the Isonzo, the Plave, the Carso, and elsewhere along the Italian front. In 1918 and 1919 he served as a Major in the Royal Marines.

Perceval Gibbon died in 1926.

Scope and Contents

The Perceval Gibbon Papers, ca. 1900-1926 (bulk nd) document his career as an author. The collection consists only of works, which are arranged alphabetically by title. It includes 38 holograph manuscripts, all uncollected short stories except for two, "Margaret Harding" and "The Adventures with the Slave Dealer," published in 1911 and 1913 respectively. The other stories were possibly published in periodicals, or they may have remained unpublished. Also included are 10 untitled and undated manuscript fragments, several of which include drawings.

The collection reflects only Gibbon's career as the author of short fiction and does not include items related to his experiences as a war correspondent or journalist.

Other collections at the Ransom Center which give some insight into the life of Perceval Gibbon include those of R. A. Scott-James, Grant Richards, Joseph Conrad, and Edward Garnett.

Restrictions

Access

Open for research

Administrative Information

Acquisition

Purchase, 1960

Processed by

Katie Salzmann, 1995

Sources

Perceval Gibbon Papers--Folder List