Papers of French Jewish and anti-racist organisations, [1920]-1938, comprise a copy of an extract regarding Alliance Israélite Universelle and letter from the same organisation concerning the struggle against antisemitism in France, [1920]; reports on various subjects addressed at 2ème Congres International du Rassemblement Mondiale contra le Racisme et l'Antisémitisme, July 1938, including racism and antisemitism in North Africa, the international problem of immigration, the activities of the World Assembly Against Racism, self defence for free people, organisation and propaganda and demand for a law against racism, 1938 and various papers concerning antisemitism in France with reference to a number of organisations, 1937-1938.

The papers of Siegfried Weiner, early 20th century, comprise a biographical account, written by his daughter; she describes life in Regensburg, Bavaria, the family's the difficulties following their emigration to Palestine, the war of independence and then their return to Regensburg.

Papers of Ferdinand Schwarz documenting, in part, the process of emigration from Germany to England in 1939, comprising correspondence from Ferdinand Schwarz and his father, Max Schwarz to Ella Courts on emigration procedures from Germany to England; copy of a letter from the Jüdische Beratungsstelle für Wirtschaftshilfe to Schwarz confirming that the latter will receive a permit from the German Jewish Aid Committee; application form from the German Jewish Aid Committee for persons desiring to leave Germany on political, racial or religious grounds and a stamp coupon.

Papers on conditions for Jews under the Nazis in the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, 1939, comprising a report arranged under the following headings: general situation; situation of Jews and Jewish emigration, explaining the procedure of application for exit permits, 20 Aug 1939, and digest of newspaper reports relating to the conditions for Jews in Bohemia and Moravia in 1939.

Papers documenting the activities of organisations in Great Britain, involved in providing relief for Czech and Czech Jewish refugees during the Nazi era, 1943, comprising appeal by Czechoslovak Relief Action for donations to a fund to supply provisions to internees in Terezin, Oct 1943; pamphlet entitled 'Proposals for principles for the repatriation of deported Jews' published by the Relief Committee of Jews from Czechoslovakia, Oct 1943; transcript of speeches in aid of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Czechoslovakia's independence by the Anglo-Palestine club and the National Council of Jews from Czechoslovakia, Nov 1943; report of a speech made by the president of the Czechoslovak Government in exile, regarding the restitution of illegally obtained property during the Nazi occupation, Oct 1943 and Ing. A. Frischer's report of a speech made by Frantiska Nemce, minister of economic renewal, Oct 1943.

Manuscript report, 1939, describing the experiences of a former Czech civil servant and his wife as they escape from Prague via Katovice to England. The report offers a valuable insight into the difficulties encountered by Czech émigrés in the immediate aftermath of the German occupation in 1939.

Papers of the Beck family, including papers relating to their preparations for departure, including forms and correspondence regarding possessions of Beck family; draft inventories of possessions; correspondence of the Rudolf Beck removal company on the shipment of possessions to USA, [1939-1940]. Personal papers of Ferdinand Beck including school reports, references, doctors' certificates; and correspondence on naturalization, 1928-1965. Post war correspondence on property in Austria, mostly between a lawyer and Beck family members, 1949-1952.

Papers and correspondence, 1846-1974, of David Meredith Seares Watson and his family, largely comprising biographical material and family papers, scientific correspondence, and photographs, also including a few Exchequer receipts, 1568-1622.

Biographical material, 1886-1974, includes Watson's birth certificate, 1886; documentation, including certificates and correspondence, of Watson's career, honours and awards over a period of forty years, including election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, 1922, the award of its Darwin medal, 1942, and the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society, 1965; correspondence about the Directorship of the British Museum (Natural History), 1937; correspondence about the presentation album on his retirement from the Jodrell Chair, 1951; correspondence and papers relating to his final retirement from research, 1965; obituaries, 1973; F R Parrington and T S Westoll's memoir of Watson from Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 1974; an account of Watson's early days and family background by his daughter Janet Vida; recollections by his research assistant Joyce Townsend; Watson's curriculum vita and bibliography.

Family papers include the birth certificate of Watson's father, David, 1846, correspondence with his wife Mary, 1888, and a letter of condolence to Mrs Watson on her husband's death, 1899; diaries of Mary Watson, 1881, 1885; birth certificate of their daughter Constance, 1888, letters from Constance to her brother David Meredith Seares Watson, 1905-1909 and undated; papers relating to Katharine Margarite Watson (née Parker), Watson's wife, including her birth certificate, 1891, marriage certificate, 1917, death certificate, 1969, and various correspondence; papers relating to Watson's daughter Katharine Mary, including letters of congratulation on her birth, 1918, and letters to her parents, 1950, 1955; material relating to Watson's mother's family, including letters of her father Samuel M Seares, 1871, 1879-1882; papers of Charles J B Hutchinson, 1879-1880, who emigrated to Australia after his engagement to Watson's mother was broken off but who remained in correspondence with her aunt, Fanny Rossiter; other Parker family papers, 1929-1972; miscellaneous other personal correspondence, 1896-1965.

Four Exchequer receipts dated 1568, 1580, 1616 and 1622 were found enclosed with a letter to Watson's wife.

Scientific correspondence of Watson, sometimes including photographs of fossil specimens, with leading palaeontologists in Africa, 1947-1953, America, 1915-1964, Australia, 1931-1962, China, 1926-1927, 1935-1964, England, 1913-1914, 1920, 1926-1960, France, 1930-1936, 1945-1956, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, 1920-1962, Russia, 1920-1962, and Scandinavia, 1922-1964, and with the palaeontologist Robert Broom, 1911-1950, and Watson's research assistant Joyce Townshend, 1929-1973, also including a few letters from Watson's wife and scientific colleagues, and an obituary of Watson, 1974; correspondence and papers on bones found at Qau, Egypt, 1930-1957, 1972; miscellaneous other palaeontological correspondence, 1912-1967. There are few copies of Watson's outgoing letters before the end of the Second World War.

Photographic material comprises photographs documenting Watson's career, [1912]-1965 and undated, some including colleagues; photographs of scientific colleagues, 1911-1951 and undated, including Watson's predecessor as Professor at University College London, J P Hill, and Robert Broom; album of photographs and signatures presented to Watson, 1951; undated family photographs, including a photograph of Watson as a boy, photographs of members of the Seares and Parker families, and photographs of Watson's wife, Katharine Margarite, and daughter, Katharine Mary; photographs of unidentified fossil specimens.

Royal Society Darwin Medal Award given to Watson, 1942.

Correspondence, 1819-1825, between Francis Place and his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and William Adams, concerning their travels in South America (including Buenos Aires and Chile).

Some correspondence, papers, and publications of Otto Loewi. The manuscript material is of a personal rather than a scientific nature and provides an important biographical source about Loewi's escape from Nazi Austria and his resettlement in the United States of America.

Two volumes of handwritten memoires describing the life of Amelia Archer on the Pampas in detail. There are 7 photographs of family groups and six postcards of scenes in the Pampas and at Punta Arenas held, also correspondence with Reading Museum, in a separate envelope.

Papers of Professor Charles Alfred Fisher, 1954-1980, including lecture notes on South East Asia including the overseas Chinese, the Mekong River and his visit to Burma in 1974; Foreign Office Research Department paper entitled 'UK Interests in SE Asia', 1964; and six personal letters on academic subjects, 1954-1980.

Lansbury's personal and political correspondence; correspondence between Lansbury's biographer, Raymond Postgate, and others after his death; correspondence and papers on subjects of interest to Lansbury, including schools, the Labour Party, unemployment, agriculture, India, the 1931 Cabinet Crisis, and the Metropolitan Police; photographs, personal and official, and caricatures from the press; press reviews of Lansbury's published works; printed matter, including articles, pamphlets, speeches and leaflets by or concerning Lansbury, election addresses, and personal ephemera. Volumes 1 - 26 consist of the personal and political correspondence and papers used by Lansbury's son-in-law, Raymond Postgate, in researching The Life of George Lansbury, published in 1951. These papers were presented to the British Library of Political and Economic Science by Professor Postgate in 1950. Volumes 27 - 30 were added to the collection some time later, and volume 31 consists of three files of personal correspondence which were added to the collection in 1994 and one file found in 1999.

Papers of Tony Lynes, 1957-1997, including research papers, correspondence and publications concerning various fields of social policy and administration collected by Lynes in his own research and as advisor to various organisations and individuals. Includes: material relating to research conducted as an assistant to Richard Titmuss and as an advisor to the Labour Party on social security policy; notes and papers concerning Lynes' involvement with the formulation of social security legislation; research material concerning pension schemes and policy (both domestic and international), housing, immigrants, asylum seekers, taxation, unemployment and work undertaken with his wife, Sally; papers, correspondence, reports and publications from and relating to Lynes campaigning and research into the functioning and operation of the Social Fund, 1988-1991.

Papers, 1955-1977, of Walter Barr Birmingham, comprising bibliographies and publications relating to economics in West Africa including Migrations into the Gold Coast (1955) and The State and Labour Migration in the South African Political Economy, with Particular Respect to Gold Mining (1977). It also contains the Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Conference of the West African Institute of Social and Economic Research (1956).