Dr Colin Smythe

Position/Fellowship:

Senior Research Fellow

Fellowship term:

2009

Institute:

Institute of English Studies

Location:

Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU

Phone:

01753 886000

Email address:

cpsmythe@aol.com

Website:

http://www.colinsmythe.co.uk/

Research Summary and Profile

Research Interests:

English Literature, Irish Studies, Modern History

Summary of research interests and expertise:

Publishing
Literary Agent to Terry Prachett
'W. B. Yeats Bibliography'

Project summary relevant to Fellowship:

Colin Smythe's revision of Allan Wade's A Bibliography of the Writings of W. B.Yeats(1951), as revised by Rupert Hart-Davis (1958) and Brig.Gen. Russell K. Alspach (1965) was necessitated because of the many errors and omissions in the earlier editions. Initially commissioned by Oxford University Press in 1980 to cover the years 1965-80, it soon became apparent that a much more radical approach was necessary, involving a complete renumbering of all the books, as well as the double-checking and re-describing, where necessary, of every single description of every entry in it since 1885, and the discovery of many hitherto unrecorded books, as well as ensuring far greater internal consistency of description. This has involved him in research in many major libraries in the British Isles and in North America, and resulted in a work that is, so far, over three times the size of the 1965 edition, and now stands at about 400,000 words in length. This has been carried out whenever he has been able to find time from his work as publisher and literary agent.

Apart from this, he has recently been working on censuses of some of the rarest of Yeats's works, the number extant of each, their increasing value and their provenance. The first of these, on W. B. Yeats's first independent publication, Mosada (1886), has just been published in Warwick Gould (ed.) Yeats Annual 20: Essays in Honour of Eammon Cantwell (Cambridge: Open Book, 2016), pp. 239-261. Colin Smythe is currently preparing further censuses on other Yeats titles. All this research over three and a half decades has been carried out without any financial support from any institution, academic or otherwise.

Date	Details
03-Aug-2018	The 2018 Discworld Convention Survey Articles ‘The 2018 Discworld Convention Survey’ in Souvenir Book, Discworld Convention 2018, 3-6 August 2018, pp. 12-14.
06-Dec-2016	W. B.Yeats's Mosada Journal articles 'W. B.Yeats's Mosada' in Warwick Gould (editor), Essays in Honour of Eammon Cantwell. Yeats Annual No. 20, A Special Number. Cambridge (Open Book Publishers, in Association with the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, ISBN 978-1-78374-178-6 hbk, pp.239-261.
26-Aug-2016	The 2016 Report Articles 'The 2016 Report' [2014-2016] in 'Now That's What I Call Music With Rocks In': Discworld Convention 2016 Souvenir Book, 26-29 August 2016, pp. 6-9.
28-Jan-2016	Collecting Yeats and Publishing Lady Gregory's Coole Edition Articles 'Collecting Yeats and Publishing Lady Gregory's Coole Edition', in Declan J. Foley (editor), Yeats 150, Dublin (Lilliput Press), ISBN 978-1-84351-645-3, pp. 201-220.
25-Jun-2015	Whitefriar Memories 1967-2015 Articles 'Memories of the Whitefriars Club (founded 1868), its history and speakers from 1967-2015', 8pp supplement, to The Whitefriar, Vol. 14, no. 1, June 2015
10-Apr-2015	Colin Smythe's Discworld Report Articles 'Colin Smythe's Discworld Report' [2011-2015], report of events taking place in Sir Terry Pratchett's life, his publications in the English speaking world, relating to his novels, etc, in Nullus Anxietas V, Official Convention Programme, for the fifth Australian Discworld Convention, which took place in Parramatta NSW Australia, pp. 11-13.
02-Mar-2015	Charles Elmé Francatelli, Additions and Supplementations Journal articles 'Charles Elmé Francatelli, Additions and Supplementations', Petits Propos Culinaires, 102, pp. 100-118. ISSN 0142-4857
20-Oct-2014	Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford's, and the Royal Connection Journal articles 'Charles Elmé Francatelli, Crockford's, and the Royal Connection', in Petits Propos Culinaires 101, pp. 42-67. ISSN 0142-4857
08-Aug-2014	Two More Years in Discworld Articles 'Two More Years in Discworld' [2012-2014] in Discworld Convention 2014 Souvenir Book, 8-11 August 2014, pp. 8-13.
01-Mar-2014	Psychic Experiences in Ireland Articles ‘Psychic Experiences in Ireland’ in The Christian Parapsychologist, Journal of the Churches' Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies, New Series Vol. 1, no 10, March 2014, ISSN 0308-6194, pp. 22-26.
19-Dec-2013	‘The Land Of Heart's Desire. Some Hitherto Unrecorded Printings – Work In Progress’ Articles ‘The Land Of Heart's Desire. Some Hitherto Unrecorded Printings – Work In Progress’, in Margaret Mills Harper & Warwick Gould (editors), Yeats’s Mask, Yeats Annual 19: A Special Issue, Cambridge (Open Book Publishers, in association with the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London), ISBN 978-1-78374-018-5, pp. 350-368.
05-Jul-2013	'Thirty Years of Discworld (and a few Years more) [1948-2013] Research aids ‘Thirty Years of Discworld (and a few years more)’ [1948-2013], A Chronology, in the The North American Discworld Convention 2013 Program Guide and Souvenir Book, 5-8 July, pp. 58-62.
05-Jul-2013	'Convention Report: The Last Two Years' [2011-2013] Articles 'Convention Report: The Last Two Years’ [2011-2013], for the The North American Discworld Convention 2013 Program Guide and Souvenir Book, 5-8 July, pp. 5-11.
12-Mar-2013	A Select Checklist of the Writings of Alexander Norman Jeffares (1920-2005) Research aids 'A Select Checklist of the Writings of Alexander Norman Jeffares (1920-2005)' in Warwick Gould (editor), Yeats Annual 18: The Living Stream. Essays in Memory of A. Norman Jeffares, Cambridge (Open Book Publishers, in association with the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London), 12/3/2013, pp. 239-262.
24-Aug-2012	‘The 2012 Convention: the past two years’, [2010-2012] Journal articles ‘The 2012 Convention: the past two years’, [2010-2012] in Discworld Convention Programme Book, 2012 edition, 24-27 August 2012, pp. 8-13.
08-Apr-2011	‘NADWCon Report: The Past Two Years’ [2009-2011], Review 'NADWCon Report: The Past Two Years' [2009-2011], in North American Discworld Convention 2011 Program Book, pp. 51-57.
01-Jan-2011	‘Two Years of Discworld’ [2009-2011] Review Nullus Anxietas III. The Australian Discworld Convention, 2011. Official Convention Programme, 8/4/2011, pp. 12-13.
27-Aug-2010	‘Terry Pratchett and Discworld 2008-2010’, Articles Discworld Convention 2010 Programme Book, 27-30 August 2010, pp. 20-23.
01-Jan-2010	‘Horrabridge, Foxhams and Sortridge 1952-1968’ Articles Yelverton & District Local History Society Journal, 24, 2010, pp. 25-32.
04-Sep-2009	Pratchett in America Articles 'Pratchett in America', in The North American Discworld Convention 2009 Program Book, 4-7 September 2009, pp. 48-53.