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Robert
Graves Collection
< Back
 Robert
Graves was one of the poets originally
solicited by Charles Abbott. When a
donation by Mrs. Mildred Lockwood Lacey
in 1960 made it possible to acquire
the manuscript of all Graves' books
of poetry and some works in prose published
from 1911 until 1955, this extensive
archive augmented and extended the collection
of British first editions already in
The Poetry Collection. There
are over 275 publications in the Graves
Collection, excluding anthologies, periodical
appearances and broadsides. The scarce
early pamphlets, Over the Brazier
(1916), Fairies and Fusiliers
(1917), and Treasure Box
(1919), are represented in the collection
along with a signed and numbered copy
of The Marmosite's Miscellany (1925)--which
Graves wrote under the name of John
Doyle--the first and second states of
Good-bye To All That (1929), Poems
1926-1930 (1931), and No More
Ghosts (1940). The later non-fiction
and prose works, including the very
popular novels, I, Claudius (1934)
and Claudius the God (1934),
are also present in various states and
editions. There is even a copy of the
script used for the British Broadcasting
Company's serialization of I, Claudius
on television.
Graves' habit was to write, revise,
and rewrite individual poems many times,
even after their appearance in print.
A single poem can have multiple drafts,
so the manuscripts for an individual
book consist of hundreds of pages. The
manuscript papers for Whipperginny
(192.3)--which can serve as an example
for other collections of manuscripts
like the ones of Mock Beggar Hall
(1924) and The Pierglass (1921)--include
sixty-six poems. The single poem, "The
Rock Below," has ten drafts, with seventeen
sheets of paper, and each draft contains
substantive alterations on the way to
the final version. In all, there are
about eight linear feet of these manuscripts.
The archive further contains the author's
edition of--as well as two corrected
typescript manuscripts for--the pivotal
book Good-bye to All That (1929),
with Graves' revisions and deletions
made in preparation for the second edition.
Also a part of the collection are his
correspondence to Lynette Roberts, which
traces the formation of The White
Goddess (1948), and hundreds of
other letters to and from other poets.
For the late novel, Homer's Daughter
(1955), there are corrected typescripts,
which clearly show Graves' revising
the text in terms of an altered sense
of the novel. Some photographs, the
knapsack Graves used during World War
I, and other memorabilia are also present.
Substantial holdings of Laura Riding,
a complete set of her first editions
as well as manuscripts and letters,
support the Graves Collection.
Since 1979 the Graves Collection has
been further enriched. All the American
editions of the books have been purchased,
as have second and other bibliographically
important editions. When Martin Seymour
Smith's biography, Robert Graves:
His Life and Work (1982), appeared,
the Poetry Collection was able to acquire
the working papers, including notes,
photocopies of subsequently missing
or destroyed materials, hundreds of
letters from poets and acquaintances
of Graves, and the unexpurgated version
of the biography itself. There are several
hundred letters to Seymour-Smith by
Graves and other poets, as well as a
grand variety of supporting materials.
And very recently, the letters of Graves
to Sally Chilver, who provided important
materials for Graves' King Jesus
(1946), were added to the collection.
The
manuscripts are now being sorted and
arranged in preparation for a complete
printed catalog of the holdings. The
books and pamphlets are available through
the author-title catalog. Robert Graves'
poetry has not received the serious
attention it deserves, but it will in
the future. The book and manuscript
collection, supported by the little
magazine and anthology collection, give
the researcher access to the full range
of primary and secondary materials.
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