The George Sturt Collection consists of holograph and typescript drafts of books, articles, and essays; typescripts of passages from Sturt's journals; and Sturt's holograph letters. The manuscripts represent the complete range of subjects and themes on which Sturt wrote, topics such as timber, tools, socialism, and philanthropy, all of which center in some way around village life and labor in the present and past. The collection includes two early versions of THE ASCENDING EFFORT; a manuscript of the title sketch of LUCY BETTESWORTH; and the heavily revised manuscript of Sturt's unpublished novel "The Extinction of the Keens," accompanied by a letter which outlines the book's plot. Most of the transcripts of passages from Sturt's journals date between March 1925 and January 1927. The journals contain the seeds of Sturt's published writing and include descriptions of people and scenes in his village, as well as Sturt's reflections on broader social issues, such as labor, free trade, and spirituality. Some entries contain Sturt's reactions to books or articles he had recently read. The bulk of the letters series is comprised of Sturt's letters to William W. Kennerley, 1893-1925. In these letters Sturt confides his literary ambitions and describes the everyday activities of his life. Other letters to Alfred Eggar and Dr. Henry C. Mercer discuss tools and other implements.
