MS 294 - Robert Aickman Collection
MLA Citation
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| Title | MS 294 - Robert Aickman Collection |
|---|---|
| Biographical Sketch | Robert Fordyce Aickman (1913-1981) was a distinguished British author of stories of the supernatural. He published a number of books including The Late Breakfasters, Cold Hand in Mine, Intrusions, and an acclaimed autobiography entitled The Attempted Rescue. The grandson of the noted Victorian novelist Richard Marsh, Aickman won the World Fantasy Award in 1978. He received some training in architecture (his father's profession), but he was more at home in the worlds of literature, theater, ballet and music. He had served as theater critic for The Nineteenth Century and After as well as Chairman of the London Opera Society. He was active in the London Opera Club, the Ballets Minerva and the Mikron Theater Company. Aickman acted on a life-long interest when in 1946 he founded the Inland Waterways Association, dedicated to better maintenance and increased use of England's rivers and canals. He is widely credited with saving the British canal system for future generations. Aickman's diverse interests led to personal friendships with talented and interesting people in all walks of life. In his youth, for example, he was befriended by playwright Clifford Bax and actress Meum Stewart. Many of the books from Miss Stewart's library bearing her distinctive bookplate went to Aickman upon her death and now, in turn, form part of Bowling Green's Rare Book Collection. |
| Scope and Content | The original manuscripts of many of Aickman's stories and plays form the basis of the Robert Aickman Collection. Also included are Aickman's appointment books and journals for the years 1943-1946 and 1949-1980 which give brief, tantalizing glimpses of his private life but, unfortunately, little in the way of concrete information. The almost illegible nature of much of Aickman's handwriting makes the holographic portions of these materials difficult to use. In addition, the collection includes correspondence, which provides some indication of Aickman's varied circle of acquaintances. Completing the collection are hundreds of news clippings, brochures, book catalogs, tearsheets, and other items collected by Aickman between 1930 and 1980. The quantity and character of these items testify to his careful attention to detail and to his diverse interests which encompassed nineteenth and twentieth century literature, drama, and art; the supernatural and religion; politics and world affairs; royalty; economics; education; population control; and travel and transportation. The collection is most illuminating for the study of Aickman's works, in particular, and of fiction of the supernatural, in general. It is also strong in its reflection of British literary and artistic life during the years 1880 to 1980, with a special emphasis on Oscar Wilde, Lord Alfred Douglas and their contemporaries. |
| Series Description | CORRESPONDENCE ROBERT AICKMAN CORRESPONDENCE MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE LITERARY PRODUCTIONS RESEARCH NOTES MANUSCRIPTS (LITERARY) REMINISCENCES SPEECHES ARCHITECTURAL NOTEBOOKS SCHOOL ESSAYS TRANSCRIPTIONS DIARIES, APPOINTMENT BOOKS JOURNALS OF QUOTATIONS FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS LEDGERS MAPS, CHARTS, DIAGRAMS, GRAPHS, LISTS, ETC. LISTS PRINTED MATERIAL CERTIFICATE 1905 AWARDS PAMPHLETS FLYERS, ADVERTISEMENTS CLIPPINGS BROADSIDES PROGRAMS BOOK CATALOGS/TEARSHEETS PERIODICALS PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS POSITIVE PRINTS AUDIO RECORDINGS AUDIO RECORDING TAPE MISCELLANEOUS AUTOGRAPHS |
| Inventory | Box 1 Folders
Box 2 Folders
Box 3 Folders
Box 4 Folders
Box 5 Folders
Folders
Box 7 Folders
Box 8 Folders
Box 9 Folders
Box 10 Folders
Box 11 Folders Journal of quotations, n.d. Ledger (W. A. Aickman?), 1899-1900 Ledger (Richard Marsh, Ltd.), 1944-1967 Ledger (Mrs. Robert Aickman), 1942-1945 Lists, 1930, 1965 Box 12 Folders
Box 13 Folders
Box 14 Folders
Box 15 Folders
Box 16 Folders
Box 17 Folders
Box 18 Folders
Box 19 Folders
Box 20 Folders
Box 21 Folders
Box 22 Folders
Box 23 Folders
Box 24 Folders
Box 25 Folders
Box 26 Folders
Box 27 Folders
Box 28 Folders
Box 29 Folders
Box 30 Folders
Box 31 Folders
Box 32 Folders
Box 33 Folders
Box 34 Folders
Box 35 Folders
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