One Morganian wrote to me the other day suggesting that fund-raising for the Archive might be helped by the publication of some of CLM's works as e-books. And today, visiting the odd and supposedly "automatically generated" CLM Facebook page, I found that Gutenberg Books have in fact now published his first novel, hard-to-find The Gunroom, as a Free e-Book. This means it can be downloaded in various formats, including Kindle, without cost. An excellent initiative! The URL is here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52591.
Morganians will be pleased to hear that we have been in touch with Susan Thomas, Head of Archives and Modern Manuscripts at the Weston Library (which Old Oxonians will remember as the “New Bodleian” on Broad St) about the material of the CM Archive.
Ms Thomas informs us that there are 300 boxes of material (!), that they have had a quick look at the contents, and that there is a great deal of work to be done before it will be ready for researchers’ access. Moreover, for this work to be done she estimates they will need £55,000 (about USD 70,000 or 60,000 Euros). This, of course, gives us all furiously to think: it is hardly chickenfeed. I have put her in touch with a fundraiser of my acquaintance; and if anyone has any experience of modern “crowdfunding” that would be good to know. The Archive’s being in Bodley is already a great step; but if it remains in boxes or otherwise inaccessible for lack of proper care, preservation, sorting, cataloguing etc., its presence there will not be of use to scholars or the public. |
AuthorRoger Kuin, stumbling webmaster and lifelong admirer of Morgan's writing. Archives
June 2023
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