The Constance Savery Collection: Preserving a Literary Life

In 2022, longtime friend and supporter of the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, Eric Schonblom hand-delivered his complete collection of books and manuscripts by Constance Savery, a British children’s author who wrote throughout much of the twentieth century. Recently processed by Ashlynn Steiner, assistant curator of the de Grummond Collection, the newly available materials offer a deeper look into Savery’s life and literary career.

The materials include books, short stories, poems, and correspondence that illuminate Savery’s creative life and literary legacy. As a child, Schonblom loved Savery’s novel Emeralds for the King, and rediscovering the book as an adult sparked a deep interest in collecting her writings. Over time, he tracked down rare copies of Savery’s short stories, located works published by members of her family, and even created personal bindings for some of her unpublished manuscripts. Thanks to his dedication, the collection now provides an unusually full picture of Savery’s literary life.

“Ashlynn did a beautiful job of carefully arranging and describing this lifetime of work, and Eric Schonblom's research and painstaking work of finding so much of it has made the collection even richer, said Karlie Herndon, curator of the de Grummond Collection. “Researchers in children's literature, religion, juvenilia, WWII printing, and many other fields will find useful and fascinating primary materials in Savery's works. We're thrilled to be able to offer access to this expansive set of items.”

The Savery materials span nearly a century, beginning with the childhood notebook she started in 1904 at the age of seven and continuing through 1999, the year she died. Seeing that progression unfold across the boxes of manuscripts, notebooks, and correspondence offered Steiner a unique perspective on the development of a writer’s life.

“Every collection is unique, but one of my favorite parts of this work is getting to know the authors or donors through their materials,” Steiner said. “Letters, notebooks, drafts, and photographs reveal small pieces of a person’s life, and as you move through the collection, those pieces begin to form a much fuller picture.”

Among the most fascinating items Steiner encountered while processing the collection is Winifred’s Thought Book, a notebook containing some of Savery’s earliest writings. “Winifred” was Savery’s middle name and a nickname she often used. The journal includes poems and short pieces written between the ages of seven and ten. Later in life, Savery carefully rewrote the notebook to make it easier to read before donating it to the de Grummond Collection. For Steiner, the juvenile writings offer a rare glimpse into the imaginative world of a young writer, revealing what children find interesting and meaningful while also highlighting just how perceptive and creative they can be at an early age.

Steiner was particularly intrigued by Savery’s continuation of Emma, the unfinished novel by Charlotte Brontë. Brontë left only about twenty pages of the manuscript before her sudden death, with no indication of how the story might end. In 1980, Savery published her own continuation of the novel under the pseudonym “Another Lady,” joining a long tradition of authors who have attempted to imagine how Brontë’s story might have unfolded. A longtime admirer of Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Steiner said she now plans to read Savery’s version of the unfinished tale.

The presence of Schonblom’s materials within the collection is very special. His dedication to collecting Savery’s writings reflects the lasting influence children’s literature can have on readers. “Seeing how much Savery’s work influenced him, even as an adult, is a great reminder of why children’s books matter,” Steiner said. “The stories we read as kids can stay with us forever.”