Childrens books national home recieves National treasures
Date: 2005-06-07, Publication: Evening Chronicle
Literary treasures have begun to arrive at the new national home for children's books.
Some of the country's most famous authors have started to send their manuscripts and first editions to Seven Stories ready for its opening in Newcastle's Ouseburn Valley on August 19.
Close to 100 writers and illustrators have pledged never-seen-before letters, drafts and illustrations.
The gems include a draft manuscript of the Shirley Hughes children's classic Lucy and Tom's Day and Pat Hutchins's experimental artwork for Rosie's Walk.
Chief executive Mary Briggs said: "Getting the collection means a great deal. It is at the heart of what we are trying to do.
"Part of our original idea was to create a national collection to stop all our treasures being sold to American collectors and universities or simply getting lost, damaged or destroyed.
"Soon we will be able to share these fascinating manuscripts with young fans and academics."
Mary believes between 60,000 and 100,000 items have been pledged to the centre and around a third of that material has now arrived in the city.
Philip Pullman, one of the centre's patrons and author of the phenomenally successful His Dark Materials trilogy, has promised his early manuscripts, as has Robert Westall, who wrote the Machine Gunners.
Visitors to the centre will also be able to explore Poet Michael Rosen's ideas, often scribbled on the back of envelopes.
The collection starts with books from the 30s and one of the earliest works is an original draft of Noel Streatfield's Ballet Shoes, published in 1936.
Much of the collection was pledged to Mary and artistic director Elizabeth Hammill around eight years ago when they drew up a wish-list of authors and wrote to them all asking for their support and donations.
Mary said: "It feels a very long time ago when we first started to contact people asking if they would be prepared to donate their work.
"It is so exciting to be unpacking items we were promised then and knowing we will soon be able to share them." Back to Articles | 
