Malone collection of little magazines
This collection of small literary magazines was amassed by Marvin Malone, the longtime editor/publisher of the Wormwood Review. The holdings represent a wide range of independent literature issued in the twentieth century, with a firm emphasis on poetry. Collection of the material began in the early 1950s and continued until Malone's death in November 1996. In other words, all of the mags were acquired without Malone having access to the Internet. Of the 2,000 titles in the collection, some are represented by a single issue; others, over a hundred issues. As editor of the Wormwood Review for almost 35 years, Malone was in a position to exchange publications with many independent or "underground" publishers. He also purchased a great deal of the material that he felt was crucial in representing the best of the small press in the last century. While the emphasis is on English-language publications, some foreign-language titles are included in the collection. Also represented are university-sponsored publications and free-press newspapers from the sixties and seventies. Note that all the titles are serials and not discrete chapbooks or books, although some chapbooks do accompany a publisher's mag run.
Malone kept his collection in steel cabinets, with virtually no exposure to moisture or light, so the publications have remained in good condition for decades. Some title runs include correspondence from editors or writers, promotional items, or catalogs. If Malone received a mag directly from the publisher, he retained the original mailing envelope. A few of the mags can be traced, via mailing label or signature, to important figures in the small-press scene. For example, Malone's issues of Blue Guitar and Gale were formerly Cid Corman's copies.
The database should be relatively accurate. Blue titles have all been confirmed. The handful of titles that appear in red are unconfirmed holdings. (The red-title mags most probably are physically included in the collection but were inadvertently not checked off on the inventory list.)
Please use the tabs at the top of this page to view a cross section of mag runs from the Malone collection and to access the database.
Malone kept his collection in steel cabinets, with virtually no exposure to moisture or light, so the publications have remained in good condition for decades. Some title runs include correspondence from editors or writers, promotional items, or catalogs. If Malone received a mag directly from the publisher, he retained the original mailing envelope. A few of the mags can be traced, via mailing label or signature, to important figures in the small-press scene. For example, Malone's issues of Blue Guitar and Gale were formerly Cid Corman's copies.
The database should be relatively accurate. Blue titles have all been confirmed. The handful of titles that appear in red are unconfirmed holdings. (The red-title mags most probably are physically included in the collection but were inadvertently not checked off on the inventory list.)
Please use the tabs at the top of this page to view a cross section of mag runs from the Malone collection and to access the database.
