Brian Aldiss (1925-2017)

Author
micheledrisse
Published Date
August 25, 2017
Brian Aldiss Collection in the Special Collections store

We were sad to hear that Brian Aldiss (born 1925), one of Britain’s most notable writers of science fiction, passed away earlier this week.  Author of the Helliconia trilogy, one of Aldiss’ short stories inspired the 2001 film AI: Artificial Intelligence.

Frankenstein unbound by Brian W. Aldiss [RESERVE–823.914-ALD]
In 2000 Aldiss received an honorary degree from the University of Reading.  We hold a selection of his papers including notebooks for works such as Helliconia, typescripts of Aldiss’ autobiography Bury my heart at WH Smith’s and other works, articles and books by and about Aldiss, interviews and other papers.

Bury my heart at W.H. Smith’s: a writing life by Brian Aldiss. [ W.H. SMITH COLLECTION–010]
You can read a full obituary on the Guardian website or find out more about our Brian Aldiss Collection.

Published Date
March 9, 2026

Visualising class, disability, and race on the Victorian stage

Content warning: the Spellman Collection contains offensive language, imagery, and ideology. This blog post discusses racism, blackface and ableism. Learn…

Published Date
February 23, 2026

Challenging our view of rigid Victorian gender boundaries through music covers

In the first of two blog posts showcasing the research potential of our Spellman Collection of Victorian music covers, we…

Published Date
February 13, 2026

Mills & Boon: The Surprise Archive 

Having long been a lover of a good romance novel, it was a dream come true to be granted permission…

Published Date
February 2, 2026

Festivals of the Imagination: early editions of novels and poetry by James Joyce 

In 2020, Stephen James Joyce, Joyce’s grandson, bequeathed the Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection to the University of Reading Special…

James Joyce is sitting on a chair. His young son has his arm around his father's neck and they are holding hands.
Published Date
December 9, 2025

Family photos from the personal archive of James Joyce

The Solange and Stephen James Joyce Collection The University of Reading has acquired a major collection of books, documents and…

Published Date
November 24, 2025

A Century in Print: Exploring Student Life Through University of Reading’s Magazines (Part 2)

We continue our journey through the extensive range of periodical publications housed in the University History collection, also known as…

All news and views