This extensive series contains publications by Strachan which reflect the full range of his work and interests. His own poetry is represented in the form of his two full-length poetry collections (Moments of time and The season's pause), the 1976 private press edition of new and selected poems published by Christopher Hewett's Taranman Press, and individual poems which were published in a wide range of well-known literary and political journals and magazines, particularly during the 1940s. Strachan's work on the livre d'artiste represented here includes his magnum opus on the subject, The artist and the book in France(1969), which introduced the genre to a new audience in the UK, as well as the catalogue of his gift to the Taylor Institution, and multiple articles which appeared in major art reviews and collectors' magazines. There are also catalogues of exhibitions which included work from his own personal collection of livres d'artiste, for which he provided commentaries; in some cases there are also exhibition posters. His work on sculpture is represented by his three major publications in this field: his study of sculptors' drawings and maquettes, Towards sculpture (1976), his comprehensive guide to modern Open air sculpture in Britain(1984), and his study of Henry Moore's animals (published in 1983). Also included are a number of articles on modern sculpture he contributed to art and other journals, notably The Connoisseur, as well as the memoir in which he described his long friendship with Henry Moore (published in 1988). The impressive range of Strachan's work as a translator is also reflected here. Material includes: his major contribution to the translation of modern French poetry, the anthology Apollinaire to Aragon, as well as French poems in translation which appeared in journals and magazines; his translations of French art books, autobiography and letters, and modern fiction; translations of novels by Herman Hesse; and translations of Italian short stories and novels. There are also volumes of French fiction he edited for schoolchildren and students, which were published by Methuen Educational. In addition there are numerous articles on other topics which he contributed to various journals and magazines – including other areas of art, typography, calligraphy, literature, topography and architecture. Strachan wrote numerous reviews of both books and exhibitions over a forty-year period, and many of these are also included here.
The material is varied in format and includes complete volumes (often annotated and inscribed), entire issues of journals and magazines, cuttings, offprints, photocopies and a small number of typescripts and proofs. While the vast majority of material dates from Strachan's lifetime, there is a very small quantity of posthumous material – largely pieces which were written by Strachan but which were not published until after his death.