Open Letter Books literary manuscript collection

Collection

Identifier: D.525

Staff Only

Biographical / Historical

Open Letter is a nonprofit literary publishing press at the University of Rochester which specializes in works in translation. Founded in 2008 by publisher Chad W. Post, the press seeks to increase access to world literature for English (and particularly American) readers. It is estimated that compared to some 40% of materials published in European literary markets, only 3% of the books published annually in the United States are translated works. This figure also lends its name to Open Letter's blog and discussion website, Three Percent, and the name of Post's collection of essays on the publishing industry, The Three Percent Problem: Rants and Responses on Publishing, Translation, and the Future of Reading (e-book, Open Letter, September 2011).

Open Letter publishes ten books in translation each year, divided into two publishing seasons. The press's catalogue focuses on contemporary literary fiction and poetry, with an emphasis on titles and authors not previously available in English.

Scope and Contents

The Open Letter Books literary manuscript collection (2008-2018) is comprised chiefly of the editing, production, and publication materials produced by the press in the course of their literary publishing work. The materials include unpublished and published literary documents such as novels, poetry collections, and anthologies, in addition to numerous drafts, edited copies, cover design and text proofs, ephemera, and business correspondence.

The materials are arranged chronologically in order of publication and are grouped by publishing season, as determined by Open Letter. This is an actively growing collection, and accruals are expected.

Creator

Open Letter (Firm) (Organization)

Dates

Creation: 2008-2018

Language of Materials

English

Extent

33 cubic feet

Access

The Open Letter Books literary manuscript collection is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

Reproductions are made upon request but can be subject to restrictions. Permission to publish materials from the collection must currently be requested. Please note that some materials may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information contact rarebks@library.rochester.edu.

Preferred Citation

[Item, title, item date], Open Letter Books literary manuscript collection, D.525, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester.

Subjects

Geographic

New York (State)--Rochester

Topical

Additional Description

Related Materials

While the collection often contains printing proofs and other near-final or final versions of the published works, researchers may also find copies of all Open Letter titles by searching the U of R library catalogue in both the Rare Books and normally circulating stacks holdings.