Biographical Note
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 Contents
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materials for Gekoski's published monographs as well as for essays, short stories, reviews, radio programs, and unpublished works.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.
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.
Restrictions
Conditions Governing Access:
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.
Conditions Governing Use:
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 .
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
[Item], Gekoski mss., Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift: 2021
Processing Information
Processed by Ava Dickerson in 2025.
Collection Inventory
Subseries:
Correspondence
box 1
folder 3
Barnes, Julian , 1983-1995
box 1
folder 5
Alan Brownjohn , 1986-1988
box 1
folder 6
Conquest, Rick , 1992-1999
box 1
folder 10
Frary, Richard , 1999-2004
box 1
folder 12
Hillier, Bevis , 1977-2002
box 1
folder 13
Hughes, Carol and Ted , 1985-1986
box 1
folder 14
Hughes, Olwyn , 1985-1987
box 1
folder 16
Long, M.J. and Wilson, Sandy , undated
box 1
folder 18
Mellor, Oscar , 1983-1985
box 1
folder 19
Mendelsohn, Edward , 1989
box 1
folder 20
O'Donoghue, Brendan , 1999
box 1
folder 21
Osterhammel, Mogens , 1991-2008
box 1
folder 22
Pieraccini, Rolando , 1993-2005
box 1
folder 25
Prince, Frank , 1988-2001
box 1
folder 27
Reid-Banks, Lynne , 1998-2000
box 1
folder 29
Ridler, Anne , 1987-1995?
box 1
folder 32-33
Seeger, S.J. , 1990-1992
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 1
folder 34
Segal, Ronald , 1985-1988
box 1
folder 35
Stoppard, Tom , 1981-1984
box 1
folder 36
Taupin, Bernie , 1988-1994
box 1
folder 37
Theroux, Alexander , 1996-1997
box 1
folder 39
Thwaite, Anthony , 1994-2011
box 1
folder 42
Waugh, Auberon , 1986-1995
Subseries:
Archives and Book Collections Sold
box 1
folder 49
Ackroyd, Peter , 1994-2005
box 1
folder 51
Attenborough, Richard , 2017?
box 1
folder 52-53
Carter, Angela , 2005?
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 2
folder 2
GRANTA Magazine , 2017-2018
box 2
folder 4-5
Greene, Graham , 1980-1994
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 2
folder 6-7
Hale, Kathleen , 1995-1996
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 2
folder 9-10
ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) , 1993-1996
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 2
folder 13
Osborne, John , 2004-2008
box 2
folder 14
PEN FEST charity auction , 2013
box 2
folder 15
Philby, Kim/Greene, Graham , 1993-1996
box 2
folder 17
Plath, Sylvia , 2004-2007
box 2
folder 21
Rowson, Martin , 1996-1997
box 2
folder 22-24
Salinger, J.D. (folders 1-3) , 1989
Quantity: 3 Folders
box 3
folder 1
Salinger, J.D. (folder 4) , 1989
box 3
folder 2
Simon, Leon (Balfour Declaration) , 2004-2005
box 3
folder 3
Simpson, John , 1986-1997
box 3
folder 5
Stuart, Jackie and Derek , undated
box 3
folder 7
Tolkien, Michael , 1993-1995
box 3
folder 9
Stationery mock-ups , undated
box 3
folder 10
Consignment records , 1984-2015?
box 3
folder 12
15 Bloomsbury Square lease agreements , 1995
box 3
folder 13
Anderson Galleries catalog , undated
box 3
folder 14
Peter Selley memorial program , 2021
box 3
folder 15
Catalogue 1-6 , 1982-1985
box 3
folder 16
Catalogue 7-11 , 1985-1989
box 3
folder 17
Catalogue 12, 14-16 , 1989-1992
box 3
folder 18
Catalogue 17-20 , 1993-1996?
box 3
folder 20
Catalogue 26-29 , undated
box 3
folder 21
Catalogue 30-34 , undated
box 3
folder 22
Miscellaneous catalogues , 1990-1993?
box 3
folder 23
Clippings and publicity (folder 1) , 1983-2008
box 4
folder 1-4
Clippings and publicity (folders 2-5) , 1983-2008
Quantity: 4 Folders
Series:
Sixth Chamber Press
box 4
folder 5
Correspondence , 1984-1985
box 4
folder 6
Production materials - Balls of the Beaver , 1984?
box 4
folder 7
Production materials - Clerihews , 1984-1985
Subseries:
Golding, William
box 4
folder 8-9
Correspondence , 1985-1989
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 4
folder 10-11
Production materials , 1983-1984
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 4
folder 12
Sales and publicity , 1986-1987?
Subseries:
Greene, Graham
box 4
folder 13
Correspondence , 1985-1990
Subseries:
Heaney, Seamus
box 4
folder 15
Correspondence , 1985-1991
box 4
folder 16
Correspondence , 1984-1989
Subseries:
O'Brien, George
box 4
folder 17-18
Production materials , 1986
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 4
folder 20
Correspondence , 1986-1989
Subseries:
Powell, Anthony and Violet
box 4
folder 21
Correspondence , 1987-1996
Subseries:
Redgrove, Peter
box 4
folder 22
Production materials , undated
Subseries:
Rushdie, Salman
box 4
folder 25
Correspondence , 1989-1991
box 4
folder 26
Production materials (folder 1) , 1986-2000
box 5
folder 1
Production materials (folder 2) , 1986-2000
Box 15
Woodcut blocks by Bhupen Khakhar
Subseries:
Theroux, Peter
box 5
folder 4
Sales and publicity , 1986
box 5
folder 5
Correspondence , 1985-1988
box 5
folder 6-7
Production materials , 1985-1986
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 5
folder 8-11
Production materials , 1985
Quantity: 4 Folders
box 5
folder 12
Sales and publicity , 1985
box 5
folder 13
Correspondence , 1984-1991
box 5
folder 14
Correspondence , 1986-1990
box 5
folder 15-17
Production materials - Felis Felis , 1988-1989
Quantity: 3 Folders
box 5
folder 18
Production materials - The Afterlife , 1987
box 5
folder 19
Sales and publicity - Felis Felis , 1989
box 5
folder 20
Sales and publicity , 1987
box 5
folder 23
"The Rampant Lions Press Miscellany" , 1988
box 6
folder 1-2
Correspondence and publishing materials , 1985-1991
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 6
folder 3
"The Archive of the Sixth Chamber Press" by Gekoski , undated
Series:
Bridgewater Press
box 6
folder 4
Correspondence and publishing materials , 1999-2013
Series:
Writings and Works
box 6
folder 5
Cover proofs and sample extract , undated
box 6
folder 6
Correspondence , 1996-1999
box 6
folder 7
Reviews and publicity , 1999
box 6
folder 9
Notes and drafts , undated
Subseries:
Tolkien's Gown
box 6
folder 12
Correspondence , 2004-2006
box 6
folder 13
Legal and financial , 2005-2008
box 6
folder 14-18
Reviews and publicity , 2004-2005?
Quantity: 5 Folders
Subseries:
Outside of a Dog
box 6
folder 19
Legal and financial , 2008-2015
box 6
folder 20
Reviews and publicity , 2009
box 6
folder 21
"Pornography and the Law" , 1959
Subseries:
Lost, Stolen or Shredded
box 6
folder 25-26
Notes, drafts and research material (folders 1-2) , undated
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 7
folder 1
Notes, drafts and research material (folder 3) , undated
box 7
folder 2
Legal and financial , 2013-2016
box 7
folder 3
"Shortlistee - McKitterick Prize" , 2018
box 7
folder 4
"A Christmas Offering from James Darke" , undated
box 7
folder 5-6
Reviews and publicity , 2017-2018
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 7
folder 7-18
Notes and drafts , undated
Quantity: 12 Folders
box 8
folder 1-2
First draft , undated
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 8
folder 3-6
Galley proofs , 2016
Quantity: 4 Folders
box 8
folder 7
Correspondence , 2015-2017
Subseries:
A Long Island Story
box 8
folder 9-10
Reviews and publicity , 2018
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 8
folder 11-12
Galley proofs , 2018
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 8
folder 13-15
Notes and drafts , undated
Quantity: 3 Folders
box 8
folder 17
Reviews and publicity , 2020
box 9
folder 1-10
Notes and drafts , undated
Quantity: 10 Folders
Subseries:
Guarded by Dragons
box 9
folder 11-13
Notes and drafts , 2020?
Quantity: 3 Folders
Subseries:
Mickey Hamburger
box 10
folder 1-4
Notes and drafts , undated
Quantity: 4 Folders
box 10
folder 5
Journal inscribed by Bertie , 1999
Subseries:
History of the Book Project
box 10
folder 6-7
"Papyrus" , undated
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 10
folder 8
"Book of the Dead" , undated
box 10
folder 9
"Ancient Greece and Rome" , undated
box 10
folder 10-11
"Mesopotamia" , undated
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 10
folder 12
Various research and notes , undated
Subseries:
The Novels of D. H. Lawrence
box 10
folder 14
Correspondence , 1979-1982
Scope and Contents: Also includes material on Conrad
box 10
folder 16-17
Notes and drafts , undated
Quantity: 2 Folders
box 11
folder 1
"On the Moral Issue in Lord Jim" , 1980
box 11
folder 2
"An Outcast of the Islands: A New Reading" , 1970
box 11
folder 3
Reviews of "Conrad in the Nineteenth Century" , 1980
box 11
folder 4
Review of "Joseph Conrad: the Three Lives" , 1980
box 11
folder 5
"Conrad: the Moral World of the Novelist" - reviews, cover proofs and publicity , 1978-1980
box 11
folder 6
"The Tension between Personal Autonomy and Social Responsibility in the Works of Joseph Conrad" , 1972
Subseries:
Oscar Wilde in the Marketplace
box 11
folder 9
Reviews and publicity , 2017
Subseries:
Rare Books, Rare People
box 11
folder 11
Correspondence , 2000-2001?
box 11
folder 12
Proposal and agreements , 2001-2003
box 11
folder 13
Reviews and publicity , 2001?
box 11
folder 14
"'No Fool Like an Old Fool' - Some Thoughts on William Golding's Nobel Lecture" , undated
box 11
folder 15
"What is Supreme about a 'Supreme Fiction?'" , undated
box 11
folder 16
"Lawrence's Milton" , undated
box 11
folder 18
"Philosophy and the Novel: Women in Love" , undated
box 11
folder 19
Reviews of Lionel Trilling works , 1981
box 11
folder 20
"The Book Collector" in Life of Books , 2005
box 11
folder 21
"Et Tu Boris" - a bibliomystery , undated
box 11
folder 22
"If It Sold It Must Have Been Too Cheap" - a proposal for a book and radio series , undated
box 11
folder 23
"Gekoski: The First Fifty Years" , 1994
box 11
folder 24
"In Private Hands" , undated
box 11
folder 25
"Writing Points to Remember" , undated
box 11
folder 26
"He's Leaving Home" , 2017
box 11
folder 27
"What Do We Read When We Read 'English?'" , 2006
box 11
folder 28
Auckland Writers and Readers Festival , 2010
box 11
folder 30
Miscellaneous royalties , 2004-2007
box 11
folder 31
Miscellaneous notes , undated
box 12
folder 2
Correspondence , 1979-1980
box 12
folder 3
"Modern Literature" course materials , 1982?
box 12
folder 6
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - teaching copy , undated
box 12
folder 7
Everyman Booker Prize 1894 , 1994
box 12
folder 8
Everyman Booker Prize 1895 , 1995
box 12
folder 9
Everyman Booker Prize 1896-1897 , 1996-1997
box 12
folder 10-13
Man Booker Prize , 2005
Quantity: 4 Folders
box 12
folder 14-16
Man Booker International Prize , 2011
Quantity: 3 Folders
box 13
folder 1
"Concurrent Counseling with Mother, Father and Child" by Branche G. Sabine (Gekoski's aunt) , 1954
box 13
folder 2
Foster parents plan , 1975-1984?
box 13
folder 3
"Poems 2000" by Glyn Hughes , 2000
box 13
folder 4
Publicity for Anna Gekoski , 1998
box 13
folder 6
Vehicle registration , 1997-1999
box 13
folder 7
General publicity and interviews , 2005-2017
box 13
folder 8
COVID test receipt , undated
box 13
folder 9
Passports - Charlotte and Frederick Pettifer , undated
box 13
folder 10
Passport - Gekoski , undated
box 13
folder 11
Passport - Aaron Gekoski , undated
box 13
folder 12
School materials , 1969-1970
box 13
folder 13
Correspondence , 2017-2018
box 13
folder 14
"Rural Electrification Magazine" (related to Bernard Gekoski's work) , 1952
box 13
folder 15
Photo of Gekoski at book fair , undated
box 13
folder 16
Publicity for Barbara Gekoski , undated
box 13
folder 18-23
Writings by Bernard Gekoski , 1946-1947?
Quantity: 6 Folders
box 13
folder 24
Diaries and daybooks (33 volumes) , 1986-2015
ovflat 45
Scrapbook of Gekoski's accomplishments
Series:
Audio-visual and Born-digital
box 14
"BBC Tapes of Gekoski" CDs
box 14
"Gekoski interview with Sandi Toksvig" CD , 2004
box 14
Rare Books, Rare People CD
box 14
Lost Stolen or Shredded CD , undated
box 14
Lost Stolen or Shredded CD , 2006
box 14
Tolkien's Gown CD (3 copies)
box 14
Slides and negatives , undated