Robert Graves was one of the poets originally solicited by Charles Abbott. When a donation by Mrs. Mildred Lockwood Lacey in 1960 made it possible to acquire the manuscript of all Graves' books of poetry and some works in prose published from 1911 until 1955, this extensive archive augmented and extended the collection of British first editions already in The Poetry Collection. There are over 275 publications in the Graves Collection, excluding anthologies, periodical appearances and broadsides. The scarce early pamphlets, Over the Brazier (1916), Fairies and Fusiliers (1917), and Treasure Box (1919), are represented in the collection along with a signed and numbered copy of The Marmosite's Miscellany (1925)--which Graves wrote under the name of John Doyle--the first and second states of Good-bye To All That (1929), Poems 1926-1930 (1931), and No More Ghosts (1940). The later non-fiction and prose works, including the very popular novels, I, Claudius (1934) and Claudius the God (1934), are also present in various states and editions. There is even a copy of the script used for the British Broadcasting Company's serialization of I, Claudius on television.

Graves' habit was to write, revise, and rewrite individual poems many times, even after their appearance in print. A single poem can have multiple drafts, so the manuscripts for an individual book consist of hundreds of pages. The manuscript papers for Whipperginny (192.3)--which can serve as an example for other collections of manuscripts like the ones of Mock Beggar Hall (1924) and The Pierglass (1921)--include sixty-six poems. The single poem, "The Rock Below," has ten drafts, with seventeen sheets of paper, and each draft contains substantive alterations on the way to the final version. In all, there are about eight linear feet of these manuscripts. The archive further contains the author's edition of--as well as two corrected typescript manuscripts for--the pivotal book Good-bye to All That (1929), with Graves' revisions and deletions made in preparation for the second edition. Also a part of the collection are his correspondence to Lynette Roberts, which traces the formation of The White Goddess (1948), and hundreds of other letters to and from other poets. For the late novel, Homer's Daughter (1955), there are corrected typescripts, which clearly show Graves' revising the text in terms of an altered sense of the novel. Some photographs, the knapsack Graves used during World War I, and other memorabilia are also present. Substantial holdings of Laura Riding, a complete set of her first editions as well as manuscripts and letters, support the Graves Collection.

Since 1979 the Graves Collection has been further enriched. All the American editions of the books have been purchased, as have second and other bibliographically important editions. When Martin Seymour Smith's biography, Robert Graves: His Life and Work (1982), appeared, the Poetry Collection was able to acquire the working papers, including notes, photocopies of subsequently missing or destroyed materials, hundreds of letters from poets and acquaintances of Graves, and the unexpurgated version of the biography itself. There are several hundred letters to Seymour-Smith by Graves and other poets, as well as a grand variety of supporting materials. And very recently, the letters of Graves to Sally Chilver, who provided important materials for Graves' King Jesus (1946), were added to the collection.

The manuscripts are now being sorted and arranged in preparation for a complete printed catalog of the holdings. The books and pamphlets are available through the author-title catalog. Robert Graves' poetry has not received the serious attention it deserves, but it will in the future. The book and manuscript collection, supported by the little magazine and anthology collection, give the researcher access to the full range of primary and secondary materials.

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