Marion E. Wade Center
Encyclopedia
The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College (Illinois)
is a special research collection of papers, books, and manuscripts, primarily relating to seven authors from the United Kingdom: C. S. Lewis
, J. R. R. Tolkien
, G. K. Chesterton
, Dorothy L. Sayers
, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield
, and George MacDonald
, as well as C. S. Lewis's wife, the poet Joy Davidman. The center is named after Marion E. Wade, founder of ServiceMaster
Corp.
The Wade Center serves primarily as a research center, attracting scholars from around the world. It holds at least one copy of every book written by the Wade authors, plus books, articles, and other materials about the various writers. It holds the world's fullest collection of the writings of Dorothy L. Sayers, including 30,000 pages of letters and documents both published and unpublished. For some of the Wade authors, collections of family documents are also available.
. In 2001 a new building was completed at the edge of the Wheaton College campus to house the Wade Center, with an expanded reading room, classroom space, and an enlarged exhibits area. C. S. Lewis's dining-room table, which used to serve as desk space for visiting researchers, has been moved into the exhibits area near the Wade's own Lewis wardrobe.
The small staff is headed by director Christopher W. Mitchell (author of Through the Wardrobe and into the Mind of C. S. Lewis, 2009) and Associate Director Marjorie Lamp Mead (author of A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C. S. Lewis's Classic Story, and of A Reader's Guide To Caspian: a journey into C. S. Lewis's Narnia).
The Center hosts special events related to its authors: meetings of scholarly societies, book discussions and classes, film-release celebrations, etc.
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
is a special research collection of papers, books, and manuscripts, primarily relating to seven authors from the United Kingdom: C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
, J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
, Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist. She was also a student of classical and modern languages...
, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield
Owen Barfield
Owen Barfield was a British philosopher, author, poet, and critic.Barfield was born in London. He was educated at Highgate School and Wadham College, Oxford and in 1920 received a 1st class degree in English language and literature. After finishing his B. Litt., which became the book Poetic...
, and George MacDonald
George MacDonald
George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, E. Nesbit and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S...
, as well as C. S. Lewis's wife, the poet Joy Davidman. The center is named after Marion E. Wade, founder of ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster is a privately held Fortune 500 company that provides various services to residences and firms. Its headquarters are located in Memphis, Tennessee after moving there from Downers Grove, Illinois in early 2007. Brands operated by ServiceMaster include: TruGreen, Terminix, American...
Corp.
The Wade Center serves primarily as a research center, attracting scholars from around the world. It holds at least one copy of every book written by the Wade authors, plus books, articles, and other materials about the various writers. It holds the world's fullest collection of the writings of Dorothy L. Sayers, including 30,000 pages of letters and documents both published and unpublished. For some of the Wade authors, collections of family documents are also available.
History and organization
The center was found in 1965 by Clyde S. KilbyClyde S. Kilby
Clyde Samuel Kilby was an American author and English professor, best known for his scholarship on the Inklings, especially J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. A professor at Wheaton College for most of his life, Dr. Kilby founded the Marion E...
. In 2001 a new building was completed at the edge of the Wheaton College campus to house the Wade Center, with an expanded reading room, classroom space, and an enlarged exhibits area. C. S. Lewis's dining-room table, which used to serve as desk space for visiting researchers, has been moved into the exhibits area near the Wade's own Lewis wardrobe.
The small staff is headed by director Christopher W. Mitchell (author of Through the Wardrobe and into the Mind of C. S. Lewis, 2009) and Associate Director Marjorie Lamp Mead (author of A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C. S. Lewis's Classic Story, and of A Reader's Guide To Caspian: a journey into C. S. Lewis's Narnia).
The Center hosts special events related to its authors: meetings of scholarly societies, book discussions and classes, film-release celebrations, etc.