The fonds consists of letters created or received by Paul Tiessen regarding the movie-going practices and environments of Malcolm Lowry. Letters were created from 1968-1988 and address five main topics of Tiessen’s queries: Lowry’s early years (1909-1927); visit to Bonn, Germany (1928); education at the University of Cambridge (1929-1932); time in the United States, particularly Hollywood; and settlement and activities in Vancouver, especially in relation to the local Film Society movement. Significant correspondents represented in the collection include the following: Russell Lowry, brother of Malcolm Lowry; Margerie Lowry, Malcolm Lowry’s widow; Muriel Bradbrook, Cambridge professor and author of a Lowry biography; Rachael Low, film historian; Gerald Noxon, Lowry’s Canadian friend; Christopher Isherwood, author and Hollywood reader of one of Lowry’s film scripts; and Earl and Esther Birney, Lowry’s friends and attendees of Vancouver Film Society screenings.

Letters are arranged in subject files dedicated to particular correspondents (e.g. Russell Lowry) or areas of Tiessen’s inquiry (e.g. Lowry’s time in Germany). Letters in files are arranged chronologically. Documentary forms include correspondence (handwritten and typed), copies of the Malcolm Lowry Newsletter, newspaper clippings, a pamphlet from the British Film Institute, photocopies of various journal articles, and library photoduplication order forms.