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John Shirley papers
MS 398  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Processing History
  • Biographical Note
  • Collection Scope and Contents
  • Collection Arrangement
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: John Shirley papers
    Date (inclusive): 1975-1989, undated
    Collection Number: MS 398
    Creator: Shirley, John, 1953-
    Extent: 0.42 linear feet (1 box)
    Repository: Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
    Riverside, CA 92517-5900
    Abstract: The John Shirley papers consist of material related to Shirley's 1989 collection of short stories, Heatseeker, and includes galley proofs and annotated typescripts. Also included is the original introduction to the work written and printed out by author William Gibson.
    Languages: The collection is in English.

    Conditions Governing Access

    The collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & Archives. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

    Preferred Citation

    [identification of item], [date if possible]. John Shirley papers (MS 398). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

    Acquisition Information

    Gift of John Shirley, 2016.

    Processing History

    Processed by Carlota Ramirez, Student Processing Assistant, 2017.
    Processing of the John Shirley papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Jessica Geiser, Collections Management Librarian.

    Biographical Note

    John Shirley is an American writer of novels, short stories, television scripts, screenplays and songs. He is considered to be one of the originators of cyperpunk fiction, a subgenre of science fiction characterized by advanced technological societies in a dystopian future, or "high tech low life." He is also known for writing horror fiction, singing in a number of punk bands, and writing songs for the band Blue Öyster Cult.

    Collection Scope and Contents

    The John Shirley papers consist of material related to Shirley's 1989 collection of short stories, Heatseeker, originally called "Wild Child" by Shirley after the Lou Reed song. Materials in the collection include galley proofs, annotated typescripts and texts, and Shirley's handwritten title and dedication pages. Also included is the original introduction to the work written and printed out by author William Gibson, and an additional short story called "Screens" that did not appear in the final draft.

    Collection Arrangement

    The collection is arranged topically, with short stories placed in the order they appear in the final work.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

    Subjects

    Gibson, William, 1948-
    Sterling, Bruce
    Cyberpunk fiction
    Literature publishing
    Science fiction
    Science fiction -- Authorship

    Genres and Forms of Materials

    Galley proofs
    Typescripts