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Stuart Mills Papers
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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
Stuart Mills (1940-2006) was a poet and publisher of Tarasque and Aggie Weston's. Born in Flintshire in North Wales, he was raised in Birmingham, and studied painting at Birmingham Art College. He founded Tarasque in 1962, and in 1965, he and Simon Cutts created and co-edited the Tarasque magazine. The Tarasque Press exemplified small press publishing, and its publications were complemented by poem-cards, postcards, and poem-prints. The magazine offered a forum to writers of the 'small poem,' a style which was characterized by a 'post-concrete' lyrical brevity. Through its run, Tarasque published works by poets such as Gael Turnbull, Roy Fisher, Spike Hawkins, Robert Garioch, Hugh Creighton Hill, Basil Bunting, and Robert Lax. Eleven issues of the magazine were published between 1965 and 1971, and the Tarasque Press was celebrated by a 1972 retrospective exhibition, Metaphor and Motif, at the Midland Group Gallery in Nottingham. During the period of time running Tarasque, Mills opened the Trent Bookshop in Nottingham with Martin Parnell, as well as Drury Hill bookshop and gallery, and Bux. In 1965, he organized the Nottingham Poetry Festival.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Mills taught at Derby University. After the close of Tarasque, he launched Aggie Weston'sin 1972, and this occasional magazine ran 21 issues of poetry between 1973 and 1984. Named after Aggie Weston, who had founded seamen's homes, the magazine was intended as a community for poets, painters and photographers. In the 1980s, Mills founded the Atrium Gallery, which became a venue for photography and art festivals.
This collection documents the writing and publishing career of Stuart Mills, with materials spanning the 1950s to 2006. Materials pertaining to Mills' work as a poet include his published and unpublished writings in both poetry and prose, and consist of notebooks, scrapbooks, diary entries, manuscript and typescript drafts, notes, and drawings. Materials concerning his work as a small-press publisher include correspondence; mockups and layouts of issues, including annotations on typeface and design; drafts of compositions, fragments, and notes; publicity ephemera, such as clippings, newsletters, and brochures; photographs; and in some cases, the copies of the issues themselves. During the operation of Aggie Weston's in particular, are materials (mostly correspondence) concerning the funding difficulties that the press had after the East Midlands Arts and Arts Council of Great Britain pulled its funding. Overall, the bulk of the collection consists of correspondence; there is correspondence throughout the collection, in addition to the correspondence series. Even within Mills' writings and notebooks, he includes drafts of letters he wrote to his correspondents. Many of Mills' correspondents were poets, artists, editors, typographers, authors, literary critics, and publishers with whom he collaborated, or who had contributed to his publications, but a large amount of the correspondence is to and from Simon Cutts and Ian Hamilton Finlay. A small amount of correspondence is more business-oriented and concerns the libraries, bookshops, and individuals who subscribed to or purchased his publications. The collection also contains a small amount of photographic prints depicting the Midland Group Gallery in Nottingham; Stuart Mills' sculptural works; Ian Hamilton Finlay's property at Stonypath; John Blakemore still-lifes; and various portraits and events.
The arrangement of the materials was adapted from the dealer's arrangement. Where materials are not grouped by project (e.g. publication projects and magazines Stuart Mills ran), they are grouped by material type.
Purchased from William Allen Word & Image in 2021 (AM 2021-087).
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 Amy C. Vo in 2022. The dealer had primarily housed materials in plastic binder sleeves and binders. The majority of these binders were retained, and each sleeve contains item-level description from the seller. Materials were rehoused in folders and boxes in instances where binders were damaged or materials were loose in containers.
Several groupings of correspondence, which were separated by sender in the dealer's arrangement, were integrated to create the Correspondence series. The dealer groupings included the "Simon Cutts, Erica Van Horn, and Kay Roberts Correspondence to Stuart and Rosemary Mills" series, the "Ian Hamilton Finlay Correspondence" series, and a subseries of materials from the Aggie Weston's series called "Miscellaneous correspondence and orders from libraries, collectors, and dealers" (now called "Business") which actually also included correspondence related to Mills' work with Tarasque and Poet's Poems. A gift for Stuart Mills' son from Simon Cutts was also moved from the Tarasque series and added to Correspondence.
Finding aid written by Amy C. Vo in 2022, incorporating description written by the dealer, and retaining some dealer-supplied folder titles. Titles were changed to simplify arrangement and and title information was added to scope and content descriptions where appropriate.
The born-digital materials in this collection have been processed according to Princeton University Library's Born-Digital Processing Workflows. For more information on the workflow, please read our full Born-Digital Processing Information Note.
Photocopies of the Ian Hamilton Finlay notebook in the "Domestic Pensées" series were discarded, as the collection contains the original notebook.
Subject
- Concrete poetry -- 20th century -- Periodicals
- Concrete poetry -- History and criticism
- Poetry, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals
- Concrete poetry, English
- Little magazines -- Great Britain -- 20th century
- Editors -- Great Britain -- 20th century
- Poetry -- Publishing -- England -- 20th century
- Publishers and publishing -- England -- 20th century
- Small presses
- Small presses -- Great Britain -- 20th century
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Amy C. Vo
- Finding Aid Date
- 2022
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- 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
This series of materials contains notebooks that Stuart Mills kept through his career, beginning in the 1950s as an art student at Birmingham College of Art. Dating through to the 2000s, the notebooks also include a scrapbook with clippings of the Hertford Exhibition where Mills was an exhibiting artist, and a scrapbook of ephemera related to Trent Book Shop, Tarasque, and the Bux Gallery. The bulk of the materials are from the 1960s, when Mills' first began experimenting with poetry.
The notebooks contain a variety of Mills' drafts and compositions, and include: drafted letters to various collaborators, poets, and artists (such as Ian Hamilton Finlay, Lee Harwood, Edwin Morgan); diary entries; prose (including descriptive, autobiographical, fragment, reflections and critical essays about poetry, painting, art, philosophy, teaching, other artists, the "world of little magazines," etc.); poetry; drawings, sketches, and cartoons; writing notes; lists (such as authors, books, quotations, definitions, Q&As, glossaries, contact lists); scrapbooks; a poetry anthology mockup; and small collages.
The notebooks in this series were not arranged.
Physical Description30 items
This series was arranged by the dealer.
This series of materials consists primarily of drafts of Mills' poetry and prose, as well as essay drafts, autobiographical pieces, short stories, reflections, a radio play script, fragments, notes, lists, and numerous drafts of correspondence. Some of these draft letters were addressed to Peter Quartermaine, Robin Crozier, Alan Halsey, Adrian Mitchell, Marjorie Perlof, Jonathan Williams, and Pia Simig, among several others. A small portion of the notes and fragments pertain to novel ideas that Mills was developing and researching. The essays pertain to the works of poets and artists (e.g. Ian Hamilton Finlay, Roy Fisher, David Prentice, and Peter Berry), as well as broader topics, such as the "world of little magazines." Additional materials pertaining to Mills' writing include mockups and layouts of works such as poetry booklets and maquettes, but most significantly the board mockups of "30 Signatures to Silver Catches" by Ian Hamilton Finlay, Margot Sandeman, and Stuart Mills, which Tarasque Press printed in 1971 and also likely put on exhibition. To a lesser extent, the series also contains drawings, paintings, and collages; a small amount of teaching notes; and material related to to Tarasque, Aggie Weston's, and Poet's Poems. Mills' drawing of the Tarasque bird that became the magazine's front cover design is in this series. Some of these publications-related materials include catalogue lists, a note to subscribers, and planning notes.
Physical Description1 item
The materials were arranged by the dealer.
This series consists primarily correspondence to Stuart Mills (and at times, Rosemary Mills) and from Simon Cutts and Ian Hamilton Finlay. There are also letters from Erica Van Horn, Kay Roberts, Pia Simig, and Nicola Bisset. Simon Cutts and Ian Hamilton Finlay were major partners on, and contributors to, Stuart Mills' publishing and creative ventures. The correspondence among these various parties may overlap with some of the other series, as Mills had worked so closely with both Cutts and Finlay throughout his career. There is also a chunk of material in this series which is more business-oriented (such as matters pertaining to orders and subscriptions) from libraries, institutions, bookshops, and other subscribers. This material also includes invoices, purchases, and receipts, and span the various publications that Mills worked on, from Tarasque to Poet's Poems.
Physical Description19 folders
4 folders
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
3 folders
This series was arranged by the dealer.
This series documents the writing, development, design, publicity, and publication of the artist book Domestic Pensées by Ian Hamilton Finlay, which was published by Aggie Weston's in 2004. Materials consist of correspondence, drafts, mockups, photographs, ephemera, a copy of Domestic Pensées, and Finlay's notebook of material. The notebook that he kept contains "fragments, observations, verbal images, and concrete constellations." The correspondence documents decisions regarding design and production, such as the photographs used in the book, edition size, typeface, layout, and drawings. Some of the correspondents include Tom Bee, David Bellingham, Stephen Duncalf, Colin Sackett, and others. A small amount of correspondence pertains to A Colourful Little Boat, a work on which Mills and Finlay collaborated together, and published through Aggie Weston's in 1998. There are manuscript and typescript drafts, fragments, and notes, as well as copies of the manuscript with typeface and design annotations. There are black and white photographic prints in the collection, the majority of which were taken at Stonypath, Finlay's farm and property located in the Pentland Hills of Scotland. There is a small amount of ephemera, such as an Aggie Weston's newsletter, an order form for Domestic Pensées, a brochure, a mockup of the front cover, and an information sheet.
Physical Description8 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
This series was arranged by the dealer.
This series consists largely of correspondence and drafts of pieces for publication. The latter primarily consists of manuscripts and typescripts from various contributors, along with mock-ups for the published issues of Tarasque and Private Tutor. The majority of correspondence in this series is from various contributors, publishers, scholars, artists, and writers spanning the years of Tarasque's operation. A small amount of correspondence pertains to Trent Bookshop. Other Trent Bookshop materials include newspaper clippings and publicity materials such as brochures, booklets, and flyers. There are also notes, flyers, newspaper clippings, and brochures pertaining to the Poetry 66 event that Mills organized.
Physical Description2 items
1 item
1 item
This series was arranged by the dealer with the exception of the Jonathan Williams materials and Aggie Weston's vs. Arts Council and East Midlands Arts materials. The latter materials were added to this series, but were not rearranged. The Jonathan Williams materials were arranged by material type.
This series consists predominantly of correspondence with various poets, artists, publishers, contributors, and collaborators spanning the years of Aggie Weston's operation. There are some drafts and mock-ups for published issues of Aggie Weston's, along with manuscripts, typescripts, printed proof copies, newspaper clippings, and a photograph. Another chunk of the series concerns the funding difficulties that Aggie Weston's had after the East Midlands Arts and Arts Council of Great Britain pulled funding for the publication; the majority of materials related to this matter is correspondence, but there are also a few funding application forms and information sheets. Another chunk of material pertains to Jonathan Williams, and includes correspondence received from him as well as outgoing correspondence from Stuart Mills to Williams. Additionally, there are research files on Williams that Mills collected or received. These were more broadly collected articles, essays, interviews, etc. but there are also more specifically collected materials for a thesis on Jonathan Williams that Mills was writing. Materials on Williams also include ephemera (such as mailers, brochures, pamphlets, and postcards), and manuscripts and issues related to, or created by, Jonathan Williams and his publication, the Jargon Society.
Physical Description14 folders
1 item
2 folders
1 folders
1 folders
1 item
1 item
1 item
1 item
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
This series was arranged by the dealer.
This series consists primarily of correspondence organized by the "poet-contributor" of each Poet's Poems issue. The series also contains drafts, design and production documents (which contains correspondence with the book designer, Colin Sackett; color swatches; and notes), a newsletter, brochures, and a complete run of the chapbook series.
Physical Description25 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
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1 folder
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1 folder
1 folder
1 folders
This series was arranged by the dealer.
Consists of photographic prints depicting: the Midland Group Gallery in Nottingham; Stuart Mills' sculptural works; Ian Hamilton Finlay's property at Stonypath; John Blakemore still-lifes; and various portraits and events.
Physical Description4 folders
Photographs include:
- Mills pictured reading with drink and cigarette in hand, photograph by Derek K. Brake
- Mills pictured laughing, photograph by Derek K. Brake
- Man pictured reading, photograph by Derek K. Brake
- exhibition shot, landscape, with visitors
- exhibition shot, portrait, with visitors
- exhibition shot, landscape
- exhibition shot, portrait
1 folder
Photographs include:
- Black and white photograph of Stuart Mills "Glade" and "Air" sculptures. 88 x 126mm, c.1971.
- Black and white silver gelatin print of Stuart Mills sculptural work "Aire", 89 x 127mm, 1971.
1 folder
Photographs document works at Stonypath and consist of:
- 12 photographs of works in the garden.
- 2 photographs of the loch and boat.
- 1 photographs of loch and landscape.
- 1 photograph of garden from foot of marble sculpture.
- 2 photographs of Stonypath interior with Reitveld chair.
- 4 photographs of inside gallery.
- 1 photograph of glass poem, wooden fish sculpture and fishing boat number poems
- 1 photograph of interior of Stonypath with model boats, paperweights and books.
- 1 photograph of Aleck (Eck) aged about 3.
- 1 photograph of Aleck (Eck) with glider.
- 1 photograph of Finlay with glider in Stonypath, circa 1966.
- 1 photograph of Simon Cutts in chair, circa 1960s.
- Black and white photograph of 5 Ian Hamilton Finlay glass poems inside the gallery at Stonypath, circa 1968.
- 2 black and white silver gelatin print of Ian Hamilton Finlay's work taken by Stuart Mills. One with handwritten note by Mills in pencil on verso "painted fishing boat number poems in gallery at Stonypath."
- Black and white photograph showing Ian Hamilton Finlay and Janet Boulton at Stonypath. Print is mounted on a sheet of A4 card together with a handwritten note by Boulton to Mills, dated 22.4.04, the year before Finlay died. Boulton was a Finlay collaborator and helped to look after him at Stonypath.
- 35mm negative storage sheet containing negatives of 19 photographs. Handwritten note reads "Stonypath and J. W. Corn Close," including: 2 negatives of "Planet" (IHF); 2 negatives of "Lead Us" (IHF); 8 negatives of "Ring of Waves" glass poem (IHF); 6 negatives of Johnathan Williams and Corn Close.
- 9 full colour photographs of works at Stonypath, circa 1972
- Folder of photographs with handwritten title "Apple Cottage. Early Stonypaths," includes: 4 transparencies of works at Stonypath; 2 transparencies of Corn Close; series of 5 black and white photographs of Ian Hamilton Finlay's sculptures at Stonypath
- 2 black and white photographs of Stuart Mills' house Apple Cottage, in East Markham
1 folder
Photographs consist of:
- Collection of John Blakemore photographs, each of a natural still-life set up. A series of black and white silver gelatin prints with borders. Blakemore's work was also included in Aggie Weston's.
- Black and white photograph of a Simon Cutts Lily sculpture. The image was used in Finlay's "A Family" folding card, 1975.
- 2 photobooth self-portraits by Roy Fisher, 1974.
- Photograph shows a set up of the first 4 Aggie Weston's, and 8 Tarasque books. Sheet lists quoted praise for Aggie Weston's from Bann, Ian Hamilton Finlay, and an anonymous "bookshop proprietor."
- Colour Polaroid of Stuart Mills with unidentified man (poet?) pointing at sign. The photograph was almost certainly taken by Jonathan Williams when Mills visited him at Corn Close, Dentdale, Cumbria in 1990.
1 folder