Nuri and Celeste Mass personal papers, literary correspondence and manuscripts, ca. 1920-1993

MLMSS 9260

fonds

ca. 1920-1993

96743

Microfilm : Nuri Mass - M.A. Thesis, University of Sydney, c.1943: 'Virginia Woolf the Novelist', in Box 6F(23).

3.52 metres of textual material (21 boxes)
16 discs

Nuri Mass (1918-1993), also known as Heather Celeste Mass; Nuri Horwitz; Nuri Celeste Horwitz. Celeste Mass was the mother of Nuri Mass

Born in Melbourne of Spanish and English parentage, Nuri Mass spent seven years of her childhood in Argentina and returned to Australia at the age of twelve. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney with first class honours and the University Medal in 1942. Mass went on to attain a Master of Arts at the University of Sydney.

Mass edited the magazine, Australian Children's World, 1945-1946 and worked as a reader and editor for various publishers, including Angus and Robertson, Consolidated Press and the Sydney Sun.

In 1955 she established her own press, The Writer's Press, which operated from her own home in Summer Hill, Sydney. The publications were printed on her own printing press in the garage of her home and in some cases handset. The Writer's Press operated sporadically into the 1970s. On her husband's death she took over the family photo-engraving business, subsequently training (graduating in 1979) and working as a chiropractor.

As well as fiction for adults, she wrote fiction for children, travel books and studies of Australian flora and fauna. These include: Where the Incas Trod (1956), China the Waking Giant (1966), Australian Wildflower Magic (1967) and Flowers of the Australian Alps (1967).

References:
AUSTLIT, ‘Nuri Mass’, http://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/A17803 (accessed 10 October 2013)

BOXES 1-2
LETTERS AND CORRESPONDENCE
Personal and family correspondence, ca. 1980-1990, including Sydney Horwitz, ca. 1926-1972

Travel correspondence from Argentina, 1991-1993 and postcards, 1906-1930

Literary correspondence, 1941-1991 with Thea Wilkinson, T.S. Gunn, Patrick White, Ida R. Outhwaite, Albert Namatjira, Lionel Stanton, Mary Gilmore, Leonard Wolfe, Ernestine Hill, Max Meldrum. Includes copies of poems sent to Nuri Mass by Frances Hackney and Wayne Bradley poems

Correspondence relating to children’s books and writers press, ca. 1960-1970s

Correspondence with ABC relating to ‘Many Paths One Heaven’ and TV stories, ca. 1965-1966

Environmental correspondence with Minister for the Environment, ca. 1985-1993

Correspondence relating to books of poems, book reviews, film interest and book rejection, ca. 1971-1992

Correspondence with English Department Sydney University relating to conferring of university medal for MA, ca. 1942-1946 and letters of recommendation from employers 1977-1980

Correspondence mainly with Writer’s Press relating to news stories, ca. 1956-1983

Correspondence relating to Green Tortoise Trip, ca. 1983

Medical correspondence with doctors, ca. 1993

Correspondence and letters relating to faithealing and chiropractic activities, ca. 1983

Correspondence with the Dromkeen Collection relating to drawings ‘Wildflower Magic’ by Celeste Mass, 1987-1992

Book contracts, 1937 -1977

BOXES 2-3
LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS by Nuri Mass:
Typescript ‘I’ve Had My Magic’ vols. 1-2, earlier version of ‘Passing Through’

Original manuscript of poetry ‘Just Give Us Time’, 1984 with printed copies including copy with performance notes and distribution order book, ca. 1984-1985, 1990s. Includes souvenir portfolio of Pacific Peace Vigil Wellington New Zealand, 1985

Typescripts ‘Sundial’ short story, ‘Wizard of Jenolan’, ca. 1946-1993. Annotated and final version of ‘Passing through’

BOXES 3-4
PERSONAL PAPERS of Nuri Mass/Mrs N Horwitz including:
Baby books of children Christopher Max Horwitz 1950 and Tess Ava Horwitz 1952
Wedding invitations

Personal travel papers relating to trip to Argentina and USA includes:
Travel diary in Spanish 1988

Notebooks of Spanish phrases, and printed travel brochures and ephemera with travel notes, 1989 Passport and photographs for Korea, Japan and Indonesia trip 1975

Miniature travel guidebooks about Blue Mountains Mount Kosciusko and Jenolan Caves and India 1954, 1940-1951

Postcards from South America, ca. 1980s

BOXES 5-6
Student notebooks containing lecture and course notes, publications and course material, card indexes and certificates relating to studies in chiropractic and other remedial therapy techniques, 1978-1987

BOXES 7-13
LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS by Nuri Mass
BOX 7
Autobiography ‘Passing Through’ including handwritten notes compiled for autobiography, no date

BOXES 8-9
Draft manuscripts short stories, ‘Miracle at the Pool’, ‘First Day’, ‘hold On Long Enough’, ‘Sunny Claus’, ‘The Spirit of Australia’, ‘At the right Price’, ‘Day of the Leprechaun’, ‘Chiming of the Hour’, ‘The Gift of Miracles’, ‘Dear Peter’, ‘Bloody Hell’, ‘A Job Well Done’, ‘Vale’, ‘Child’s Eye View’, ‘Dialogue in the Afternoon’, ‘Double Take’, ‘Happy Christmas’, ‘The Size 20 Handbag’, ‘Garage Sale’ , ‘Shards’, ‘Bloody Hell’, ‘Nothing Achieved’, ‘timothy West

Published versions of short stories and publicity and reviews for books in womens, education and university periodicals and newspapers by Nuri Mass under pseudonym Tina Banks and newspaper clippings, ca. 1944-1987

Notebooks, loose leaf notes and word and phrases lists for short stories including ‘Bebie and Bobo’, ‘So proud of them’, ‘Queens twin soul’, ‘Remorse of Death’, ‘the Gift’, ‘As Much Right to Live’, ‘Just Give Us Time’, ‘Wizard of Jenolan’, ‘Scottish Dancing Club’, ‘Edge of the Night’, ca. 1970-1990s

BOXES 10-12
Draft manuscripts of ‘Edge of Night’, ‘Ashes of Gold’ Copy I & II, ‘From Out of the Shadows’ Part 1, ‘Kosciusko the King’, ‘Art and Max Meldrum’, ‘Land of Boobar’, ‘Sunny Claus’, ‘Grant Homer’, ‘Wheels’ ‘Days with Heatherbell’, ‘Homer the Artist’, ‘Wizard of Jenolan’ draft rewrite and typed version with handwritten comments and annotations some with handwritten annotations

Typed manuscript of poems for children

Typed manuscript and copy ofNovella ‘Chiming of the Hour’

Masters thesis by Nuri Mass ‘Virginia Wolfe the Novelist’

BOX 13
LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS
Poems, 1930-1950
Dramas ‘Dante Alighieri’, ‘Violets'
Novella ‘Chiming of the Hour’
Short stories ‘The Uninvited’, ‘Neighbour-Wise’, ‘The Visit’, ‘Such Little Things’, ‘Babe In The Woods’, ‘Magic Circle’, ‘Russian Mystery’, ‘His Happiness’, ‘The Parcel’, ‘Foxy and I’, ‘Fallen Leaf’, ‘Bird of Paradise’, ‘Right Out of Nowhere’, ‘Ive had my Magic’, ‘Barricade’, ‘Mosaic’, ‘A case for Kidnapping’, ‘First Contender’, ‘I thought you might be interested’, ‘Nothing much, really’, ‘Given a Car, a highroad and a holiday’

BOXES 14-16
SCRAPBOOKS compiled by Nuri Mass
Two Scrapbooks of newspaper clippings mainly relating to Nuri Mass’ career as an author and illustrator, ca. 1929, 1964-1973

One album of newspaper clippings Tess and Chris Horwitz, ca. 1963-1971

Ten scrapbooks of newspaper clippings mainly relating to science, Australian history, horticulture, fiction and book reviews, arts, music and culture , ca. 1939-1970

Loose newspaper clippings, 1960s

Account book with newspapers clippings compiled by R. Pedro Mass, ca. 1920-1940

BOXES 16-17
PERSONAL PAPERS
Personal and travel diaries re ‘thoughts diaries’ and trips to south America, ca. 1963-1993

Four diploma certificates awarded to Nuri Mass including ‘Intermediate Certificate 1934’, ‘MA degree 1942’, ‘Doctor of Osteopathy, 1980’, ‘Doctor of Chiropractic 1980’

Album of cigarette cards ‘Wills’s cigarettes’ various series including : Series representing Gardening Hints, Wild Flowers and butterflies

BOXES 18-19
PRINTED PUBLICATIONS
Printed Books and poetry by Nuri and Celeste Mass including:

‘Australian Wildflower Magic, Writers Press, June 1967
‘The Wonderland of Nature’, Ambassador Press, 1964
‘The Wizard of Jenolan’, Angus and Robertson Ltd, 1946
‘The Little Grammar people’, Angus and Robertson Ltd, 1942
‘Where the Incas Trod’, The Writer’s Press Sydney, 1956
‘Flowers of the Australian Alps, The Writers Press, 1967
‘Just Give Us Time’, El Faro, 1984
‘Don’t Kill It – Its Me’, Alpha Books, 1972
‘China The Waking Giant’, The Writer’s Press,
‘Randy Blair’, The Writer’s Press, 1955
‘As Much Right to Live’, Alpha Books, 1971
‘The Silver Candelstick’, The Writers Press,
‘Magic Australia’, Angus and Robertson, 1947
'Australian Wiildflower Fairies, Consolidated Press Ltd, 1945
‘the Gift’, Alpha Books, 1969

Books and poetry by other Australian authors:
‘Bread and butter moon’, Writers Press, Frances Hackney
‘Dance of the Veils And Other Verses’, The Writers Press, Olive McManis. Signed by author
‘Poems of War and Peace’, The Writer’s Press, by A. E. Pearse, signed
‘Your Child and Mine’, Thea Wilkinson, Consolidated Press, 1944
‘Marbles in my Pocket’, Lydia Pender, The Writers Press, signed
‘The Inlander’, Mary Lisle, The Writers Press,
‘Verses for Children’, The Writer’s Press, Mary Gilmore, 1955
‘The Coming of Arthur and the Passing of Arthur’, Consolidated press Ltd, 1945

Periodicals including:
‘The Australian Children’s World’, March 1945-January 1946
‘Australian Women’s Digest’, March 1948-August 1949,
‘Australian Plants’ December 1973-June 1977
‘The Chronicle’, Sydney Girls High School, Moore Park, October 1934 and Jul 1935
‘Under Capricorn’, December 1955, No. 2

BOX 20
Reference booklets and periodicals on Australian wildlife and nature and Jenolan caves including notes used by Nuri Mass , ca. 1920-1949, including works by Tom Iredale conchologist and friend of Nuri Mass

School magazines containing extracts from ‘Magic Australia’, ca. 1944

Tourist/travel publications relating to Jenolan Caves, including notes by Nuri Mass and printed ephemera relating to Hotel Kosciusko including menu and Christmas card with types noted and ski school certificate, ca. 1947-1952

ELECTRONIC FORMAT MATERIAL
16 floppy disks containing draft manuscripts of ‘Memories’ Chapters 1-6’, ’Passing Through’ Chapters 1-9, 10-18, 1-6 amended, ‘Wizard of Jenolan’ revised, ‘Jenolan’, ‘Wizard 4’, ‘Nuri Massd Biography and C.V.’ and various other short stories

BOX 21
Loose newspaper clippings, ca. 1953-1972

Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights owners
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
Copyright holder:: Nuri Mass

Information upgraded as part of the Manuscripts Unprocessed eRecords Project 2013-2014