Steven Barclay Collection, 1904-2008 (mostly 1920-1940)

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Barclay, Steven

Title:

Steven Barclay Collection

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/sq87bw01s

Dates:

1904-2008 (mostly 1920-1940)

Size:

6 boxes, 3.0 linear feet

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1-6

Language:

English

Abstract: A collection containing original manuscripts, letters, documents, photographs, association copies of books, and other printed material, chiefly by or pertaining to Adrienne Monnier (1892-1955) and Sylvia Beach (1887-1962), and their respective bookshops in Paris: La Maison des Amis des Livres and Shakespeare & Company.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

A collection containing original manuscripts, letters, documents, photographs, association copies of books, and other printed materials, chiefly by or pertaining to Adrienne Monnier (1892-1955) and Sylvia Beach (1887-1962), and their respective bookshops in Paris (La Maison des Amis des Livres and Shakespeare & Company). Included are Adrienne Monnier's schoolgirl poetry notebook (1904); a Colette (1873-1954) manuscript titled "Couleurs" (ca. 1925), with a note from Canadian author Mavis Gallant about it; several photographs of Monnier in her bookstore by Gisèle Freund; letters by Janet Flanner, Alphonse Lamartine, Robert de Montesquiou-Fezesac, and Jean Paulhan; and two small notebooks in Monnier's hand.

Among the printed material are a 1924 copy of James Joyce's "Ulysses" inscribed by original owner B. J. Kinne, with his receipt from Shakespeare & Company; a complete run (12 issues, 1925-1926) of Monnier's Paris journal "Le Navire d'Argent"; a complete run (10 issues, nos. 1-10 and "A Propos de "L'Antisémitisme," 1938-1940) of Monnier's "La Gazette des Amis des Livres" in original pink wrappers; a copy of Monnier's "Les Vertus" (1926), inscribed to French essayist and literary critic Albert Thibaudet; copies of Monnier's "La Figure" (1923), inscribed to Georges Ribière-Carey and French editor A. Gavy-Bélédin; a set of six lectures given at Monnier's shop and published as "Les Cahiers des Amis des Livres" (1920), in a specially-made enclosure; a copy of "Our Exagmination Round His Factification foro Incamination of Work in Progress" (1929) by Samuel Beckett, William Carlos Williams, and others, inscribed by Monnier (1946); and one of 70 copies of Monnier's essay about the founding of her bookstore, "La Maison des Amis des Livres" (1920), inscribed to "Madame Lion."

Arrangement

Organized into two series: original and printed, each alphabetically arranged by author name.

Collection Creator Biography:

Barclay, Steven

Adrienne Monnier (1892-1955) opened her bookshop, La Maison des Amis des Livres, at 7 rue de l'Odéon on the Left Bank, in 1915 at the age of 23. It soon became a meeting place for some of the most eminent French and foreign writers of the day and their admirers, a venue for readings and exhibitions, a lending library, and a center for avant-garde literature. In 1917, the American Sylvia Beach came to Paris and met Adrienne Monnier, who was to become her lifelong companion. She in turn opened Shakespeare and Company, a bookshop and lending-library specialising in Anglo-American literature, directly across the street. The two shops on the rue de l'Odéon thus became a central feature of the Parisian scene of the 1920s. It was Sylvia Beach who was responsible for what is arguably one of the great literary events of the 20th century, when she published the first edition of James Joyce's Ulysses under the imprint of Shakespeare and Company in 1922.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Gift of Steven Barclay in September 2014 .
Appraisal: No materials were separated during 2014 processing.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by John Delaney in September 2014. Finding aid written by John Delaney in September 2014.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

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.

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