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Collection Overview

Title:
Words Press Records
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/cv43p6355
Dates:
1970-2018
Size:
4.2 linear feet and 5 boxes
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes B-001624 to B-001628
Language:
English

Abstract

Words Press is a British publishing imprint specializing in poetry that has been operated by Julian Nangle (1947- ) since the 1970s. The collection includes extensive correspondence with authors, publishers, and booksellers, submission and proof copies and other publishing materials related to serials produced by the press, author files, prospectuses and ephemera related to other small publishers, and administrative records.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of correspondence, publishing files, administrative records, and ephemera related to Julian Nangle's Words Press, a small British publishing imprint specializing in poetry that was associated with Nangle's bookshop, Words Etcetera. Materials include correspondence, submission and proof copies and other publishing materials related to serials produced by the press, author files, prospectuses and ephemera related to other small publishers, and administrative records.

Correspondence consists of letters exchanged between Julian Nangle and a variety of British and international poets, booksellers, publishers, and other literary and political figures, and many include manuscripts of poems and other enclosures. Materials related to publications produced by Words Press include a set of Words Broadsheets, signed by the authors, as well as submission and proof copies. Many writers contributed to the Words broadsheets, such as Ted Hughes, Frank Lissauer, Nicki Jackowska, Peter Redgrove, Denton Welch and Penelope Shuttle. There are also signed copies of each of the twenty titles published by Words Press as Mir Poets in the late 1980s, including proof copies and some submission copies. Authors associated with Mir Poets include George Mackay Brown, Kathleen Raine, Iain Sinclair, Ruth Fainlight and Alan Sillitoe, and others. There are also copies of the controversial magazine Slightly Soiled made famous for its critique of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association, as well as reviews and correspondence offering congratulations on the publication. Additionally, there are proof copies, photographs, images, and ephemera related to the literary magazine Words Etcetera, as well as a guest book signed by visitors to Nangle's bookshop of the same name. Author files include typescripts for over 30 poems by Anthony Naumann, as well as materials related to Martin Booth, Hugo Manning, David Gascoyne, Leonard Clark, and Christopher Sawyer-Laucanno.

Arrangement

Correspondence remains in original order. Where no original order was discernible, other materials were arranged by type/genre.

Collection Creator Biography:

Words Press

Collection History

Acquisition:

Purchased from Kenny's Bookshop and Art Galleries in 2020 (AM 2021-5).

Appraisal

No materials were separated from the collection during 2021 processing aside from routine appraisal practices.

Sponsorship:

Baseline processing of this collection was sponsored by the Delafield fund.

Processing Information

Baseline processing of this collection was completed by Kelly Bolding in September 2021. Finding aid written by Kelly Bolding in September 2021, incorporating some description written by the dealer.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Words Press Records; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/cv43p6355
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes B-001624 to B-001628