Slim Volumes of Verse: Elkin Mathews and Poetry Publishing (1887-1921)

The research is based on the collection of manuscripts and printed papers concerning the publisher Elkin Mathews, held by the Department of Archives at Reading University Library. The thesis establishes Mathews' importance as a publisher of poetry and belles lettres in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Much original material has been obtained from long conversations with Miss Nest Elkin Mathews, Elkin Mathews' only daughter. Careful study of the personal and business letters in the Archive has enabled me to create a portrait of the man and to show how, with little money and few literary contacts, he continued to publish poetry for over twenty years, at a time when other small publishing firms went bankrupt. Mathew's publications arc shown to be excellent examples of the changes which took place during the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century in the form and content of poetry books.

While James Nelson in his two books The Early Nineties: A View from the Bodley Head (Cambridge:Harvard University Press, 1971) and Elkin Mathews: Publisher to Yeats, Joyce and Pound (Madison:The University of Wisconsin Press, 1989) has emphasised the importance of Mathews as the publisher of early poetry by major authors, I have also demonstrated his importance in promoting less well-known authors whose work might otherwise not have been published at all. In particular, I have considered the highly individual little books written and illustrated by Jack Yeats, and have discussed significant volumes in the first and second Vigo Cabinet Series.

The opening Chapter deals with Mathew's family background, his early life and his meeting with John Lane. Chapter Two relates Mathews' move to Vigo Street in 1887. The 'Bodley Head book' is considered, together with a 'typical' author, Richard Le Gallienne. Elkin Mathews' involvement with Edward Shelley, who was a witness at the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Bodley Head publications for Wilde, and the scandal of the Yellow Book which led to the separation of Mathews and Lane are also discussed.

In Chapter Three, Mathews is re-established as an independent publisher and family man, living in Bedford Park. His membership of the Rhymers' Club, his friendship with the Yeats family and his publications for Jack Yeats are considered.

Chapter Four concerns the personal and business relationships of Elkin Mathews with two of the most significant authors he published, W.B. Yeats and Ezra Pound. Chapter Five deals with Mathews' Shilling Garland Series, (1895-1898) and the Vigo Cabinet Series (1900-1918), slim volumes of verse and prose. The poetry concening war in the Vigo Cabinet is dealt with separately. The final Chapter looks at the poetry publishing background to Mathews' career and considers his personal characteristics and business skills. It discusses the authorship of three 'anonymous' novels said to have been written by Elkin Mathews and compares his achievements as a publisher of poetry and belles lettres with the work of contempoary publishers in a similar field.

Appendix I: Series published by Elkin Mathews;
Appendix II: Books by members of the Rhymers' Club published by Elkin Mathews.
A Check List of all publications by Elkin Mathews or by Mathews and Lane, arranged in alphabetical order of author and annotated to indicate the books contained in the Elkin Mathews' Collection at Reading.