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Anna Grimshaw papers, 1939-2004, bulk 1983-1995

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Summary Information

Abstract

These papers contain correspondence, manuscripts and drafts, interview transcripts, and printed material related to the autobiography / biography—which was never completed—of C.L.R. James, a writer, teacher and political activist from the West Indies, and to various C.L.R. James related projects which Anna Grimshaw, his one time assistant, undertook or on which she collaborated.

At a Glance

Call No.: MS#1553
Bib ID 8973986 View CLIO record
Creator(s) Grimshaw, Anna
Title Anna Grimshaw papers, 1939-2004, bulk 1983-1995
Physical Description 5 linear feet (8 boxes; 5 document boxes and 3 record storage cartons)
Language(s) English .
Access You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in two series.

Description

Summary

These papers include correspondence, manuscripts and drafts, interview transcripts, and printed material related to the autobiography / biography--which was never completed--of writer, teacher and political activist C.L.R. James, and to various C.L.R. James related projects on which Anna Grimshaw worked.

  • Series I: C.L.R. James, 1939-1991

    The bulk of this series comprises multiple drafts of chapters and sections of the C.L.R. James autobiography, unfinished at his death. The drafts are in a variety of formats—carbon copies, handwritten or typed—and for the most part are undated. Also here are transcripts of interviews of James, or of others regarding James; lectures or talks—most of which are transcripts—titled by topic or, if untitled, by location; a few writings; printed material including obituaries and tributes; and a sketch of James.

  • Series II: Anna Grimshaw Projects, 1983-2004

    Contained here are manuscripts and drafts, often with editorial comments and notes; correspondence; and research materials related to various C.L.R. James projects undertaken by Grimshaw including American Civilization, Cricket, and The Reader, and a 1986 exhibit C.L.R. James: Man of the People. Grimshaw also worked closely with Constance Webb, the second wife of C.L.R. James and the mother of his only child, on the selection and editing of The Letters of C.L.R. James to Constance Webb, 1939-1948, and The Nobbie Stories for Children and Adults —a selection of letters written by James to his young son, C.L.R. James, Jr., whom he had nicknamed "Nobbie". The bulk of the correspondence in this series is with other C.L.R. James scholars or with associates of James whom Grimshaw contacted in the course of her research.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

This collection has no restrictions.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Anna Grimshaw Papers; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Related Material at Columbia

C.L.R. James Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library

C.L.R. James Institute Records, 1938-2002, 1939-2004 Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Darcus Howe Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Constance Webb Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Accrual

No materialsexpected

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Anna Grimshaw. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--2009.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Alix Ross 2011.

Finding aid written Alix Ross 01/--/2011.

Revision Description

2011-09-07 xml document instance created by Carrie Hintz

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Subject

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"		 "CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"		 "Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Grimshaw, Anna Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
James, C. L. R (Cyril Lionel Robert), 1901-1989 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Webb, Constance Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Anna Grimshaw (b. 1956) was an assistant and editor for C.L.R. James--a West Indian writer, teacher and political activist--from 1983 until his death in 1989. Grimshaw, a native of Lancashire, grew up not far from Nelson, the town where James lived when he first arrived in England in 1932. She received her education at Cambridge University--a BA in 1977 and a PhD in Social Anthropology in 1984. Indian writer Farrukh Dhondy, a mutual friend of Grimshaw and James, introduced the pair early in 1983; Grimshaw was hired some months later to help James complete his autobiography, a project on which he had been working with a variety of assistants since the 1970s. The project was unfinished at James' death. Although the autobiography was never completed Grimshaw did help James edit his cricket writings and she provided friendship and aid in his last days. During the final few months of James' life Grimshaw moved into a house across the street from him.

Anna Grimshaw edited, wrote or contributed to a variety of C.L.R. James projects: she edited Cricket by C.L.R. James (Allison and Busby, 1986) and The C.L.R. James Reader (Blackwell, 1991); with Keith Hart she edited and introduced American Civilization (Blackwell, 1993); she also edited and introduced Special Delivery: The Letters of C.L.R. James to Constance Webb, 1939-1948 (Blackwell, 1996); she wrote the foreward for The Nobbie Stories for Children and Adults (University of Nebraska, 2006); and she edited and introduced a later version of Cricket--Majestic Inning: Writings on Cricket (Aurum Press, 2006).

The C.L.R. James Institute published several pamphlets written by Grimshaw or on which she collaborated including: "C.L.R. James and 'The Struggle for Happiness'" with Keith Hart; "Popular Democracy and the Creative Imagination: The Writings of C.L.R. James 1950-1963"; "C.L.R. James: A Revolutionary Vision for the 20th Century" ; and "C.L.R. James in the 1980s: A Conversation with Anna Grimshaw", with Kent Worcester and Jim Murray.

Grimshaw also authored the exhibition catalogue C.L.R. James: Man of the People (London, 1986).

Currently Grimshaw is an Associate Professor in the Graduate Institute of Liberal Arts at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Her research centers on visual anthropology, specifically ethnographic cinema.

After clicking 'Submit Request', users will login with their UNI and password (Columbia affiliates) or their special collections account (external users). Appointments are required and will be arranged according to each individual repository's policy.

Series I: C.L.R. James, 1939-1991

The bulk of this series comprises multiple drafts of chapters and sections of the C.L.R. James autobiography, unfinished at his death. The drafts are in a variety of formats—carbon copies, handwritten or typed—and for the most part are undated. Also here are transcripts of interviews of James, or of others regarding James; lectures or talks—most of which are transcripts—titled by topic or, if untitled, by location; a few writings; printed material including obituaries and tributes; and a sketch of James.

Autobiography/Biography


Box 1 Folder 1 Chronology, circa, 1980s

Box 1 Folder 2 Outline, circa, 1980s

Box 1 Folder 3 Proposal--Biography, circa, 1980s

Drafts

Box 1 Folder 4 General, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 5 General--By Section, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 6 1932-1938 circa 1980s, 1932-1938, 1980s

Box 1 Folder 7 Up to 1932 circa 1980s Undated, 1932, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 8 1932-1938 circa 1980s Undated, 1932-1938, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 9 Black Jacobins, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 10 Coop, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 11 Early Days, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 12 Johnson-Forrest, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 13 Lahr, Charlie, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 14 Prep for England, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 15 Robeson, Paul, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 16 Shakespeare, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 17 Sharecroppers, Organizing, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 18 United States, Observations, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 19 Williams, Eric, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 20 World Revolution, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 21 Wright, Richard, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 1 Folder 22 to 23 Drafts and Notes--General, circa 1980s Undated (2 of 3 Folders), 1980s, Undated


Box 2 Folder 1 Drafts and Notes--General, circa 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 2 Folder 2 to 12 Drafts and Notes-- 1901-1960s circa 1980s Undated (11 Folders), 1901-1960s, 1980s, Undated

Box 2 Folder 13 Drafts--Photocopies, circa 1980s Undated (1 of 8 Folders), 1980s, Undated


Box 3 Folder 1 to 7 Drafts--Photocopies, circa 1980s Undated (7 of 8 Folders), 1980s, Undated

Interviews

Box 3 Folder 8 by C.L.R. James--Leon Trotsky, 1939

of C.L.R. James

Box 3 Folder 9 Interviewer: Paul Buhle, 1987

Box 3 Folder 10 Interviewer: Anna Grimshaw, circa, 1980s

Box 3 Folder 11 Interviewer: Stuart Hall, Undated

Box 3 Folder 12 Interviewer: Woody Haut, 1989

Box 3 Folder 13 Interviewer: Charles Nevin, 1984

Box 3 Folder 14 Interviewer: Al Richardson, 1986

Box 3 Folder 15 Interviewer: Paul Robeson, Jr., 1985

Box 3 Folder 16 Interviewer: K. T. Sunitha, 1983

Box 3 Folder 17 "An Audience with C.L.R. James"--Interviewer: Angus Calder, 1984


Box 4 Folder 1 Cricket, Undated

Box 4 Folder 2 "End of Empire--Interview with C.L.R. James", circa, 1980s

Box 4 Folder 3 "C.L.R. James and British Trotskyism; an Interview", 1987

Box 4 Folder 4 Padmore, George--Regarding-- Interviewer: Martin Page, 1987

Box 4 Folder 5 Pan African Conference-- Interviewer: Ahmed Gora Ebrahim, circa, 1980s

Box 4 Folder 6 Pan African Conference, Focus on the Sixth, Undated

Box 4 Folder 7 Polish Solidarity, circa, 1980s

Box 4 Folder 8 "Shakespeare, C.L.R. James Talking About"-- Interviewer: Andy Erlam,, 1987

Box 4 Folder 9 "Talking History"-- Interviewer: E. P. Thompson, Undated

Box 4 Folder 10 "Trotskyism and Black Nationalism: Some Political Reflections of C.L.R. James"-- Interviewer: Alan J. Pratt,, Undated

Regarding C.L.R. James

Box 4 Folder 11 to 12 John Archer - Harry Wicks--Interviewer: Anna Grimshaw, 1984-1986 Undated, 1984-1986, Undated, (2 Folders)

Box 4 Folder 13 Robert Hill and J[im Murray], 1985

Lectures and Talks

Box 4 Folder 14 Address to Hackney Black Alliance, 1983 (Photocopy), 1983

Box 4 Folder 15 Address to Oxford University Africa Society Day School on Africa--Draft,, 1984

Box 4 Folder 16 "The Best of C.L.R. James"--Reflections on the United States, 1983

Box 4 Folder 17 "The Former Colonial World"--Cambridge University African Society, 1983

Box 4 Folder 18 "Freedom Movements in the West Indies"--Radio Trinidad, 1961

Box 4 Folder 19 "I'm a Poet,", 1981-1982

Box 4 Folder 20 Johnson-Forrest Tendency Conference--circa early 1950s 1980s, 1950s, 1980s

Box 4 Folder 21 George Lamming, 1983

Box 4 Folder 22 Nuclear War and Peace, 1983

Box 4 Folder 23 Shakespeare, circa, 1980s

Box 4 Folder 24 Shakespeare in Brixton, circa, 1980s

Box 4 Folder 25 West Indies--General, 1972 1980s Undated, 1980s, Undated

Box 4 Folder 26 Untitled--African American Teachers' Association, 1969-1970

Box 4 Folder 27 Untitled--Rutgers University, 1973

Box 4 Folder 28 Untitled--Tougaloo College, 1972

Writings

Box 4 Folder 29 Art--James to Sura Levine, 1980 (Photocopy), 1980

Box 4 Folder 30 "Durham"--Incomplete, 1963 October (Carbon Copy), 1963 October


Box 5 Folder 1 "Perspectives and Proposals"--Facing Reality, 1966 (Typescript), 1966

Box 5 Folder 2 Pamphlet--"Introduction to Party Politics in the West Indies", circa, 1962

Box 5 Folder 3 Reviews, Undated

Personal

Box 5 Folder 4 Clippings, 1986-1990

Box 5 Folder 5 Obituaries, 1989

Box 5 Folder 6 Printed Material, 1953-1991 Undated, 1953-1991, Undated

Box 5 Folder 7 Printed Material-- Black Jacobins, 1986 Undated, 1986, Undated

Box 5 Folder 8 Sketch of James, Undated

Box 5 Folder 9 Tributes and Memorials 1989 Undated, 1989, Undated

Series II: Anna Grimshaw Projects, 1983-2004

Contained here are manuscripts and drafts, often with editorial comments and notes; correspondence; and research materials related to various C.L.R. James projects undertaken by Grimshaw including American Civilization, Cricket, and The Reader, and a 1986 exhibit C.L.R. James: Man of the People. Grimshaw also worked closely with Constance Webb, the second wife of C.L.R. James and the mother of his only child, on the selection and editing of The Letters of C.L.R. James to Constance Webb, 1939-1948, and The Nobbie Stories for Children and Adults —a selection of letters written by James to his young son, C.L.R. James, Jr., whom he had nicknamed "Nobbie". The bulk of the correspondence in this series is with other C.L.R. James scholars or with associates of James whom Grimshaw contacted in the course of her research.

Correspondence


Box 6 Folder 1 General, 1984-1996

Box 6 Folder 2 to 3 Research Inquiries, 1984-1986 (2 Folders), 1984-1986

Box 6 Folder 4 Buhle, Paul, 1985-1989

Box 6 Folder 5 Glover, Anna--C.L.R. James Portrait, 1988 1995, 1988, 1995

Box 6 Folder 6 Hart, Keith, 1987-1988

Box 6 Folder 7 Murray, Jim, 1983-1998

Box 6 Folder 8 Webb, Constance, 1985-1994

Articles and Chapters

Box 6 Folder 9 General

Box 6 Folder 10 to 11 General--Notes and Materials, circa, 1980s, (2 Folders)

Box 6 Folder 12 "Beyond the Boundary: C.L.R. James on the Arts and Social Revolution",, Undated

Box 6 Folder 13 "C.L.R. James and the Black Jacobins", circa, 1986

Box 6 Folder 14 "C.L.R. James: The Development of the Man and His Writing"-- Journal of the Cricket Society, 1986

Box 6 Folder 15 "C.L.R. James, 1901-1989 A Personal Memoir", 1990 Undated, 1901-1989, 1990, Undated

Box 6 Folder 16 "C.L.R. James: A Revolutionary Vision for the 20th Century", 1991

Box 6 Folder 17 Popular Democracy and the Creative Imagination: C.L.R. James--Preface, circa, 1991

Articles by Others

Box 6 Folder 18 General, Undated

Box 6 Folder 19 Buhle, Paul, Undated

Box 6 Folder 20 Farred, Grant, 1995 Undated, 1995, Undated

Box 6 Folder 21 Lai, Wooly Look--"C.L.R. James and Trinidad Nationalism", 1989

Box 6 Folder 22 San Juan, E., Jr., 1995-1996

Box 6 Folder 23 Worchester, Kent, circa 1980s 1991, 1980s, 1991

American Civilization

Box 6 Folder 24 Correspondence, 1989-1991 Undated, 1989-1991, Undated

Box 6 Folder 25 Introductions and Preface--Drafts, circa, 1980s-1991

Box 6 Folder 26 Manuscript, 1993

Box 6 Folder 27 Manuscript-Early, circa 1950s (Photocopy), 1950s

Box 6 Folder 28 "The Struggle for Happiness"--Proposal, 1989

Box 6 Folder 29 "The Struggle for Happiness"--Preface, circa, 1980s-1991

Box 6 Folder 30 to 32 "The Struggle for Happiness"--Notes and Drafts, Undated (3 Folders), Undated


Box 7 Folder 1 Bibliographies, circa, 1980s

Cricket

Box 7 Folder 2 Bibliography, circa, 1980s

Box 7 Folder 3 Correspondence--Research Inquiries, 1984-1985

Box 7 Folder 4 Introduction, 1985-1986 (Annotated by C.L.R. James), 1985-1986

Box 7 Folder 5 Reviews, 1987

Box 7 Folder 6 to 7 Working Materials--1950s-1960s--Correspondence and James' Drafts--Photocopies and Transcriptions, Undated (2 Folders), Undated

Exhibit: C.L.R. James--Man of the People

Box 7 Folder 8 General, 1986

Box 7 Folder 9 Catalogue, 1986

Box 7 Folder 10 Chronology, 1985 Undated, 1985, Undated

Box 7 Folder 11 Correspondence, 1985-1986

Box 7 Folder 12 Exhibits, List of, 1987

Box 7 Folder 13 Expenses, 1985-1986

Box 7 Folder 14 Lectures, 1986

Box 7 Folder 15 The C.L.R. James Archive--Bibliographies, circa, 1980s-1991

Box 7 Folder 16 The C.L.R. James Archive-- Surveys and Reports, circa, 1980s-1991

The C.L.R. James Reader

Box 7 Folder 17 Bibliography, circa, 1980s-1992

Box 7 Folder 18 Correspondence, 1990-1992

Box 7 Folder 19 Editorial Material, Undated

Box 7 Folder 20 Notes and Drafts, circa, 1980s-1990s

Box 7 Folder 21 Manuscript, 1991

Box 7 Folder 22 Manuscript--Drafts and Transcriptions, circa, 1990s

Box 7 Folder 23 to 25 Manuscripts--Transcriptions and Photocopies, circa 1990s (3 Folders), 1990s

Box 7 Folder 26 to 27 Art and Culture--Transcripts and Photocopies, Undated (2 Folders), Undated

Box 7 Folder 28 "Literary Critics"--Photocopies, Undated


Box 8 Folder 1 Port of Spain Gazette--Transcripts, Undated

Box 8 Folder 2 Section 1953-1966--Transcripts and Photocopies, Undated

Box 8 Folder 3 Section 1958-1966-- Photocopies, Undated

Box 8 Folder 4 Working Material--Transcripts and Photocopies

Box 8 Folder 5 C.L.R. James--Research Proposal, 1986 Undated, 1986, Undated

The Nobbie Stories for Children and Adults

Box 8 Folder 6 Editorial Materials, 2004

Box 8 Folder 7 Introduction, circa, 2004

Box 8 Folder 8 to 9 Manuscript, circa 2004 Undated (2 Folders), 2004, Undated

Special Delivery: The Letters of C.L.R. James to Constance Webb, 1939-1948

Box 8 Folder 10 Editorial Materials, 1995-2003

Box 8 Folder 11 Proposal to Publish, 1986

Box 8 Folder 12 Introduction--Drafts and Notes, circa, 1980s

Box 8 Folder 13 to 16 C.L.R. James to Constance Webb--Transcriptions and Photocopies, 1939-1948 (4 Folders), 1939-1948

Box 8 Folder 17 to 18 Manuscript--Draft, circa 1980s (2 Folders), 1980s

Box 8 Folder 19 Proposal--Drama, 1993

Box 8 Folder 20 Screen Play, 1995

Box 8 Folder 21 Personal--General, Undated

Box 8 Folder 22 Personal--Visual Anthropology, 1991-1995 2001, 1991-1995, 2001

Working Materials--C.L.R. James--Photocopies


Box 5 Folder 10 to 14 Correspondence, 1930s-1980s Undated ( 5 Folders), 1930s-1980s, Undated


Box 8 Folder 23 Caribbean / West Indies, Undated

Box 8 Folder 24 Johnson-Forest Material, circa, 1950s

Box 8 Folder 25 Pan-Africa, Undated

Box 8 Folder 26 Shakespeare and Homosexuality, Undated