Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- The Gekoski mss., 1946-2022, consist of materials relating to RA Gekoski Booksellers as well as correspondence and production materials relating to Gekoski's writing, publishing, and teaching careers.
- Extent:
- 14 Boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
[Item], Gekoski mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
Richard Gekoski is an American rare book and manuscript dealer, author, and founder of Sixth Chamber Press and Bridgewater Press, private presses that publish limited editions of contemporary novelists and poets. From 1971 to 1987, Gekoski was a member of the Department of English at the University of Warwick. Established in 1982, RA Gekoski Booksellers handled the sale of the literary archives of authors including Angela Carter, Michael Tolkien, and Graham Greene. Gekoski's published works include Guarded by Dragons and Tolkien's Gown, collections of stories from rare book dealing; Staying Up, an insider's look at the Coventry City football club; and the Darke trilogy.
- Scope and Content:
The "Bookselling" series includes correspondence, financial documents, and publicity related to RA Gekoski Booksellers and Gekoski Gallery, as well as materials relating to literary archives and book collections sold. "Sixth Chamber Press" consists mainly of correspondence and production materials for works published by Sixth Chamber Press. The "Bridgewater Press" series is a small collection of correspondence and publishing materials relating to Bridgewater Press. "Writings and Works" includes typescripts, correspondence, publicity, and production materials for Gekoski's published monographs as well as for essays, short stories, reviews, radio programs, and unpublished works. The "Teaching" series consists of course materials relating mainly to Gekoski's time as a member of the English Department at the University of Warwick. "Judging" includes correspondence and notes relating to Gekoski's role as a judge for the Booker Prize. The "Personal" series consists of materials relating to Gekoski's family members, as well as juvenilia and a 33 volume collection of diaries and daybooks. Finally, the "Audio-visual and Born-digital" series includes CDs, slides and negatives relating mostly to Gekoski's writings and works.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift: 2021
- Processing information:
Processed by Ava Dickerson in 2025.
- Arrangement:
The "Correspondence" and Archives and Book Collections Sold" subseries of the "Bookselling" series are arranged at the folder level following Gekoski's own arrangement, with titles retained. The "Sixth Chamber Press" and "Writings and Works" series are arranged by work, with the former being arranged alphabetically and the latter being arranged loosely by publication year.
- Physical location:
- ALF (Auxiliary Library Facility)
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is open for research.
Many collections are housed offsite; retrieval requires advance notice. Please make an appointment a minimum of one week in advance of your visit.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Photography and digitization may be restricted for some collections. Copyright restrictions may apply. Before publishing, researchers are responsible for securing permission from all applicable copyright holders, then filling out the Permission to Publish Form.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Item], Gekoski mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
1200 East Seventh StreetBloomington, Indiana 47405-5500, USA
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
(812) 855-2452liblilly@indiana.edu