Freedom Archives
Period (1886)
1904-1980
Total size 18 m.
Consultation Not restricted
History
Anarchist periodical started in 1886 by a group of friends around Peter Kropotkin after their separation from the English Anarchist Circle and The Anarchist edited by Henry Seymour; in addition to Freedom, the group eventually set up the Freedom Press, the main publisher of anarchist literature in England; first editors of Freedom were Charlotte M. Wilson 1886-1895, Alfred Marsh 1895-1912 and Thomas H. Keell 1912-1932; among the contributors to the periodical were George Bernard Shaw, Max Nettlau and Kropotkin; a rival Freedom was published by opponents of Th. Keell, including John Turner and Oscar Swede 1930-1936; ceased publication in favour of Spain and the World 1936-1938, edited by Vernon Richards, and changed its name to Revolt in 1939; this was continued as War Commentary, renamed Freedom in 1945, the publication of which continues still today.
Content
Daybooks, accountbooks, letterbooks and subscription lists 1889-1980; documents concerning administration, financial affairs and publications of Freedom and Freedom Press; manuscripts for, and letters to Freedom and Freedom Press (most complete for the period 1920-1938) from Guy Aldred, Ba Jin (Li Feigan), George Ballard (pseudonym Barrett), Alexander Berkman, Thomas Cantwell, Edward Carpenter, Varlaam and Frieda Cerkezov, Fred Charles, Clara Gilbert Cole, Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis, Vera Figner, Henry Glasse, Emma Goldman, Marcus Graham, Jean Grave, Rudolf Grossmann, Auberon Herbert, George J. Holyoake, Mabel Hope, Henry M. Hyndman, Joseph Ishill, Harry Jones, Bernhard Kampffmeyer, Thomas H. Keell, Harry Kelly, Kotoku Sakae, Peter and Sophie Kropotkin, Jo Labadie, Gustav Landauer, John McAra, John Henry Mackay, Enrique Flores Magón, Errico Malatesta, Tom Mann, Saverio Merlino, Louise Michel, Leonard Motler, Erich Mühsam, Max Nettlau, William Owen, Joseph Presburg, Ben L. Reitman, John Beverly Robinson, Rudolf Rocker, Olivia Rossetti, Emil F. Ruedebausch, Alexander Schapiro, George Bernard Shaw, Mollie Steimer, Oscar Swede, James Tochatti, John Turner, Charlotte M. Wilson and others.
Arrangement
The archives were collected by Heiner Becker in the period 1978-2000; there are supplements te be expected in the near future; he also arranged the main part of the material; this list was made on the basis of his descriptions.
Because of the bad condition of the papers and packing materials the IISH decided to pack the papers in acid free covers, folders and boxes without changing anything in the order; the order of this list follows the order of the original stacks where the boxes were stored; the original boxes which were found in these stacks are mentioned (including the original inscriptions); followed by a description of the content which is re-packed; the numbers 1-271 were found in stacks 4420.1-2 - 4421.1-6; numbers 272-339 were found in stack 3459.1-6; numbers 340-532 were found in stacks 4434-4436.
Processing information
Preliminary list by Krista van Loon in 2009.
Preliminary List
- 1-20
-
Box (1 of 73) with the
inscription: "3 of 5".
Clippings and occasionaly circulars, pamphlets etc. c. 1960-1972. 20 folders.- 10-11
- Clippings concerning people. n.d. 2 folders.
- 12-20
-
Clippings
concerning various subjects.
c. 1966-1968 and
n.d. 9 folders.
- 12
-
Grosvenor
Square, Vietnam demonstration on October 27th
1968.
Individual protest (Including two photographs).
Mines and Miners.
Prison.
Private eye.
- 21-38
-
Box (2 of 73)
with the inscriptions: "Invoice" and "5 of 5".
Clippings. Pre 1918, 1939-1945, 1963 -1965 and n.d. 1 box, 17 folders.- 26-38
-
Clippings
concerning various subjects. Pre 1918, 1939-1945, 1963-1965 and
n.d. 13 folders.
- 28
-
Beatniks,
hippies, Hells Angels and skinheads.
Black power, Black Panthers.
Brighton (Including 2 photographs).
- 32
-
Committee
of 100.
Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).
Communist Party, Supression of 'Daily worker'.
- 35
-
'Fascist'
organisations (British).
Food and Agriculture.
Germ and Gas Warfare.
German resistance. 1939-1945.
Grosvenor Square March 14th.
- 39-46
-
Box (14 of
73) with the inscription: "Protest (vr) east/west (mlb)".
Manuscripts and copies of articles, incoming letters to the editors of Freedom and copies of sent letters. c. 1986-1988. 8 folders.
- 47-54
-
Box (45 of
73) with the inscription: "Children in Society".
Incoming letters and manuscripts of articles. n.d. 8 folders.
NB. The articles were for publication in the periodical Freedom. Some were marked with "Copy for Freedom."
- 55-78
-
Box (10 of
73) with the inscription: "Mss. and Corr. 1960's-1970's".
Incoming letters and manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. c. 1966-1967, 1972 and n.d. 24 folders.- 55-64
- Incoming letters and manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. c. 1972 and n.d. 10 folders.
- 65
-
Manuscripts of
"The Spanish Conspirators" by Bob Edwards and "The Spanish
Collective" (Chapter 4 from "The Basis of Communal Living") by George
Woodcock.
1970 and n.d. 1 folder.
NB. "The Spanish Conspirators" was presented to the Freedom Press Library by Harry Mister (of Housman's Bookshop) and Arthur W. Vloth. May 1970.
- 79-84
-
Box (52 of
73) with the inscription: "Malatesta Club".
Invoices and books of the Malatesta Club. 1954-1956. 6 folders.
- 85-109
-
Box (5 of
73) with the inscription: "Correspondence 1980's".
Correspondence and financial documents (daybooks). 1979-1988. 25 folders.- 85-86
- Correspondence with subscription agents of libraries concerning their subscription of Freedom. 1983-1986. 2 folders.
- 110-114
-
Package
with the inscriptions: "Freedom Copy" and "Review Section Set".
Incoming letters and manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1975. 5 folders.
- 115-126
-
Box (13 of
73) with the inscription: "Freedom ms. june-dec 1989."
Incoming letters,some copies of sent letters and manuscripts of articles (to be published in Freedom). 1989. 12 folders.
NB. 118, 121 and 126 include some photographs.
- 127-137
-
Box (34 of
73) with the inscription: "Freedom ms. 1993 (vol. 54) for preservation."
Incoming letters and manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1993. 11 folders.
- 138-149
-
Box with
the inscriptions: "Berneri Correspondance. (Missing believed dumped 1985,
rediscovered in Freedom office 1987)" and "MLM/London PS 22".
Clippings, articles and parts of books belonging to Camillo Berneri. c. 1910-1911, 1928-1935. 12 folders.
- 150-151
-
Folder with
the inscriptions: "HB" and "John Hewetson".
Incoming letters, articles and notes of John C. Hewetson and documents concerning the death of his father John Thomas Hewetson. 1936, 1942-1946. 2 folders.
- 152
-
Folder with the
inscriptions: "HB" and "1945 (some earlier)".
Incoming letters for the Freedom Press mainly concerning orders for books and some manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1945. 1 folder.
- 154-155
-
Box (27 of
73) with the inscription: "Jack Robinson papers".
Incoming letters adressed to Jack Robinson mainly concerning orders for numbers of Freedom and publications of the Freedom Press. 1954-1976. 2 folders.
- 156-160
-
Box (22 of
73).
Clippings on the Spanish Civil War and other subjects. 1936-1939. 3 folders, 2 books.
- 161-169
-
Box (18 of
73) with the inscription: "48 - Anarchy in Action".
Incoming letters, copies of sent letters and manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1985-1987. 9 folders.
- 170-182
-
Box (8 of
73).
Clippings. 1935-1936, 1943-1946, 1963-1969 and n.d. 13 folders.
- 183-191
-
Box (32 of
73). With the inscription: "Misc. Correspondence."
Incoming letters mainly concerning subscriptions to the periodicals and titles of the Freedom Press. 1968. 9 folders.
- 192-198
-
Box (59 of
73).
Incoming letters mainly concerning subscriptions to the periodicals and titles of the Freedom Press. 1961-1969. 7 folders.
- 199-216
-
Box (40 of
73).
Incoming letters, manuscripts and financial documents. 1952-1972, 1983. 18 folders.
- 217-218
-
Box (26 of
73).
Clippings concerning various subjects. c. 1920-1946, 1974. 1 box, 3 folders.
- 221-226
-
Box with
the inscription: "Freedom and Malatesta Club. Correspondence and leaflets".
Incoming letters and manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1964, 1971-1972. 6 folders.
- 232-237
-
Box (36 of
73) with the inscriptions: "Freedom Ms. jan-june 1992, for preservation" and
"F01-F16".
Manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1992. 6 folders.
- 238-241
-
Box (47 of
73) with the inscription: "Freedom Ms. july-dec 1992, for preservation".
Manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1992. 4 folders.
- 242-251
-
Box (66 of
73) with the inscription: "Freedom Ms. 1991".
Incoming letters and manuscripts of articles to be published in Freedom. 1991. 10 folders.
- 252-263
-
Box (68 of
73).
Incoming letters and manuscripts for Freedom and financial documents of the Malatesta Club. 1954-1956, 1967, 1971-1972. 12 folders.
- 264-271
-
Unpacked
documents.
Incoming letters and manuscripts. 1945-1951. 2 packages, 6 folders.- 264-266
- Incoming letters concerning subscriptions and titles of the Freedom Press. 1940-1947. 1 package, 2 folders.
- 268
- Manuscript of "Critical problems facing the Anarchist Movement" by Marcus Graham. c. 1955. 1 folder.
- 272-286
-
Box with
the inscription: "1997 old invoice books".
Financial documents and correspondence. 1986-1993. 3 boxes, 12 folders.
- 288-302
-
Box with
the inscription: "Content 1997. Archival material: - Renewals of subs dealt
with 1996-1997. - Paying in slips statements giro. - Accounts etc. For the
archivists."
Documents concerning subscriptions and publications and financial documents. 1988-1992, 1996-1997. 15 folders.
- 303-312
-
Box with
the inscription: "1997, old letters, subs etc. Archives."
Incoming letters concerning subscriptions and titles of the Freedom Press. 1990-1993. 10 folders.
- 313-319
-
Box
(without inscription)
Incoming letters concerning subscriptions and titles of the Freedom Press. 1998. 7 folders.
- 320-328
-
Box with
the inscription: "1996, mainly FP office correspondence 1993-1996".
Incoming letters, manuscripts of articles and documentation material. 1989-1991, 1995-1996. 9 folders.
- 329-339
-
Box with
the inscriptions: "AC Books 1986-1987. Bank state" and "Also contents of three
files of VR correspondence for 1988, 1990, 1991".
Incoming letters and financial documents. 1982-1992. 11 folders.
- 340-354
-
Box with
the inscriptions: "Freedom 1920s" and "Freedom mss."
Manuscripts of articles for Freedom. c. 1915-1932. 3 boxes, 12 folders.
- 355-362
-
Box with
the inscription: "Finan. Brieven".
Letterbooks and invoicebooks. 1942-1943, 1950-1977. 5 boxes, 3 package.
- 363-368
-
Box with
the inscription: "Agenda's, notulen (jaren '40-'50)"
Letterbooks, address books and cashbooks. 1940-1950. 2 boxes, 2 packages, 2 folders.
- 369-374
-
Unpacked
material.
Bulletins and circulars and a cashbook. 1970-1980. 1 box, 4 folders, 1 large folder.
- 375-381
-
Unpacked
material.
Manuscripts, correspondence and financial documents. c. 1916-1959 and n.d. 3 boxes, 1 package, 3 folders.
- 407-414
-
Crate 3.
Financial documents, notebooks and addressbooks. 1887-1938. 1 box, 6 folders, 1 large folder.- 407
- Financial documents, including invoices, salesfigures and a list of Freedom-Agents. 1909-1916, 1930-1937. 1 box.
- 435-459
-
Boxes and
packages.
Correspondence. 1903-1938. 4 boxes, 21 folders.- 435-438
- Incoming letters, mainly to Thomas Keell and the Freedom Press. Divided in A, B, Nettlau and O (W.C. Owen). 1903-1938. 4 boxes.
- 460-517
-
Packages
with the inscription 'Correspondence A-M, S'.
Incoming letters to Thomas Keell and the Freedom Press, including some manuscripts. 1902-1930. 58 folders.
NB. Every period is arranged in alphabetical order.