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Susan Cooper Papers, 1979-2011

 Collection
Identifier: 037

Collection Overview

This collection includes material from the 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1996 Revel productions as well as material from the 25th (1995), 35th (2005) and 40th (2010) anniversaries. The 1990 Revels was done in conjunction with the Dimitri Prokrovsky Ensemble and some articles and notes from Prokrovsky are included in the collection. Articles regarding John Langstaff and the Revels written by Cooper (including a 1979 Horn Book article) and award applications on Langstaff’s behalf are present. Also included is a small amount of correspondence. Materials collected for Langstaff’s biography include copies of letters from John Langstaff and his brothers during their childhood and army service in World War II. A small portion of the material is in Russian.

Dates

  • 1979-2011

Creator

Access to Collection

This collection is open to research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Cambridge Public Library Archives and Special Collections does not hold copyright on the materials in the collection. It is the responsibility of the user to understand and observe copyright law and obtain copyright from the original creator.

The copyright law of the United States, Title 17, U.S. Code, governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of the specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction of copyrighted material is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research" (17 U.S.C. § 108). If a user makes a request for or later uses a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable to prosecution for copyright infringement. The Cambridge Public Library Archives and Special Collections reserves the right to refuse to accept a copy order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Biography

Susan Cooper (b. 23 May 1935), is an English-born American author of children's and Young Adult fantasy. Born in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England to John Richard Cooper and Ethel May Field Cooper, she graduated from Oxford University, where she was the first woman to edit the student newspaper, Cherwell. After graduating, Cooper was reporter and feature writer for the London Sunday Times. She came to the United States after marrying an American in 1963, and became a fulltime writer. She has written novels, children’s picture books, short stories, works of biography and nonfiction, a Broadway play, and Emmy-nominated screenplays. Cooper has received several awards for her work, including the 1976 Newbery Medal for The Grey King (the fourth book in her The Dark is Rising series), the Margaret A. Edwards Award, and the World Fantasy Award for life achievement.

Cooper was instrumental in the Cambridge Revels from 1975 to 1993, writing everything from scripts to program notes as well as articles about the Revels for external publications. She adapted one of her Revels’ short plays into a picture book titled The Magician’s Boy. She was a member of the Revels Advisory Council and a close friend of John Langstaff. In 2011 she published a biography of him titled, The Magic Maker: A Portrait of John Langstaff, Creator of the Christmas Revels.

Cooper was married to Nicholas Grant (1963-1983) and Hume Cronyn (1996-2003; his death). She lived in Cambridge for many years, where her children, Jonathan Roderick Howard Grant (b. 1966) and Katharine Mary Grant Glennon (b. 1967), were raised, and now lives in Marshfield.

Extent

.63 Linear feet

.54 Cubic Feet

2 boxes (1 Hollinger box and 1 half Hollinger box.)

200 Items

Language of Materials

English

Organization of Collection

Approximately 200 items, organized alphabetically by subject (i.e. folder title.)

Custodial History

Collection was donated by Susan Cooper in June 2013.

Related Materials

John Langstaff Collection (036)

Processing Information

Processed by Jessica Bennett in July 2013 and encoded in EAD by Allyson Doyle in August 2016 under the supervision of Alyssa Pacy.

Source

Creator

Title
Finding Aid to the Susan Cooper Papers, 1979-2011
Status
Completed
Author
Jessica Bennett and Allyson Doyle (EAD conversion in 2016) under the supervision of Alyssa Pacy.
Date
July 2013 and August 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Cambridge Room, Cambridge Public Library Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Cambridge Public Library
449 Broadway
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
617-349-7757