A Preliminary Inventory of His Collection of Henry Miller in the Manuscript
Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Miller, Alexander B.
Title:
Alexander B. Miller Collection of Henry
Miller
Dates:
1936-2007
Extent:
2 boxes (.84 linear feet) and 1285 electronic files (1.9 GB)
Abstract:
Mainly correspondence from Henry Miller to
Renate Gerhardt, including handwritten and typed letters, postcards, and telegrams;
the
materials also include a small amount of correspondence to Conte Antonini, as well
as some
related autograph material and photographs. There are also electronic versions of
the materials.
Call Number:
Manuscript Collection MS-05078
Language:
English
Access:
Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials. To request access to electronic files, please email Reference.
Restrictions on Use:
Certain restrictions apply to the use of electronic files. Researchers must agree
to the
Materials Use Policy for Electronic Files before accessing them. Original computer
disks and
forensic disk images are restricted. Copying electronic files, including screenshots
and
printouts, is not permitted.
Administrative Information
Acquisition:
Gift, 2007 (G 12558)
Processed by:
Stephen Cooper, 2007
Born digital materials processed, arranged, and described by Chance Adams and Brenna
Edwards, 2015-2022.
This collection of Henry Miller materials was given to the Ransom Center by Alexander
B.
Miller, a private collector unrelated to Henry Miller, who purchased most of the materials
in 1998. The bulk of the collection is made up of correspondence from Miller to Renate
Gerhardt, a German publisher with whom he had a romantic relationship during the 1960s,
as
well as a few letters to Gerhardt from Gerald Robitaille, Miller's secretary. This
correspondence has not been publicly available since its creation. Also present in
the
collection are twenty letters to and from Count Antonini and others, one carbon copy
of a
letter from Gerhardt to Henry Miller, one letter from Gerhardt to Alexander Miller,
and a
small amount of business and personal materials related to Henry Miller.
The papers are arranged in two series: I. Correspondence, 1936-2000; and II. Miller-Related
and Other Materials, 1949-2007. Upon arrival, all of the correspondence was in rough
chronological order organized by author, and a small amount of further organization
was done
to complete this arrangement.
The correspondence in Series I. includes handwritten and typed letters, postcards,
telegrams, and a large number of envelopes that were separated from their corresponding
letters before arrival at the Ransom Center. The correspondence to Gerhardt reveals
a wide
variety of subject matter, from romantic conversation to discussions about their children,
financial matters, health difficulties, literary issues, contemporary writers and
other
notable persons, and travel plans.
The materials in Series II., Miller-Related and Other Materials, include a photograph
of
Miller with Brenda Venus, a book catalog of "Titles Available and Unavailable" for
works
available directly from Miller in Big Sur, two pamphlets and a press release put out
by
Miller, promotional materials related to Miller's watercolor paintings, a Henry Miller
Literary Society newsletter from 1960, publishing promotional materials, an essay
by Karl
Orend titled "Miller-Gerhardt Collection, An Introduction," and a thesis titled "The
Temple
Of the Living God."
The materials in Series III. Electronic Materials includes electronic versions of
the materials
in Series I and II.
Related Material
Seventeen books by or about the author were part of the gift and were transferred
to the
Ransom Center Library.
