SDSU Library receives $2.25M collection

Edward Marsh is donating much of his science fiction collection to San Diego State University.
Edward Marsh is donating much of his science fiction collection to San Diego State University. — Eduardo Contreras

“I work with collectors all the time. I work with some really dedicated collectors,” Conway said. “When I walked into (his library), I said, ‘I love you,’” she joked.

Marsh said he had donated to the SDSU library in the past and decided about three years ago that it would eventually get most of his collection.

“The university said they will keep it in fine shape and honor the authors in perpetuity,” he said. “I haven’t been collecting this so it could be sold off on eBay by a grandson or something. It was a no-brainer.”

He hopes future science-fiction writers will be inspired and stimulated by the “brilliant minds” in his collection. “Good science fiction is awesome because it forecasts possibilities” and heralds the future of what can be, he added.

Marsh said one of his most prized possessions is a watch that L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, wore while typing “Dianetics.”

Marsh worked 10 years for the church before going into the real estate and mortgage industries. His collection reflects his fascination with Hubbard, who got his start writing pulp fiction in the 1930s and ’40s, and includes the writings of those who influenced Hubbard or who were influenced by him. One entire room is dedicated to Hubbard material.

“It is not all about Hubbard, but it all links into him,” Marsh said.

Library officials at San Diego State are determining how they might reconfigure their library space so perhaps the special-collections area, which includes Marsh’s donations, can occupy a more central spot.

“We are looking to incorporate it in a more meaningful way so people know about it and they use it,” Etschmaier said. She predicted that Marsh’s gift will draw many people to the library in the future.

San Diego already is a center of great science-fiction activity, from the annual Comic-Con convention to scholarly work and writers’ workshops held at the University of California San Diego, which has generated many contemporary science fiction writers, said Seth Lerer, the university’s dean for the division of arts and humanities.

“Any resource in the area that would enhance all of this work would benefit everybody,” Lerer said. “So having this collection go to (San Diego) State, we hope would be of great benefit to our future writers, our students and our faculty.”

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