Purchases, 2004, 2008 (R15236, 2008-09-08-P)
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Joan Sibley and Daniela Lozano, 2016-2017
Iain MacGregor Sinclair was born June 11, 1943 in Cardiff, Wales, to Henry and Doris Sinclair, and grew up in Maesteg, a former mining town outside of Cardiff. He attended Cheltenham College and the London School of Film Technique (now the London Film School) before enrolling at Trinity College in Dublin where he served as the editor of the student literary magazine,
After moving to London, Sinclair worked various jobs including teacher, cigar roller, brewery barrel roller, dockyard laborer, and churchyard and cemetery gardener. In 1970, he started his own press, Albion Village Press, and published small editions of his works including the poetry books
While working as a laborer in east London with Catling, Sinclair became interested in six churches there designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. Sinclair believed there was a mythological significance to their locations and this became the subject of his long poem,
Sinclair spent the late 1970s and early 1980s working as a bookseller in addition to writing. This provided the idea and characters for his first novel,
In 1997, Sinclair published a collected volume of essays about his walks around London,
In addition to writing, Sinclair continued to make films.
Sinclair continues to live and work in Hackney. More recent works include
In addition to material found in the collection, the following sources were used:
Janes, Daniel Marc.
Jeffries, Stuart.
Sheppard, Robert.
The papers of British writer Iain Sinclair consist of drafts of works, research material, juvenilia, notebooks, personal and professional correspondence, business files, financial files, works by others, ephemera, and electronic files. They document Sinclair’s prolific and diverse career, from running his own press to his wide range of creative output including works of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, edited anthologies, screenplays, articles, essays, reviews, and radio and television contributions. The papers are organized into five series: I. Literary Activities, 1882-2009 (bulk 1970-2008), undated; II. Correspondence, 1957-2008, undated; III. Career and Personal Papers, 1950-2008, undated; IV. Works by Others, 1968-2008, undated; and V. Printed Materials, 1973-2008, undated.
The Ransom Center acquired the papers in two separate acquisitions in 2004 and 2008.
Except in a few cases, the material lacked an arrangement or organizational system.
Many items that were not related to each other were grouped into envelopes that were
either unlabeled or labeled with only some of their contents, though the labels were
often vague, such as
Series I. Literary Activities consists of 55 document boxes, 5 oversize boxes, and 9 oversize folders of materials associated with Sinclair’s writings and editorial projects. It is arranged into four subseries: A. Long Works, 1882-2009 (bulk 1970-2009), undated; B. Film and Television, 1967-2007, undated; C. Essays and Short Works, circa 1970s-2008, undated; and D. Other Writings, circa 1953-2008, undated. Works in each of these subseries are arranged in alphabetical order by title except for the book contributions and reviews which are arranged alphabetically by author, and the notebooks which are arranged chronologically.
Subseries A. Long Works consists of Sinclair’s book-length works published between 1970 and 2009. This includes poetry and prose compilations, novels, non-fiction works, and books edited by Sinclair. Within each title, the material generally follows the chronological order of literary production, from research and notes to publication proofs. When present, related material such as dust jacket proofs and publicity material follow the drafts. Notebooks that were originally filed with a specific work, or labeled with the title of a specific work, are located with that work. In some cases, handwritten notes are written on letters or empty envelopes, or on the back of discarded typescript pages. When identified, the titles of the typescript drafts on the versos of pages of notes are indicated in the container list. Drafts remain arranged in the order in which they arrived at the Ransom Center which, especially in the cases of works of poetry, is not necessarily the order in which they appear in their published form. Some works also include extensive research material especially
Sinclair published some of his early works under his own presses, Albion Village Press, and later, Hoarse Commerce Press. The works published under Albion Village Press are
A few early typescripts, as well as a paste-up of
Subseries B. Film and Television contains material related to Sinclair’s film and television projects, including several that are unproduced. Completed projects include
Subseries C. Essays and Short Works is made up of short writings for various publications, especially
Subseries D. Other Writings consists of book contributions, early works, lectures and talks, lyrics, notebooks, poetry, reviews, assorted short writings, notes and fragments, and unsorted electronic files.
Book contributions include introductions, poems, stories, and essays published in books by other writers or compilations. Listed alphabetically by the author of the work, they include typescripts and, in some cases, notes, research material, and proofs of the work.
Early works consist of early writings and juvenilia. Notebooks from Sinclair’s time at Cheltenham College and Trinity College in Dublin are also included. The early writings are primarily drafts of plays and poems, though a film script and an unfinished novel are also present. Of note in this section is a handwritten manuscript of Sinclair’s first story written around 1953,
The Lectures and Talks section is comprised of drafts of lectures given at various events. They are listed alphabetically by title. Notes for talks are also included at the end of this section though some of the events with which they are associated are not identified.
The small section of Lyrics consists of typescripts of song lyrics written by Sinclair, some in collaboration with composer John Harle.
Sixty-five notebooks spanning from about 1960 to 2007 are included. They are arranged chronologically and provide perspective into Sinclair’s writing and writing process. The earlier notebooks from the 1960s to the 1970s primarily contain drafts of poems, notes, jottings, and occasional doodles. The later notebooks contain notes, lists, and drafts for various works. The majority of the notebooks are unlabeled; however, in cases where the title of a specific work contained in the notebook was noted or could be ascertained, that information was included in the description. Of interest is the
A small poetry section in this subseries consists of some
The reviews in this subseries, many of which were written for
The Assorted Short Writings section contains short pieces written by Sinclair such as solicited book recommendations and promotional blurbs for works by other writers.
Notes on various subjects as well as assorted fragments are located at the end of this subseries and are listed alphabetically by subject. Two folders containing various typescript fragments and notes at the end of this section also include portions of
A small section at the end of this series is comprised of unsorted electronic files contained on a Macintosh Performa 460 hard drive (0809008P-001) and two disks (20080908P-008 through 20080908P-009). The hard drive contains drafts of works, as well as notes and correspondence, from 1995 to 2006. The drafts include
Series II. Correspondence contains personal and professional letters. It is subdivided into three subseries: A. Alphabetical Files, 1963-2008, undated; B. Chronological Files, 1962-2008, undated; and C. Family, School, and Early Correspondence, 1957-circa 2000s, undated. The Alphabetical Files and Family, School, and Early Correspondence reflect the original order in which the correspondence from the first accession was received. Letters not filed within these categories were arranged chronologically in the Chronological Files. The correspondence in the second accession of material lacked a filing system and those letters were either interfiled with the Alphabetical files, if a file for that correspondent was present, or added to the Chronological Files.
Subseries A. Alphabetical Files consists of personal and professional correspondence
filed alphabetically by sender and reflect Sinclair’s arrangement as received with
the first accession of materials. Correspondence received with the second accession
lacked this organization; however, for consistency, letters from senders that
already had an alphabetical file were added to that file, with the exception of
printed out emails included in the email files from 2005 to 2008. Especially well
represented in this subseries are writers Tony Lowes, Michael Moorcock, and Chris
Torrance. Moorcock often sent Sinclair various items in addition to letters
including toys, candy, and ephemera. An item of interest in the correspondence is a
matchbox containing a petrified lizard carcass (found in container 57.2) sent to
Sinclair by Brian Catling who often addressed him as
Subseries B. Chronological Files contains correspondence from 1962 to 2008 that was not separated into alphabetical or topical files. It includes letters related to Albion Village Press, financial and legal correspondence, personal letters, requests, invitations, and printed ephemera such as newsletters and brochures. Within each year, the letters are arranged alphabetically by sender. Letters with an unidentified sender or signed with first name only and any empty envelopes are filed at the end of the folder. A few outgoing letters are included throughout, especially in the files from 1999 and later, and these are interfiled with their corresponding incoming letter, if present, or at the end.
Interfiled within the chronological files are a small amount of email printouts, but the bulk of the emails were grouped separately in envelopes. They range from 2005 to 2008 and are located at the end of the chronological files. These are organized by year and arranged in rough chronological order within each year. Sinclair’s replies and printed out attachments are sometimes included. Some emails also contain handwritten notes or replies by Sinclair.
Other small topical files of correspondence included at the end of this subseries are poetry submissions and requests for readings or other events. Unidentified and loose enclosures were grouped by year and are also located at the end of this subseries. They consist of ephemera, clippings, business cards, and unidentified photocopies.
Subseries C. Family, School, and Early Correspondence contains letters that were grouped but filed separately from the alphabetical files. This includes early personal correspondence, filed alphabetically under the General section; early letters regarding employment; letters from Sinclair’s family, including his parents, wife, and children; rejection letters from the 1960s; and school-related correspondence from Cheltenham College, Trinity College, and Courtauld Institute of Art. The correspondence in the Trinity College file includes letters and submissions from the time Sinclair served as editor of the literary magazine,
The bulk of the correspondents are listed in the Index of Correspondents included in this guide except for Christmas cards signed with first names only or unidentified, and mass emails received from various neighborhood listservs.
Series III. Career and Personal Papers contains documents and material related to Sinclair’s businesses, writing career, and contributions to various events and organizations. It is divided into two subseries: A. Business and Employment, 1969-2003, undated; and B. Other Papers, 1950-2008, undated. The material in this series is filed in alphabetical order by name or topic.
Subseries A. Business and Employment contains material related to Sinclair’s presses, Albion Village Press and Hoarse Commerce Press; his bookselling business, Iain Sinclair Books; and his time as editor of the Paladin Poetry series.
The Albion Village Press files make up the bulk of this subseries and consist of catalogues, correspondence, financial records, reviews, and production material for books published by the press including several paste ups. The works represented include early works by Sinclair, also listed in Series I. Literary Activities, Subseries A. Long Works, as well as works by Brian Catling, Tony Lowes, J. H. Prynne, Peter Riley, and Chris Torrance. Several of the paste-ups arrived at the Ransom Center with evidence of mold. The Center’s Conservation Department has vacuum treated these, but mold spores may still be present. For health reasons, patrons may consider wearing gloves and a dust/mist respirator while handling this material. The affected paste-ups are Catling’s
Material related to Hoarse Commerce Press consists of book paste-ups for works by Sinclair, and one paste-up for
Business cards, correspondence, and financial records for Sinclair’s bookselling business, Iain Sinclair Books, is included in this subseries. The orders found here are primarily for Oliver’s
Sinclair served as editor of the Paladin Poetry series, Re/Active Anthologies, in the early 1990s and material related to that editorship is included here. It consists of drafts and correspondence from poets Allen Fisher, Bill Griffiths, Barry MacSweeney, and Chris Torrance, as well as correspondence with the publisher of the series, Grafton Books, which later merged with HarperCollins. The Grafton Books/HarperCollins files also include letters regarding
Subseries B. Other Papers is primarily made up of material related to Sinclair’s writing career, including financial and legal documents, as well as material from his various event, exhibition, and radio and television contributions. A small amount of articles and interviews are also included in this subseries, as well as photographs documenting Sinclair’s honorary degree from Brunel University in 2007. The materials are in alphabetical order by topic.
The Events and Exhibitions section makes up the bulk of this subseries and consists of programs and promotional material for conferences, festivals, and exhibitions with which Sinclair was involved. Some files also include correspondence and notes. It is arranged alphabetically by event name.
Financial and Legal documents in this subseries includes contracts and files related to royalties and income from different sources, including the BBC. Material from Sinclair’s agent, MBA Literary Agents, is also filed here. Personal financial files consist of bills, receipts, statements, invoices, and check stub books.
Subjects represented in the Subject Files and Collected Materials section are primarily individuals, though a collection of clippings on the moon landing and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy are also included. The individuals represented in the subject files include historical figures as well as Sinclair collaborators. Among them are Marc Atkins, William Hope Hodgson, John Cowper Powys, Sarah Simblet, Jack Trevor Story, and Peter Whitehead. Material that was grouped together but lacking a unifying theme or topic was kept together and is filed at the end of this section. The grouping does not necessarily indicate the material was collected together for a specific purpose, and some files include unidentified notes by Sinclair.
The Television and Radio section in this subseries contains material related to Sinclair’s contributions to various television and radio broadcasts, especially for the BBC. The files include research material, notes, scripts, correspondence, and production material.
Series IV. Works by Others consists of typescripts and proofs of works written by others, arranged alphabetically by author. A small amount of these works are about Sinclair and those are listed at the beginning of the series. They include an unpublished essay by Kathy Acker, several extracts of Robert Bond’s PhD thesis, and an essay by Simon Perril. The bulk of the series is made up of works that are not about Sinclair and were sent to him by authors and publishers. Some of the writers represented are Brian Catling, Stewart Home, Michael Moorcock, Douglas Oliver, Simon Perril, Chris Petit, Jeremy Reed, David Seabrook, Ben Watson, and Tony White.
Series V. Printed Materials is subdivided into four subseries: A. Catalogues, 1977-2005, undated; B. Chapbooks and Publications, 1973-2003, undated; C. Newsletters and Serials, 1973-2008, undated; and D. Ephemera, circa 1970s-2000s. The catalogues, newsletters and serials, and ephemera are arranged alphabetically by name or title, while the chapbooks and publications are arranged alphabetically by author.
Subseries A. Catalogues contains catalogues from various booksellers, publishers, and small presses. The publishers’ catalogues that contain books by Sinclair are noted in parentheses, however, some of the bookseller and small press catalogues also include his works and/or information on Albion Village Press or Iain Sinclair Books.
Subseries B. Chapbooks and Publications includes works by various writers including Simon Perril, Nicholas Royle, and Barry Tebb.
Subseries C. Newsletters and Serials consists of periodical issues, some of which contain essays or excerpts by Sinclair or reviews of his books, noted in parentheses in the container list. Of note is a copy of issue number 4 of
Subseries D. Ephemera contains a large amount of ephemera collected by Sinclair including brochures, invitations, flyers, programs, and promotional material. It is divided into ephemera related to art and theatre, and ephemera related to book publishing and periodicals. Ephemera in this subseries does not include items for events or exhibitions with which Sinclair was a participant or contributor. The arrangement is alphabetical by the name of the organization or business.
Letters from Iain Sinclair to Bill Griffiths are in the Bill Griffiths Collection at Brunel University London.
Bound volumes and commercial audio CDs were transferred to the Ransom Center Library. One unpublished CD was transferred to the Ransom Center Sound Recordings Collection. A computer hard drive, data CDs, and floppy disks were transferred to the Ransom Center's Electronic Records Collection. Several small promotional items (buttons, pencil) were transferred to the Ransom Center Personal Effects Collection.