In 1962 aspiring writer Joe Orton (1933-67) and his partner and mentor Kenneth Halliwell (1926-67) were each sentenced to six months imprisonment for theft and malicious damage to Islington Public Library books.
They were found guilty of theft of library books and defacing the library book covers by adding alternative images from other sources or inserting new text and narrative. In the process Orton and Halliwell produced guerrilla artwork, motivated by what they believed to be the endless shelves of rubbish that they found in public libraries. Following the couple's trial, the offending covers were returned to Islington Public Library Service, where they were held by the special collections librarian until being passed to Islington Local History Centre some years later.
The collage work in Islington had begun after Orton and Halliwell moved to the area in 1959. The couple also removed illustrations from library art books to wallpaper their bedsit flat at 25 Noel Road. Imprisonment proved difficult for Kenneth Halliwell and he tried to commit suicide while inside. Joe Orton's incarceration, however, proved inspirational and he embarked upon what was to be a successful but all too brief writing career, cut short by his murder at the hand of his jealous partner in 1967.
Fortunate to survive after the court case the now infamous doctored book covers, together with material collected by Islington Library and Heritage Services relating to Orton and Halliwell, form the Joe Orton Collection held at Islington Local History Centre.
From the guide to the The Joe Orton Collection, 1950s-2012, (Islington Local History Centre)
