Defaced Library Books
A series of book covers that were altered by Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell.
Deep in the recesses of Patrick Coman House, one will find the Islington Local History Centre. Here, they will discover a variety of display cases that showcase the history and people that made this eastern borough of London what it is today. Once such exhibition is a small collection of books. Without any prior knowledge, these tomes don’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary. Reading the information placard, one will realize that these dust jackets were altered by the British playwright Joe Orton (1933 -1967) and his lover Kenneth Halliwell (1926 - 1967).
During the late 1950’s, two young men were unemployed RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) graduates and desperate for some form of entertainment. As the expression goes: “idle hands are the devils playground”. Both lived in an apartment building situated not far from Islington Public Library. Over the course of several years, they would vandalize more than 70 book covers with provocative and sometimes lurid images. Orton would go on to say this was in response to the poor selection of reading materials in public libraries.
They would eventually be caught for theft and ‘malicious damage’. Halliwell was responsible for the explicit collages, whereas Orton wrote altered excepts in the flyleaves. Each was sentenced to custodial services for several months. After release, Orton would go on to write several successful plays, whereas Halliwell was never to reach the notoriety of his partner. It was most likely because of this disparity in fame, that in August of 1967 Halliwell murdered Orton while he slept and then killed himself.
Know Before You Go
The museum is located in the basement of the Finsbury Library, which can be found at the juncture of St. John and Skinner Streets. Follow the signs which lead you to a staircase. There is no entrance fee and open Thursday to Tuesday 10 AM - 5 PM, closed on Wednesdays. The museum is fairly small, and the books are located in a glass display case towards the center.
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