Nan Chauncy is one of Australia’s most-respected writers for children
during the 1950s and 1960s. The
Lu Rees Archives is proud to hold unique materials exploring this writer’s work
and life. 
Nan’s sixteen books for children were published between 1948 and 1969. The
Archives holds all but one, Panic at the garage (1965). Translations during this time were unusual because Australian
children’s literature was not widely known. For Nan’s books to appear in 13
languages then is a remarkable achievement. Both Tiger in the bush (1957) and Tangara
(1960) appear in eleven different editions. Australian, American and British editions are in addition
to these, plus many reprints. We hold 35 different editions and reprints of Nan’s
books, but we are still looking for many of her translations as we only hold
three in French, Portuguese and Slovakian.
Our research file on Nan complements her book collection and includes many
published and unpublished items about her work. We are fortunate that Nan’s
brother, Kay Masterman, lived in Canberra and knew Lu Rees well. He was very
active in the Children’s Book Council of Australia ACT Branch and its national
body. Kay created and collected many photographs documenting people, places and
incidents in Nan’s life. He gave these to the Archives, and Lu Rees referenced
each and arranged them in a photograph album. This album presents us with preservation challenges, but we
have the negatives and duplicate photographs. Some of these photographs appeared
in Berenice Eastman’s beautifully researched biography, Nan Chauncy: A writer’s life (2000). Conference proceedings, biographies,
and critical essays all feature in our reference collection along with theses
on Nan and all provide additional resources for study and research. 
Nan Chauncy’s research file occupies two large folders and includes
correspondence, photographs, and other unusual items such as the handwritten
talk entitled ‘Nan Chauncy: 1900-1970’ presented by Kay Masterman. This was
delivered at a seminar held in Canberra on 9 March 1975. This talk has been recorded, with the Archives holding a
digitised copy. It has also been published, in edited form, three times. The recording
is part of the Archives’ historically important collection of digitised
audiotapes. These cover the period from 1975 to 1998 and feature 112 authors,
illustrators, publishers and critics talking about Australian children’s
literature. These audiotapes, and digitised photographs of those speaking, uniquely
record the development of Australian children’s
literature during its growth period. 
Who doesn’t enjoy pouring over images of people, times and places? Not
only does the Archives hold her brother Kay Masterman’s photographs but also
photographs from Walter McVitty, an individual widely respected for his
knowledge of Australian children’s literature. The Archives is also fortunate
to hold several important collections from Walter, including the Walter McVitty
Photograph Collection. These cover the period ca. 1890 – ca. 1997. As a
prolific writer about Australian children’s literature, Walter often took
photographs or collected these from other sources to feature in his writing. His collection features nine photographs
relating to Nan Chauncy. Walter also collected background material about
authors for the many books he published. The Walter McVitty
Research Collection holds three folders on Nan Chauncy among his 182 files
on Australian authors and illustrators.
From this small sample of material about Nan Chancy, it is clear that
the Lu Rees Archives offers important material, not just on Nan, but also on
the entire field of Australian children’s literature. The Archives is not a
static collection, as from time to time, new editions and additional studies
appear. These then enhance the important place Nan Chauncy holds in the field
of Australian children’s literature. The Archives is proud to hold this
collection of unique material so that her work can be studied and enjoyed for
all time.
Join me next week as I reveal how the Lu Rees Archives began, its milestones
and achievements and future challenges.
Belle Alderman
Emeritus
Professor of Children's Literature
University of Canberra
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