Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) was one of the most important authors of the twentieth century. Born in the Dublin suburb of Foxrock in 1906 and educated at Trinity College, Beckett emerged as a writer of note in Paris in the 1930s. Beckett met James Joyce during this period and Joyce became his greatest influence. During the 1930s and 1940s, Beckett primarily wrote fiction which was published to a small, but appreciative audience. In 1953, his play En Attendant Godot opened to acclaim in Paris. Subsequent productions in London and New York brought Beckett international recognition and secured his reputation as a writer of significance. His plays, particularly Waiting for Godot and Endgame, profoundly influenced late-twentieth century drama, as did his post-World War II prose writings. In 1969, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. More than ten years after his death, Samuel Beckett remains one of the twentieth century's most acclaimed and influential avant-garde writers.

London-born and educated, Sir Joseph Gold received his Bachelor's (L.L.B.) and Master's (L.L.M.) degrees from the University of London, where he subsequently lectured. He received a doctoral degree from Harvard University in 1942 and joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Counselor in 1946. Sir Joseph served the IMF in numerous capacities and retired in 1979 as General Counsel and Director of the Legal Department of the International Monetary Fund. He was a noted scholar of international monetary law and based on his contributions as an international civil servant, Sir Joseph Gold was knighted by her majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1980.

Sir Joseph was also passionate about literature and was a renowned collector of first editions of contemporary authors. His collection was broad-based and included significant holdings of work by Dylan Thomas, Ezra Pound, Harold Pinter, and Ted Hughes. His greatest enthusiasm was for Samuel Beckett and he was determined that his Beckett collection be placed in an institution where it would be available for future generations of students and scholars of the great Irish author. Accordingly, in December 1999, Sir Joseph donated his Samuel Beckett Collection to the University of Delaware, just two months before his death at the age of eighty-seven on February 22, 2000.

The Sir Joseph Gold Collection on Samuel Beckett contains a wealth of material by and about Samuel Beckett. A substantial collection of first British, French, and American editions of Beckett's fiction, poetry, and drama is present, with a significant number of them personally inscribed by Beckett to Sir Joseph Gold. Sir Joseph was interested in the reception of Beckett around the world and he collected numerous foreign language editions of Beckett's writing. The Gold collection also includes Beckett's contributions to anthologies and periodicals, as well as hundreds of secondary works. Samuel Beckett was one of the most important authors to collaborate with visual artists, printers, and book designers to produce fine press editions and the Sir Joseph Gold Collection includes many of these publications. In addition, the collection includes substantial quantities of Beckett's writings and related materials for the stage. Of particular interest are materials documenting elusive and obscure international productions of Beckett's plays, including playscripts, original posters, playbills, recordings, production photographs, artwork, publicity materials, copies of reviews, and other theatrical ephemera. This type of material is extremely scarce and difficult to assemble, but Sir Joseph laboriously gathered it through worldwide searching over a number of decades.

The Library extends its gratitude to Sir Joseph Gold and his family, particularly his son, Richard, who worked with Sir Joseph and Library staff to ensure that the collection arrived in Delaware safely. The Sir Joseph Gold Collection on Samuel Beckett will serve as an extraordinary resource for University of Delaware faculty and students as well as for the international community of Beckett scholars for generations to come.