Correspondence and copy letters between Arthur Koestler and publisher Victor Gollancz and others, 1941-1990, and relating specifically to 'Spanish Testament, 'Scum of the Earth', and 'Reflections on Hanging'

Scope and Content

Correspondence between Arthur Koestler and publisher Victor Gollancz and others, 1941-1990. Specifically the small collections refer to letters relating to: Spanish Testament; Scum of the Earth; and Reflections on Hanging. The original file covers are retained.

In addition to the following material, the file relating to Spanish Testament includes printed items: off-print 'Slaughter from the Air' from Spanish Testament; copy of Diario de Lisboa dated 16 August 1936, with French transcription; and 'The Legend of Badajoz' by Major Geoffrey McNeill-Moss, and extract from The Siege of Alcazar
Letters, and fragments, ms and ts, 27 May 1937 to 17 January 1990, including from the Duchess of Atholl...also Agreement (2 x copies) for German language edition of Spanish Testament, 26 November 1956, and Agreement for Swedish language edition of Spanish Testament, 15 October 1938

The file relating to Scum of the Earth is composed of
Letters, telegrams, and postcards, ms and ts, 6 March 1941 to 11 June 1941

The final file relating to Reflections on Hanging includes a printed cover for the work published by Gollancz, as well as
Letters, mostly ts, 13 October 1955 to 16 June 1980...also Agreement for Reflections on Hanging, 30 November 1955, with correspondence 1955-1971

Includes 14 x letters signed by Koestler.

Access Information

Access should be unrestricted but please check in advance of any consultation.

Archivist's Note

Catalogued by Graeme D. Eddie, 16 May 2016.

Related Material

Also at CRC, Special Collections, Edinburgh University Library, is the extensive Koestler Archive, known as Coll-40.