John Marks Collection

John Marks Collection

This unique collection of Literary Postcards fulfils three purposes:
  • The contents provide a record of a cross-section of books published in the first decade of the 21st century.
  • The cards illustrate one view of advertising in the publishing industry.
  • The cards represent a form of advertising now largely replaced by electronic advertising.

The Collection is split into two major areas

  • Prose
  • Poetry

Prose

These cards are presented in twelve albums measuring 12” x 17” and two 8” x 12” albums.
They contain approximately 3500 – 4000 cards dating mainly from 1980. The majority of the material falls between 2000 – 2009.
This Collection has been formed by writing to most of the book publishers within the UK (England, Scotland and Wales) requesting examples of any postcards they have produced as promotional material.

Poetry

These cards are presented in five 12” x 17” albums and three 8” x 12” albums.
They contain approximately 2000 cards with a date range of 1980 – 2009.
This part of the Collection has been formed by writing to both publishers and individual poets for their work.
Poetry cards differ from prose in that much of the work has been written with a view to publication on postcards, some of which are signed by the author. This is a growing field and is now regarded as a legitimate form of publication for new work.

There are three smaller albums containing discrete collections:

  • Cards written and printed by Dennis Gould of Stroud.
  • The archive of cards published by the ‘Staple Poetry Magazine’.
  • A selection of the work of Ian Hamilton Finlay.

Further Information

The Collection also contains a file of correspondence from some of the publishers concerned.
One album is dedicated to typographical design.
The children’s publishing industry is well-represented within the Collection.

To access the John Marks Collection please contact the Research Librarian:
Dr Rachel Johnson r.johnson@worc.ac.uk Tel. 01905 542093