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Alan Garner was born October 7, 1934, in the county of Cheshire, England. He became a celebrated writer of fantasy stories, most of which are set in Cheshire, and explore the myths, traditions, and dialect of that area. Although he is often categorized as a "children's author," Garner does not endorse that label. He explains that while his books mostly feature children as the main protagonists, and that "readers under the age of eighteen read what [he writes] with more passion, understanding, and clarity of perception than do adults," ultimately, he writes for himself.
Novels by Gardner include: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960), The Moon of Gomrath (1963), Red Shift (1973), Thursbitch (2003), and Boneland (2012).
[Source: Interview with Alan Garner by Raymond H. Thompson. April 12, 1989. website: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/]
Correspondence is primarily between Gardner and Susan Hirschman of MacMillan Publishing (1971-1978). Included amongst the letters are notes, sources, and copies of illustrations for A Collection of Fools.
There are numerous reviews of Red Shift; some reviewers argue whether the book is aimed, or should be aimed, at children.
The collection also contains a "datapack biography," edited by (his wife) Griselda Greaves, that contains photocopied documents, writings, and photographs. The datapack includes an autobiographical sketch, handwritten letters, poetry, photocopied photographs and prints of Gardner and his house. Also filed with the datapack are copies of article or book pages about traditions and customs of Cheshire, England.