Thomas F. Collison and Elizabeth Mason Collison Collection
- TxAM-CRS C000298
- Collection
- 1970-1971
This collection contains a variety of materials including the personal papers and research materials related to Thomas F. Collison, a journalist, and author who resided in California from the 1950s until his death in 1997. The collection consists of working papers, typescripts, manuscript notes, correspondence, and scrapbooks related to Thomas Collison's research into the life and work of Miguel de Cervantes. Additionally, the collection includes photographs of the packing and shipment of the book collection.
Of particular interest is a manuscript written by Thomas Collison for his unpublished book, Miguel de Cervantes. The Pictorial Life of Cervantes (1547-1616). His Times, His Works, His Place in Literature. The manuscript is unfinished and the collection contains only two chapters. Collison turned his interest to Spain in 1962 when he and his wife, Elizabeth, began splitting their time between their home in California and La Herradura, Spain. It is unknown when Collison stopped working on his manuscript, but it is thought to be in the late 1980s due to declining health.
Another item of interest is two large scrapbooks created by Collison. The scrapbooks were likely used as a reference for his manuscript. The scrapbooks, titled "Pictorial Life of Cervantes" and "Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra", contain pictures and notes that document Miguel de Cervantes' life, work, and influences.