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Victor Gollancz Author Files
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The British book publishing house Victor Gollancz Ltd. was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz (1893–1967) and specialized in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership passed to his daughter, Livia, who sold the imprint to Houghton Mifflin in 1989.
The collection consists of the British publisher Victor Gollancz's author files on Miguel Ángel Asturias, Edith Sitwell, and Richard Wright.
The Miguel Ángel Asturias files regard his book El Señor Presidente (1946), and contain the original contract signed by Asturias; several readers' reports by A. L. Lloyd, J. Garcia Pradas, Gwyn Thomas, and Harriet de Onis; a 3-page typed author's questionnaire/biography; correspondence with potential translators, including several letters from Gwyn Thomas, letters and a signed contract from Frances Partridge, and postcards from V. S. Pritchett; as well as copious correspondence with Asturias's agent, Luisa Daniel. Also included are post-Nobel Prize correspondence regarding reprints and an author jacket photograph.
The Richard Wright files deal with four books: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1939), including the original contract with Harper & Brothers (not signed), 2 reader's reports, and a letter from Curtis Brown; Native Son (1940), including the original contract with Harper & Brothers (not signed), 2 reader's reports, and a letter from Curtis Brown; Black Boy (1945), including the original contract signed by Wright, reader's report, and libel correspondence with Rubinstein; and American Hunger (1978), including the original contract (not signed), reader's report, and original dust jacket photograph.
The Edith Sitwell files consist of correspondence, primarily from Edith Sitwell to Victor Gollancz Ltd., regarding her works issued under the firm's imprint, which include I Live under the Black Sun (1937), Edith Sitwell's Anthology (1940), To the Dark Tower (alternatively titled Spring Torrents, unpublished), Look! The Sun (1941), and The Atlantic Book of British and American Poetry (1958), which she edited. In addition to correspondence, the files also contain contracts and other correspondence with Sitwell's literary agent, American publishers, legal advisors, and others.
The files are organized by author name, then arranged chronologically.
Files on Miguel Ángel Asturias and Richard Wright were purchased in 2013 (2014-58). Files on Edith Sitwell were purchased in 2015 (2015-80).
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.
This collection was processed by John Delaney in December 2013. Finding aid written by John Delaney in December 2013. Finding aid updated by Kelly Bolding in April 2015.
Nothing was discarded or transferred in the processing of this collection.
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Subject
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- John Delaney; Kelly Bolding
- Finding Aid Date
- Published on December 20, 2013
- Access Restrictions
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Collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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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.
Collection Inventory
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
Originally titled Spring Torrents.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
Edited by Edith Sitwell.
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder