Barry Miles papers, 1958-1990, bulk 1965-1997

Series I: Correspondence, 1960s-1980s

This series contains correspondence related to Miles' work as a publisher of the little magazines Longhair and The International Times, and as owner and manager of London's Better Books and Indica Books. Most of the correspondents are writers and artists from the counterculture scene in the US and Britain.

The majority of the correspondents are represented by only one or two letters, primarily addressing business and promotional concerns. These are arranged alphabetically within "General Correspondence." Because some of the correspondents are people of note, this finding aid includes a list of correspondents found within the "General Correspondents" folders.

Correspondents with a large volume of material have been filed individually, the largest of these being the correspondence of William S Burroughs, which is also available on microfilm in the Columbia University library catalogue.

Original flyers and catalogues for various little magazines, book publications, poetry readings, and musical events have also been placed within this series.

All materials have been organized alphabetically by correspondent.

Series II: Manuscripts, 1959-1979

This series holds the manuscripts of writers associated with Miles and his various magazines (Long Hair and Trees), as well as his publishing, promotional, recording (at Zapple Records), and bookselling ventures. There are no manuscripts by Miles himself in this series, however, there are a considerable number of original manuscripts by William S Burroughs here.

All manuscripts have been arranged alphabetically.

Series III: Allen Ginsberg, 1960s-1990s

Correspondence, as well as manuscripts and typescript drafts of poems by Allen Ginsberg, are included in this series. There can also be found a handwritten itinerary of one of Ginsberg's reading tours, and Ginsberg's rendition of his family tree that includes a sketch by Beat poet Gregory Corso. These materials have been organized alphabetically.

Series IV: Ginsberg: A Biography Materials, 1943-2000

This series consists of materials related to Barry Miles' biography of Allen Ginsberg. First, it includes ten distinct manuscript drafts of the biography itself, up to and including galleys and typeset drafts. Many of these drafts include handwritten notes and corrections. The sixth draft has extensive corrections by Ginsberg. There is also a draft of the revised edition of the biography. Additionally, a published copy of the first edition, signed and annotated throughout by Ginsberg, can be found.

The research materials are quite extensive, including typed chronologies of Ginsberg's life, and itineraries of his various travels, as well as transcribed interviews with family and friends.

Audio recordings of interviews are also in this series, part of a 10-box collection of cassette tapes containing duplicates of tapes from Ginsberg's personal collection. The cassette tapes are ordered according to Ginsberg's own organizational schema when possible. Other audio material, such as Miles' interviews with Ginsberg friends and family, are arranged alphabetically by interviewee.

There is also Miles' detailed year-by-year chronological reconstruction of Ginsberg's life, from 1943 to Ginsberg's death in 1997. These files contain contemporary newspaper clippings; selected Ginsberg journal entries; letters regarding relevant details of Ginsberg's life; writings by Ginsberg and others from the year specified; and studies of Ginsberg and the Beats relevant to that year. Within the folder 'Year 1949' can be found photocopies of Ginsberg's early manuscript "The Fall."

Nearly all of this material is photocopied. The duplicated material is dated, in the container list, by when the originals were produced; the photocopies themselves date from the 1980s, the period when Miles was writing the biography.

This series also contains extensive correspondence, some related to the publication of the biography, but mostly a collection of Ginsberg's personal correspondence from the 1940s to the 1990s. As with the chronological material discussed above, this correspondence is almost exclusively photocopied Also found within this series are duplicates of Ginsberg's journals from 1953 to 1980. Finally, this series contains a small collection of Ginsberg obituaries.

Series V: Annotated Howl, 1955-1986

In 1986, Miles edited an annotated, facsimile edition of Ginsberg's Howl. In addition to a number of unpublished drafts, this series contains annotations, appendices, and other materials contained within the book. There are also photocopies of Ginsberg letters and correspondence between Miles and the book publishers.