Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections offers to scholars the major part of the working library of Leonard and Virginia Woolf which Leonard Woolf still had at the time of his death, in 1969, comprising some 4,000 titles. WSU Libraries acquired the first boxes of books from the Woolfs’ Sussex home, and from Monks House in Rodmell soon after Leonard Woolf’s death. The Woolfs had built their library upon the nucleus of books Virginia inherited from her father, Leslie Stephen. Only a few of the works of Leonard Woolf himself and even fewer of those of Virginia came to WSU with their library.

When Leonard and Virginia Woolf founded Hogarth Press in 1917, they were both becoming known as authors and critics, and Leonard was a rising editor. The Press permitted them to publish works they thought worthy. Only a small number of Hogarth Press books came with either the early purchases or with that in 1972 from Leonard’s London house in Victoria Square. In 1974 Trekkie Parsons, who inherited the books from Leonard, made available a large collection of Hogarth Press publications, covering 1917 to 1941, many of which had belonged to the Woolfs, and WSU also bought that lot. Other large purchases that have filled the gaps have included books owned by Leonard Woolf’s nephew, Cecil. In 1979, the Libraries purchased some 400 books from Cecil Woolf, which Leonard Woolf had sold over the years to his nephew. In 1983 WSU acquired a further hundred books from Virginia’s nephew and biographer, the late Professor Quentin Bell.

This personal library reveals a great deal about the Woolfs: how they read the books and what they meant to them, and provides scholars with many valuable insights into their books and themselves. Much biographical information may be gleaned from the books in their library. Evidence of their wide circle of acquaintances in the literary and political worlds is present in the large number of books inscribed to them by the authors, or sent to them for review. Their own autographs in the books they bought for themselves or to give to each other show which books they especially liked. This fascinating library provides much for the scholar interested in writers associated with the Bloomsbury group, notably Lytton Strachey, E.M. Forster, David Garnett, Roger Fry, and Clive Bell.

The following list consists of brief citations that reflect all the titles within the Library of Leonard and Virginia Woolf held by Manuscripts, Archives & Special Collections. They also include an edition statement, as well as printing and/or impression statement, the publishing place, the publisher and the publishing date. At the end of these citations, initials are provided for annotators, inscribers, illustrators, binders, etc. For example, initials LW represent Leonard Woolf; LS stands for Leslie Stephen, and VW for Virginia Woolf. Other names are fully spelled out.

All the titles within this fine collection have been individually cataloged, and the full bibliographic records can be searched and retrieved in the Washington State University Libraries' online catalog, Griffin, by performing an "author" search on "Library of Leonard and Virginia Woolf."

For more information and questions, please contact Laila Miletic-Vejzovic at vejzovic@wsu.edu or visit the WSU Press site to learn more about the book

Page updated on March 4th, 2004