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A. E. Coppard Book Project |
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Who Was A. E. Coppard? In England during the 1920s and 30s, A[lfred]. E[dgar]. Coppard was considered to be one of that nation's leading short story writers. His beginnings as a writer were so implausibly romantic and his sudden appearance on the literary scene in total command of his craft was so unlikely that he quickly became a figure of attention and fascination. He was sought out for his opinions on literature; his books were grabbed up by collectors; in short, he became a prominent literary figure. Today, however, he is remembered largely by book collectors and those interested in literary odds and ends. Most of his collections of short stories appeared in limited editions that quickly became more valuable for their scarcity than for their content, something that always irked Coppard, who made little from his publications. Coppard was not a member of any literary movements or circles. The materials and methods of his composition already seemed outdated by the time he began publishing. He had no apparent influence on other writers. He wrote far too many stories that eventually seemed to be a stylized parody of his best work. Still, his best work is striking , even haunting. No books have been published about this literary curiosity for half a century. It's time for a reassessment and a new bibliography. |
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The Plan for the Coppard Book Project Several years ago Paul R. Secord contacted the publisher of this press about his own extensive collection of Coppard materials and his development of an updated bibliography based on that collection. During several years of correspondence, we discussed approaches to publishing the bibliography and finally hit on a plan to do a kind of contemporary version of the sort of miscellanies that were popular when Coppard was in his prime. About one-third to one-fourth of the proposed book will be Secord's Bibliography. The remainder is planned to be a collection of prose pieces of any and all kinds that focus on Coppard in some way. This press is now actively soliciting material for that part of the book. We will consider scholarly articles, critical readings, personal essays, reminiscences, i.e., thoughtful engaging writing that brings a renewed focus on this minor but memorable writer. A Preview to Date |