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The Lindsay Anderson Collection
The Lindsay Anderson Collection provides a unique record of the working career and private life of one of the key figures of British cinema. The collection includes production notes, correspondence, promotional material and photographs relating to all of his films including If.... , This Sporting Life , O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital; files relating to proposed film projects which were never made; scripts, production notes, correspondence, promotional material and photographs relating to 40 theatre productions directed by Anderson between 1957 - 1992; correspondence with actors, writers and directors including John Gielgud, Richard Harris, Rex Harrison, Malcolm McDowell, Satyajit Ray and Ralph Richardson; office files relating to day-to-day business including invitations to film festivals, interviews, disputes with the British Film Institute and management of The Royal Court Theatre.
As well as this extensive record of Anderson's career a large amount of personal material collected and kept by Anderson is also present. This includes Anderson's diaries (kept irregularly between 1942 - 1992); photographs of family and friends and visits to various countries; memorabilia collected by Anderson during his childhood, schooldays, military service and adult life; and awards and gifts. The collection also includes several thousand of Anderson's books (mainly relating to film and theatre). These books have been catalogued on the library catalogue system. Further information on the collection can be found in an article which appeared in the Winter 2004 edition of Hearsay, the University of Stirling magazine. Extracts from the collection have been collected in Lindsay Anderson in his own words and Lindsay Anderson - a life in pictures.
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An illustrated introduction to the collection can be found on our Flickr pages.
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The collection is divided into 6 sections each covering a major part of Anderson's life and work.
LA 6 Personal papers and memorabilia
There is also material created by others about Anderson including academic works and obituaries written after his death in August 1994.
The collection has been catalogued to the standards set out in the International Standard for Archival Description. The descriptions move from the general to the specific, starting with a description of the entire collection and then moving to the 7sections above. Further, more detailed, descriptions are available about material relating to individual films and theatre productions etc from which full item level lists can be accessed. A small note at the top of each description shows its position within the collection and allows easier navigation through the catalogue.
For many years Anderson had an office in his home in London and employed a secretary to administer his business affairs. Where possible the original order of this material has been retained.
