The article considers the recent extravagant purchases of writer's archives at The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, suggesting that the purchase of archives has become away of seeking to consolidate the celebrity and importance of an author in a strategy that reinforces both the author's and the purchasing organization's reputation. It then considers recent arrangements where young authors (Zadie Smith) have sold their archives in advance, guaranteeing to hand over all their private papers at a future date. The article wonders how such a move cannot not negatively effect the life and work of the author, not to mention distorting the normal process of criticism.