Martin Secker - Richards Press publishing archive, 1908-1977

Contains office copies of books published by Secker into which a variety of materials were laid in, tipped in, or pasted in to many of them. These materials include handwritten and typed cards, letters and royalty receipts; Richards Press and Martin Secker publication announcements; press cuttings of book reviews and articles; photographs and clipped photographic illustrations; handwritten poems and essays; and fragments of dust jackets and dust jacket blurbs.

Items which could be removed from the books are now housed and inventoried alphabetically by author surname and cross-referenced to the book in which they were originally found. Items which could not be safely removed from the books have been listed in this inventory with a citation (SKR #) to the book in which they can be found.

Also included in the collection is a letter book of the Richards Press which contains approximately 500 carbon copy typescript letters, some signed and/or bearing autograph notes, and a studio portrait of Martin Secker. The letter book, organized chronologically, contains correspondence dated 1938-1941.

Martin Secker began publishing before the First World War and gathered a distinguished group of writers, including D. H. Lawrence, Thomas Mann, Norman Douglas, and Henry James, under the imprint of his publishing house. In 1936, his firm was absorbed in the new company of Secker and Warburg, which carried on the traditions of the original publisher. Secker left, however, and joined the Board of Directors of The Richards Press (the remains of the famous Grant Richards company). This collection reflects the publishing company as it was maintained in his personal library. The collection of over 700 volumes incorporates virtually every book published by Secker and includes such volumes as D. H. Lawrence's Women in Love, Compton Mackenzie's Sylvia Scarlet, Conrad Aiken's Bring! Bring! and Hugh Walpole's Fortitude and The Dark Forest. Contained in many of the volumes are significant inscriptions or letters from authors paying tribute to their publisher. In addition to the books Martin Secker published, the collection contains the Letter Book of The Richards Press from 20 April 1938 to 12 February 1941. The Letter Book is made up of office copies of some 500 letters written by Secker. These are significant both in terms of the authors Secker was corresponding with and the documentation of trends in the publishing industry. The research potential of these letters extends beyond the boundaries of literary history, presenting a fascinating point of view on the effect of the early years of the Second World War on literary culture and the reading public.