The destinies of literary manuscripts, past present and future

  • David C Sutton
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01576895.2014.948559
Keywords: diasporic, future, literary, split collections, value

Abstract

This essay reviews the ways in which literary manuscripts may be considered to be archivally unique, as well as valuable in all senses of the word, and gives a cautious appraisal of their future in the next 10 to 20 years. It reviews the essential nature of literary manuscripts, and especially the ways in which they form ‘split collections’. This leads to an assessment of the work of the Diasporic Literary Archives network from 2012 to 2014, and some of the key findings. The essay closes with reflections on the future of literary manuscripts in the digital age – emerging trends, research findings, uncertainties and unknowns.

Author Biography

David C Sutton

Dr David Sutton has been Director of Research Projects in Reading University Library since 1982. He is editor of the Location Register of English Literary Manuscripts and Letters and UK editor of the WATCH copyright project (Writers Artists & Their Copyright Holders). He has been awarded the Benson Medal of the Royal Society of Literature for distinguished services to literature, the Archivist of the Year award (Scone Foundation, New York, 2006) and Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL, 2012). He has published extensively on literary manuscripts and on ways of tracing copyright holders, and his other interests include food history (contributor to Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery 2009–2014) and local politics (Leader of Reading Council 1995–2008).

Published
2014-09-02
How to Cite
Sutton D. C. (2014) “The destinies of literary manuscripts, past present and future”, Archives & Manuscripts, 42(3), pp. 295-300. doi: 10.1080/01576895.2014.948559.
Issue
Vol 42 No 3 (2014): Special Issue: Literary archives, materiality and the digital
Section
Reflection articles

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