Arkley’s library
(Arkley drawing at home in 1998, in front of part of his library [photo: Alison Burton])
The lists included here provide a comprehensive overview of Arkley’s professional and personal library as it remained at his death in 1999. Subsequently, a systematic record of his library was compiled, along with the other contents of his studio – including artworks, sketch-books and “visual diaries” (many of them crammed with source material).
His books and periodicals served various purposes – ranging from standard reference sources, to significant components of his artistic process. He regularly ransacked titles in his collection for source images, sometimes doodling over images in them: for comments on this process, see my Carnival in Suburbia (2006), esp.pp.141ff., reproducing examples, including his early sprayed additions to a monograph on Paul Klee, listed here as no.[477]. He also read and took notes on various books not identified in his own library, presumably borrowed from others.
The exact size of his library is difficult to estimate, since some of this material has since been discarded (particularly periodicals that were unmarked and of no apparent interest to him), but it was substantial, amounting to well over 1,000 titles, especially if taking into account his large collection of comics (not itemised here).
Some 830 titles are listed here, categorised into manageable groups, with brief comments where appropriate. Slightly less than 50% of this material is held in State Library Victoria’s Howard Arkley Archive [HAA], while some additional books and catalogues have been retained by the artist’s widow, Alison Burton (designated with her initials).
Each item (periodical issue, book/catalogue) is identified by a unique number, indicated in square brackets as [1], [2] etc.
A hash # denotes a title held in the Howard Arkley Archive (State Library Victoria, MS 14217) [HAA numbers specify entries listed in https://findingaids.slv.vic.gov.au/repositories/3/archival_objects/35203, series 10: library]
An asterisk * indicates a title given significant attention by Arkley (tagged pages, images removed, doodles, etc.)
The material is arranged in 9 categories as follows:
1. Children’s & “Magic Eye” books [1-76]
2. Interior design, décor, etc. [77-105]
3. Art, general & international [106-202]
4. International artists (A-Z) [203-340]
5. Australian art, general [341-389]
6. Australian artists (A-Z) [390-447]
7. Miscellaneous [448-512]
8. Journals & Magazines – Art/Misc [513-758]
9. Journals & Magazines – Architecture, Design, House & Garden [759-833]