Scope and Contents In September 1973, Finlay writes to Andrews about making picture poems as bronze medals. He describes and includes a small sketch of the USS Enterprise, an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a Greek dome. Finlay's plays off this ultra modern ship with a classic Greek theme, the basic elements of the Universe, Earth, Air, Fire, Water. He conceptualizes the Universe as an Enterprise, the aircraft carrier as Earth sailing in Water which launches Fire-carrying planes into the Air. Finlay continues with an explanation of Whimbrel and Petrel, a one word Elegy to these old sailing barges put out of work with the internal combustion engine - Petrol. The 3rd Medal is based on the one word poem, Through a Dark Wood - Midway. Andrew provides sketches in October 1973 but in a subsequent letter from Finlay that is contained in the Torso Aircraft Carrier Archive, Finlay expressed disappointment with them. He drops this project with John Andrew but continues it to fruition with...

Scope and Contents Summary: 1)Description of U. Grant Roman - Ian Hamilton Finlay Archive. Chicago, Illinois 1983, manuscript; pages (ink, handwriting). 2). Letter to U. Grant Roman sending copies of P.O.T.H.. c.1963. letter (ink, handwriting), 3). Letter to U. Grant Roman thanking him for purchasing Poor Old Tired Horse and instruction for assembling Standing Poem. Dunsyre Lanark, Scotland c.1963, letter (typed), 4) Letter to U. Grant Roman discussing future of poems on glass panels. c.1963. letter (typed), 5) Letter to U. Grant Roman discussing loss of Cardboard Toy Poem and Proposal To Destroy All Copies of Canal Funnel Save One. Dunsyre Lanark, Scotland 1964. letter (ink, handwriting), 6.). Letter to U. Grant Roman Discussing Destruction of Canal Funnel and Mentions Publication of Concrete Poetry. Dunsyre Lanark, Scotland 1964 letter (typed, ink, handwriting 2p), 7) Letter to U. Grant Roman Listing Works Sent Including One Copy of Canal Funnel Lanark, Scotland 1964. letter (typed), 8) Letter to...

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In July, Finlay writes to Harvey with instructions for two poem-prints, Homage to Malevich & Homage to Lax, & cover for Littack. Detailed instructions are included solely for the Malevich piece. Harvey returns drawings, comments about them & demonstr point by cutting the letter. With minor corrections, Finlay is happy with the drawings. Harvey notes that the chalky effect for the Malevich print will not work with silkscreen. In August, Finlay instructs Stellar Press to make print as a lithograph. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents In this Archive, Finlay indicates that this booklet is a collection of 'one-word poems' about boats. The boats are illustrated, as types, in silhouette-form, and the words are to be thought of as being a kind of 'verbal silhouette' or boat-epigram. He explains the reasons for selection of the boat types into the booklet and states that "the idea will be to keep the printed text the same size - as it were - as the illustrations, so that the text can be thought of as kind of a 'verbal' silhouette." These instructions are provided to Laurie Clark for the illustrations and to Michael Harvey for the text layout. In a letter dated 15 August 1973 to Tom and Laurie Clark about the project, he discusses the writings of Simone Weil, is pleased that they liked "Straiks," brings up the Fulcrum Press controversy, mentions ideas for the illustrations of "Silhouettes" that Laurie should draw, and recommends two books to be read. In a letter dated 1 October 1973 to Tom and Laurie Clark, Finlay...

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In Sep 1973, Finlay writes to Coburn Britton, editor of Prose Magazine in NYC, with suggestions for submitting a piece involving captioned sundials and an adaptation from 17th century sermons. In Nov 1973, Britton replies that such a work is not suitable for his magazine. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Finlay proposes a collaboration with a Kelso jewelry maker, Norman Cherry, for a tea-mine. Finlay imagines a small metal object which should resemble a round metal object with protruding horns. this will unscrew into 2 parts so that tea can be put int it. It will then be posible to dangle it at th end of a chain to make tea. He encloses a diagram of a mine frm a naval book on mines to illustrate his point (diagram not in Archive). Since Cherry did not reply, this project was probably unrealized. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

Scope and Contents Finlay begins this project in Jan-Feb 1972 with a letter to M. Harvey explaining that he wants to redo Wave/Rock for Stonypath, first constructed and then destroyed for the park at Dunfernline. He supplies a sketch for its placement. Then there ensues a correspondence from members of S.A.C. (Dunbar, Buchanan) to Finlay about funding this project and Finlay's comments. From July-Aug 1972, Finlay expresses disappointment with the Scottish Arts Council response siting for the sculpture mentioning his failed Zulu film project. In Aug 1972, Finlay contacts Harvey to make the drawing for Wave/Rock & provides detailed instructions for a concrete bridge, 16 feet in length with letters incised into tiles. Harvey responds to this directive in September. Finlay receives the drawing and notes variance with his instructions that must be corrected. This does not appear to be a major problem. In Sep, Murray writes Finlay about its fabrication. The correspondence between Finlay and Buchanan of...

Scope and Contents In Nov 1973, Finlay writes to Norman Cherry, a jewelry designer in Kelso about a project for making a brooch from a poem, "Windflower," a little mauve colored flower that trembles in the wind. This poem had been written for the Stuttgart Max Plank project. He requests that the brooch adapted from his poem should be made with material that undulates with movement of one who is wearing it and structured with letters 'pretty in themselves.' He indicates that the long "f" makes a natural stem for the brooch. Cherry replies in Dec 1973 with a suggestion for suspending the letters rather than using a single strip of metal as Finlay suggested. This solution is unsatisfactory to Finlay who provides further ideas. In Jan 1974, Cherry writes to Finlay that a new idea appears to lead to a workable solution and describes how the brooch will be made of almost paper thinness silver. In May-June, Finlay & Cherry exchange letters on progress of making the brooch in this manner and Finlay...

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Finlay provides instructions to John Thorpe, a woodcarver, for making a wooden sundial at Stonypath. He also explains the poem that he has written after Claudel, the French poet, translated by Edward Lucie-Smith. The poem was supposed to be written on a fan with fan its first word, but in Finlay's version "fan" is eliminated since the dial itself is fanlike. The poem begins, viz., "Poems written upon the breath" (metaphor for breeze). Harvey's letters deal with the drawings. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Feine describes in extensive detail an archive of 40 Finlay works that were subsequently purchased by the Sackner Archive. This list is filed under Finlay. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Deals with Finlay's legal action against the French government because the French press claimed Finlay was an anti-semite and Nazi sympathiser. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The text is Finlay's instructions for the production of "At the Field's Edge." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The bee symbol in this drawing suggests the sea (bee) and hive symbolizing the aircraft carriers. The text is written in old English characters. This drawing served as preparatory drawings for a subsequently realized print that is also held by the Sackner Archive. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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Finlay writes about the World War II Battle of Midway4 June 1942 in poetic terms, viz., ...the great sea hives/consumed with their choicest swarms by their own flaming honey. The bee symbol is used to suggest the sea (bee) and hive symbolizing the aircraft carriers. The text is hand written and served as preparatory texts for a subsequently realized print that is also held by the Sackner Archive. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The same poem from Virgil, "Georgics iv," is applied to both bees and boats; the poem reads, -- They lightly skim, And gently sip the dimply river's brim. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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In this book of previously published brief essays and interviews, Jonathan Williams describes his publishing in Jargon as follows: "Most of the people we've published despise ninety-five percent of the others we've done - that's probably a very healthy thing. Remember, you're dealing with a hillbilly oligarch, a crank. Whether it's poetry of photography or visionary fold-art or persons themselves, I love things that are 'bright-eyed, non-uppity, autochthonous, wacko, private, isolate, unconventional, unpaved, non-commercial, non-nice, naive, outside, fantastic, sub-aesthetic, home-style and bushy-tailed." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The image depicts a black and white line drawing of hands bending a plank for a model boat. The title "Boreas" means North wind and the poem reads, plank bender. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.

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The image on this card is a black and white drawing of a harbor scene in Brittany with nuns in the foreground after a painting by Maurice Dennis. The one-word poem is 'litany." Finlay quotes Caroline Boyle-Turner, "The painters felt that the peasants' lives had not changed since medieval times. They were also fascinated by the mystical character of the Bretons Catholicism." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.