Northern Arts Manuscript Collection

Lit and Phil Library
23 Westgate Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE1 1SE

Telephone: 0191 232 0192

Website: http://www.litandphil.org.uk

The Northern Arts Manuscript Collection is comprised of a variety of literary papers including writer’s original manuscripts, drafts, revisions, correspondence and press clippings, organised into 12 volumes. Access to these is available by request at the library.

Vol 1

Alan Plater: manuscripts, drafts and correspondence relating to Close the Coal House Door

Vol 2 a, b and c

Normal Nicolson: manuscripts and first editions relating to Birth By Drowning , Cloud on Black Combe, Wednesday Early Closing including tape cassettes of recordings and hand written poetry manuscripts

Vol 3

Basil Bunting : manuscript and tape reel of Briggflats

Sid Chaplin: manuscripts of The Day of The Sardine and The Thin Seam

Tony Jackson: 2 poems

Anne Stevenson: manuscripts relating to Minute By Glass Minute

Vol 4

David Wright: manuscripts of A View Of the North and poem worksheets

Vol 5

James Kirkup: letters, drafts and typescript of Cyrano de Bergerac, manuscript of Berwick Bestiary

Vol 6

Tony Harrison: manuscript of Oresteia, translation manuscript of The Misanthrope by Moliere and Phaedra Britannica Jean by Racine, manuscript of poems

Vol 7

Richard Kell: poem manuscripts

Tom Pickard poem manuscripts

Rodney Pybus: poem manuscripts

Fred Reed poem manuscripts

Paul Bailey:  manuscript of The Worthy Guest

plus University Theatre Programmes

Vol 8

John Silken: manuscripts of The Little Timekeeper, Killhope Wheel and poems

John McGahern: short story manuscripts

Vol 9

Cecil P Taylor: manuscripts for Nearer than Further, Antigone and Goldberg

Thomas Berwick: manuscripts of The Commemoration engravings

Michael Standen: manuscripts relating to The Dreamland Tree

Vol 9 a

Michael Standen: typescript, first draft and later draft of The Dreamland Tree

Vol 10 – Modern Tower Poetry Readings

This archive is composed of correspondence (including typed and handwritten letters and postcards) between the years of approximately 1965 – 1975 from numerous poets, artists, publishers and critics, both American and European to Tom and Connie Pickard.

These articles are predominantly related to the Modem Tower Poetry Readings but also to publication in magazines and funding as well as some examples poetry and some feedback. There is correspondence from City Lights, Fulcum Press and Anvil Press and a number of letters relating to the poet Jack Common. In particular there is a significant amount of correspondence from the poets Michael Shayer, Gael Turnball and Jonathan Williams.

Full list of poets:

John Betjeman, Robert Bly, Phillip. H Bomford,  Martin Booth, Alan C Brown, Pete Brown, Paul Buck, Basil Bunting, Arthur Calder-Marshall, Sid Chaplain, Robert Creeley, Andrew Crozier, Ivor Cutler,  James Dickey, Ed Dorn, Elaine Feinstein, Lawrence Ferlinghetti,  Ian Finlay, Roy Fisher, Allen Ginsburg, Denis Goudie, Robert Graves, Christopher Grieve, Roger Guedella, Donald Hall, Michael Hamburger,  Richard Hamilton, Geoffrey Hill,  Anselm Hollo, Michael Horovitz, Dom Sylvester Houedard, Libby Houston,  Ted Hughes,  Wang Hui –Ming, David Ignaton, GR Ions, Alan Jackson, Ted Joans,  BS Johnson, Lionel Kearns, High Kenner, Milton Kessler, Nick Kimberley, Galway Kinnell, Sid Korman,  Laurie Lee,  John Lehmann, Peter Lewis, Christopher Logue, Norman McCaig, Barry McSweeney, Clive Matson, Matthew Mead, Christopher Middleton, Adrian Mitchell, Hugh MacDiarmid, Stuart Montgomery, Edwin Morgan, Eric Mottram,  J Newlove, Norman Nicholson, Octavio Paz, Brian Pattern, Paul Potts, Omar Pound, Jeremy Prynn, Carl Rakosi,  Tom Raworth, CJ Rawson, Herbert Read, Fred Reed, Charles Reznikoff, John Rolph,  Alan Ross, Jerome Rothenberg, Michael Shayer, Colin Simms, Nicos Stangos, Edward Lucie Smith, Bernard Stone, Robert Garioch, John Temple,  Jos Tilson, Lorna Tracy,  Alex Trocci, Gael Turnbull,  Robert Van Dias, Tony Ward, Michael Waters, Eric White, Jonathan Williams,  Fiz Williams

Vol 11

Alistair Elliot: manuscript of Contentions

Fleur Adcock: notebooks and poetry manuscripts for The Scenic Route, Hotspur and Below Loughrigg

Vol 11 a and Vol 11 a2

Alistair Elliot: various manuscripts, notebooks and first editions relating to the Lazarus Poems, Talking Back and Talking to Bead

Vol 12

Edward Bond typescript and revisions of The Worlds