Scope and Contents: The John Heath-Stubbs collection houses the personal papers and published works of John Heath-Stubbs. This collection, which dates from 1942 to 2000, consists of correspondence, published writings, art, advertisements, articles, and cassette tapes which evidence the later part of Heath-Stubbs’ career, preparation of John Van Domelen’s book of essays on the poetry of John Heath-Stubbs as well as the friendship between Van Domelen and Heath-Stubbs.
John Heath-Stubbs was a noted English poet, editor, and translator. This collection contains selections from his extensive bibliography and includes poems written, translated, edited and introduced by Heath-Stubbs. Some poems, such as the long Arthurian poem Artorious are published as works of their own, while other poems are published together in collections. Some of the published works are from limited prints. Some of the limited prints are signed and numbered copies. The Heath-Stubbs collection also includes a copy of The Faber Book of Twentieth Century Verse which was edited by Heath-Stubbs and David Wright. This collection contains some copies of publications in which Heath-Stubbs was published.
The Heath-Stubbs collection was donated by John E. Van Domelen and as such includes much of the correspondence sent to Van Domelen from Heath-Stubbs. The correspondence dates from 1964 to 1997. These letters exhibit the friendship between the two men and sometimes offer some insight into the professional career of Heath-Stubbs. This collection contains Christmas cards that were sent to Van Domelen from Heath-Stubbs from 1973 – 2000. Several of the cards are undated. The cards often include original poetry from Heath-Stubbs and sometimes feature paintings and drawings from other artists.
Further insight into Heath-Stubs’ literary career can be found in a list of works he considered influential. This list was written in the mid-1960s in his own hand. At this point in his life Heath-Stubbs’ eyesight had deteriorated significantly. The list may be difficult to read as a result.
This collection contains the third of 25 copies of John Heath-Stubbs’ The Twelve Labours of Hercules which is composed of twelve poems and accompanying engraved prints by Michael Amey. This collection also contains an uncorrected proof of Heath-Stubbs’ autobiography titled Hindsights.
Several works of John Van Domelen’s are included in this collection: John Heath-Stubbs. A Checklist and The Haunted Heart. Nine Essays on the Poetry of John Heath-Stubbs. Two shorter literary essays are also included in the collection.
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