Pettingell himself had acquired almost all of his collection of some 4,400 printed and manuscript playscripts, with a number of works on the history of the English theatre, from the son of their original owner, Arthur Williams (1844-1915), a popular comedian in the late Victorian and Edwardian popular theatre. The material is extra-illustrated, ie it has paste-ins by Williams, giving the cast lists of productions in which he was involved or which he knew about. See also the Arthur Williams Collection.
The collection covers many of the most popular writers for the stage, stretching in period from the 18th century to the early 20th century. Its strength lies in its concentration on the popular: melodramas, tragedies, farces, and burlesques.
The original collection has been added to by the purchase of over a thousand playbills, mostly from the London theatres, and by textual material such as the Marcus Elmore Collection, comprising about 600 printed texts used mainly by the Victorian actor Marcus Elmore.
Collection in brief
Contents: play texts, manuscripts, libretti, prompt copies, playbills
Period: 18th-20th century