Simon Watson Taylor 'Pataphysical' & Surrealist collection, 1935-1965

Consists of publications, posters, manuscripts, correspondence, documents , photographs, and memorabilia by or relating to the College de Pataphysique; texts by and about Alfred Jarry; books and documents by and about Andre Breton and the surrealists; books by and about Jacques Herold; and materials by and about Marcel Duchamp. (Refer also to the inventory from Bertram Rota which accompanied the collection).

Administrative/Biographical History: Books and periodicals have been catalogued and dispersed throughout Special Collections. The other materials have been arranged in the order of the Rota inventory, from which a brief description has been abstracted, with a page reference (in brackets), to the full description. Readers wishing the fullest description of the collection as a whole or of individual items should consult the Rota inventory.

Masterfile note: Simon Watson Taylor, editor-anthologist, translator and an authority on the avant-garde in modern French literature, was a member of the College de 'Pataphysique (founded 1949), the group of mainly French men of letters, intellectuals and artists (including a number of ex-surrealists) whose aim was to promulgate the works and the spirit of Alfred Jarry (1873-1907).

Masterfile note: In 1974 The University of Tulsa acquired the Pataphysical and Surrealist collection of Simon Watson Taylor. An editor-anthologist, translator, and authority on the avant-garde in modern French literature, Simon Watson Taylor was a distinguished member of the college de Pataphysique founded in 1949. The aim of this group (mainly French men of letters and other prominent intellectuals and artists, including a number of ex-surrealist) was to promulgate the works and spirit of Alfred Jarry (1873-1907). Jarry was the founder of the science of Pataphysics, which is the science of imaginary solutions. Taylor's very extensive collection of publications, documents, and memorabilia emanating from the College is supplemented by his working library of texts by and about Jarry. Moreover, the collection includes books and documents by and about Andre Breton and the surrealists, books about or containing work by Jacques Herold together with original etchings by him, and books and other material by and about Marcel Duchamp. Taylor's extensive collection of publications, documents and memorabilia emanating from the College, texts by and about Jarry, books and documents by and about Andre Breton and the surrealists, books by and about Jacques Herold, and materials by and about Marcel Duchamp was purchased by the University of Tulsa in 1974 and supplemented with smaller purchases of related materials in 1975. By far the largest part of the Taylor collection consisted of books and periodicals which have been classified and dispersed among the printed book holdings in the Department of Special Collections. Most are available via the Catalogue by author, title and other access points. One copy of the descriptive inventory compiled by Bertram Rota Ltd. has also been annotated to reflect current locations. The remaining materials - a mixture of ephemeral College publications and memorabilia, posters, manuscripts and correspondence, photographs, and ephemeral Surrealist materials are inventoried here as the Simon Watson Taylor manuscript collection. They have been arranged in the order of the Rota inventory, from which a brief description has been abstracted, with a page reference to the full description. Readers wishing the fullest description of the collection as a whole or of individual items should consult the Rota inventory.