More Advice From RK
and a kind of indirect compliment.... ;-)

"For pleasure of research environment, I strongly recommend specialising in MS. work -- MS rooms in almost all great libraries, and small archives, are the NICEST places to work for people like you and me. Also, it's real Stuff, and gets you away from the theory wars with the best excuse possible."

I like the "people like you and me" part. Let us focus not so much on Ideas About the Thing, but the Thing Itself. I'm not sure about MS work, though; my rather limited experience with MS work has been rather a trial, largely because I have difficulty with other people's handwriting. (And that I can't smoke in libraries, let alone Special Collections or Archives sections.)

Sadly, for me, I'd have to work in some of the least appetizing places; I'm not sure I'd want to spend too much time in Texas just so can lay my fingers on Graham Greene MSs. Something to think about, nonetheless. Cheers, RK....