Drafts of various stages of the following works: Louisa, Quickening, A fine and private place, The temple down the road, Manning Clark : a biography, and Richie Benaud. Incoming and outgoing correspondence include letters relating to these publications and well as correspondence during his academic career. Versions of articles submitted to Australian Magazine columns as well as reviews, journalism articles and speeches.

This series contains drafts in various stages of the following works: Manning Clark: A biography, Richie Benaud, Louisa, Quickening, A fine and private place, and The temple down the road. There are drafts and final versions of articles submitted to the Australian Magazine for the Brian Matthew column. Includes draft typescript manuscripts of short stories, poems, reviews, speeches, and articles. Drafts are complete and incomplete; and published and unpublished. Most works are undated. Unless indicated otherwise, all works are typescript or printouts.

Boxes 1-3
31 folders with print outs of chapter drafts, most with comments included, some handwritten emendations. Most drafts have pagination. There is no order to the printouts. A few folders have information, correspondence, newspapers cuttings, articles and documents relating to Manning Clark's History of Australia - A Musical.

Box 4
Folder 1
Notes and drafts relating to John Barton Hack.
Folder 2
Notes relating to Richie Benaud, 2011.
Folders 3-7
Three drafts and two incomplete drafts relating to Louisa.
Item 1
Spiral bound notebook with notes towards a biography of Richie Benaud.

Box 5
Folders 1-2
Draft manuscript of A fine and private place (2000).
Folder 3
Draft manuscript of A hiding to nothing.
Folders 4-5
Drafts for Quickening and other stories (initially called 'An episode of bodies and other stories').
Folder 6
Drafts of poetry.
Folder 7
Writings. Written on outside of original folder (discarded) 'Books and writing pieces'.
Folder 8
Three short stories, unpublished.

Box 6
Folder 1
Draft of The temple down the road.
Folders 2-3
Two printouts of draft for the Benaud biography, dated 2016.
Folder 4
Typescript draft 'On a hiding to nothing : Larrikin essays on sport and low culture'.
Folder 5
Draft articles on Henry Lawson.
Folder 6
'Exeter, 1974' written on front of original folder (now discarded). Draft articles.

Box 7
Folders 1-2
Two folders of draft articles removed from one ring binder folder labelled 'The Australian Magazine. Brian Matthews Column 1998".
Folders 3-4
Articles for the Australian Magazine Brian Matthews Column 1998-1999 and undated.
Folder 5
Drafts of speeches, reviews, articles.

Box 8
Folders 1-7
Drafts of speeches, reviews, articles.
Folders 8-9
Writings by other authors.

This series contains incoming and outgoing correspondence.

Box 9
Folder 1
Original folder (now discarded) titled "Flinders Row". Discussion between academics at Flinders University English Department regarding assessment. Restricted for 20 years or until 2044. 1983-1987.
Folders 2-3
Memos, editorial minutes, writer contributions and correspondence relating to A new literary history of Australia edited by Laurie Hergenhan. 1986.
Folder 4
Original folder (now discarded) had title "Venice". 12 carbon copy typscript and handwritten letters. 1971-1972.
Folder 5
"Foster letters" on original folder with copies of letters from Hal Porter and others from the 1930s to 1992.
Folder 6
Undated, incoming correspondence.
Folder 7
Correspondence from the 1960s.

Box 10
Folder 1
Correspondence from the 1970s
Folders 2-4
Correspondence from the 1980s

Box 11
Folder 1
Correspondence from the 1990s.
Folder 2
Correspondence from the 2000s.
Folder 3
Correspondence from the 2010, 2020s.

Four spiral notebooks and 1 exercise book with handwritten notes. Undated.

Six diaries for 1983, 1988 (2), 2013, 2020 and 2021.

One folder with documents that look to be lecture notes or lesson plans.

One folder with 18 negatives, 1 colour photograph, 1 contact sheet of eight portraits of Brian Matthews with one cut out. Undated.